Brief Answer:
Clean all bed sheets, towels, clothes, wash clothes.

Detailed Answer:
Hi there,

A boil, carbuncles, furuncle, and a zit/folliculitis are basically all the same thing - bacterial infections/abscesses of a hair follicle. They usually happen in clusters, especially people living in crowded quarters or within families. The infection essentially spreads from person to person or from hair follicle to hair follicle. Therefore, they always occur on hair-bearing sites. Once the hair is infection, it then spreads into the local skin tissue. It is very common in people with diabetes and immune deficiencies.

My recommendations:
- Moist, warm compress for 30 minutes, at least four times daily
- You may need to drain the larger ones with a medical professional
- Most importantly: Change towels, washcloths, and sheets daily; clean shaving instruments; avoid nose picking; do not share items of personal hygiene; use antibiotic soap to clean areas and hands after touching lesions.

Antibiotics are usually unnecessary unless you have fevers or significant cellulitis (warm, pain, tenderness, and large area of redness) in the area.

If they do not resolve with compresses, I would recommend seeing a medical professional. They are usually self-limiting which means that the pus will drain spontaneously and will heal without scarring in several days.

You are probably a chronic carrier of the infection which causes this infection. If you continue to have them repetitively, you may want to see your doctor to get a culture swab to find out the specific bacteria and an antibiotic that can cure the chronic infection.

In the future, try to wash hands with anti-biotic soap once the first lesion appears. This will help prevent spread of the bacteria.

---