A Boil on My 3 Year Face

Updated on March 20, 2009
E.A. asks from Aurora, IL
13 answers

My son who is 3 we thought had a bug bite. We found out it is a boil.
I can't imagin why, how a three year old would get something like this. I feel so bad.
He has it on his face.
Does anyone have any advice on how i can prevent this or know why it happened.
I have took him to the doctor and he is on meds. Also they took sample and suppose to get the results back today or tomorrow. As of today thursday it is going down. I want to make sure he doesn't get this again!!

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S.R.

answers from Chicago on

You might want to see a derm. That does not seem normal. You can use Boil-Ease available at Walgreens/CVS

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M.D.

answers from Chicago on

Get him to the doctor as soon as possible to get it checked out. My son had a boil on his belly right above his belly button which I thought was weird too. AFter a few days it didn't go away with warm compresses so I brought him to the doctor. It ended up being MRSA. That is code for a super bug that can be very dangerous if not taken care of right away. Luckily they were able to lance the boil, test it, give medication for it and an ointment. I am very happy to say it went away but now forever I have to watch his boldy to make sure it doesn't occur again and if it does I have to bring him to the doctor right away.

Good luck.

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K.P.

answers from Chicago on

When I come across things like that I will google them and it will tell me everything I need to know.

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D.C.

answers from Chicago on

My son who is 6 was getting them. Did not know what to do either. Took him to the doctors for med which helped, but then they would come back in different areas of his body (shoulder, back of leg, and under his chin). One would turn into 3-5 in the area.
He was under too much stress and heavy issues that were more then he could (or should have to) handle with school (bullying and harrasement) and at an in home daycare. We have taken care of the issues with school, and changed his in home daycare. No more boils.
Is there any issues that you know of (or do not know of) that would be putting the love of your life in stress?
My son is the love of my life along with my husband :)

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E.P.

answers from Chicago on

I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Bring him to the Dr. My "boil" was celluitis (potentially MRSA) They cultured it in the dr.'s office to rule out MRSA. At the very least, bring him to a local, trusted Pharmacist who can give you good guidance. They see this stuff all the time too. (My Pharmacist sent me straight to the Dr - was a good call!)

Last year, my son had a small, undramatic cut that we really didn't pay much attention to until "the RED LINE" moved up his arm!

Just a tiny bite or scratch, left unattended can sometimes fester into what he is experiencing. Just making sure all cuts are immediately cleaned are the best preventative measures you can take. However, as vigilant as you may be, these little cuts can go unnoticed until it requires doctor's care.

Good luck.

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M.C.

answers from Chicago on

I had a couple boils as a child because our well water was contaminated. It was sent away for analysis and that was the finding.

A.F.

answers from Chicago on

As another poster said- definitely take him to the pediatrician. See if they can drain and culture it. He will likely have to be on an antibiotic because it sounds like a bacterial infection BUT you want to make sure he is on the right one. My husband, out of the blue, developed a boil on his leg back in August. It turns out it was a Staph infection (but not MRSA- it was cultured). Since then, he has had 3 more. Staph lives naturally on some people's skin and definitely on surfaces -- it is even one of the most common causes of pink eye (and according to online statistics 5-20% of HEALTHY PEOPLE have staph naturally present on their skin...weird but true). However, what the boils look like after they are done draining is not good - little scars with rings around them on his upper legs. I would hate for your kiddo to end up with repeat ones so DEFINITELY take him to the pediatrician...soon and be firm that you would like it cultured. No sense on having to switch antibiotics because it isn't working or something. Also, once it does drain, you are going to have to keep it covered so your son doesn't spread whatever bacteria is draining as it could cause it to spread. We have 2 little ones - 20 months and 4 months - so my husband has been very vigilant about keeping them covered while draining, using a new towel for every bath, washing only with antibacterial soap (Cetaphil has a great bar soap that is Antibacterial and fragrance free), and washing his clothes in color safe bleach (all suggested by the doc) and so far no one else in the family has gotten any :) Good luck and if you need more suggestions and find out it is Staph...let me know. My husband now uses hospital grade antibacterial hand wipes on his legs twice a day to keep overgrowth away (and by the way- we are VERY CLEAN PEOPLE who have no idea how this happened AND we thought my husband's was a bug or spider bite at first).

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V.C.

answers from Decatur on

Do you have pets? They are notorious for trekking in "stuff" from outside. PLUS, your three yr old is at just the right height to get licked right on the face. Remember dogs don't use toilet paper they lick there bottom and their everything else! So my guess is that. We have one small dog and she is bathed once a week. I am a germaphobe so I also use a steam mop on my hard wood floors, it is best for "stuff" that gets tracked into the house. Carpet is also a big magnet for "stuff" kids could be innocently playing on the carpet and pick up something on a toy car and "vroom vroom" they handle the car and then wipe their eyes, or scratch their cheek and there ya go. I am not saying that you are a poor housekeeper, but only trying to explain that "stuff" happens! Even to the best of us!It doesn't mean that you do not care for your child properly or clean efficiently, it just means that we cannot control every aspect of our child's life, only maintain it to the best of our ability! There is a reason why childcare centers wash all the toys daily or weekly in a bleach solution, because they don't want to spread germs either. I stay at home with my child and choose to do a monthly sweep of all the toys. Best of luck to you with your lil guy!

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M.G.

answers from Chicago on

I see you took him to the doctor. You may consider getting some MSM and Garlic with Allicin. MSM will help flush out the blood stream. Can reacher on the website. Also make sure you are giving him plenty of water and elimate juice and soda which are acidic in nature. Research the web for things that can cause the boils just don't rely on your doctor there are natural things you can do to help elimate the issue.

My prayers will be with you.
MG

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N.J.

answers from Chicago on

Boils are generally caused by staph bacteria. If your child has not been washing his hands or has been around a lot of pets or sick kids in daycare, all it takes is a small cut or irritated pore for the bacteria to take hold. I would suggest being extremely conscientious about the cleanliness of pets and make sure to wash his hands often. Clean Well is a brand with natural antbacterial properties so as not to create more superbugs like MRSA. Good Luck.

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C.K.

answers from Chicago on

As others have posted, get him to the doc and quick! Boils are usually a staph infection and can spread quickly especially with a kid that will pick at stuff as they all do. They are easier to get than people realize. It could be something as simple as a clogged hair follicle as my doctor explained to me. Have the doctor lance it and CULTURE the stuff he gets out of it. Insist on it to make sure it is not MRSA. We have been the MRSA route in our house already and it is a pain to clear up!

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V.M.

answers from Chicago on

Take him to the pediatrician and have it checked--I don't mean to alarm you, but there's recent news about MRSA showing up initially as boils. Also, if it needs lancing, your doctor will be able to do it without spreading the infection.

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