What if pus is left untreated? (2023)

What if pus is left untreated?

If left untreated, abscesses can spark an infection that spreads throughout your body, and can be life-threatening. Call your doctor if your skin abscess does not go away on its own, or with home treatment.

Pus is a natural result of the body fighting infection. Pus can be yellow, green, or brown, and may in some cases have a foul odor. If pus appears after surgery, contact a doctor immediately. Smaller buildups of pus can be self-managed at home.

Is It Good for Pus to Come Out? It can be part of drainage necessary for healing, but it can also be cause for concern. Don't encourage pus to come out, however. Doing so can cause or worsen infection, and it may make the skin more tender or even painful.

“A wound that's oozing pus definitely means you have a bacterial infection,” said Dr. Brady Didion, a Marshfield Clinic family medicine physician. An incision or wound that's healing well looks slightly red and may seep clear fluid.

A small skin abscess may drain naturally, or simply shrink, dry up and disappear without any treatment. However, larger abscesses may need to be treated with antibiotics to clear the infection, and the pus may need to be drained.

Pus is a common and normal byproduct of your body's natural response to infections. Minor infections, especially on the surface of your skin, usually heal on their own without treatment. More serious infections usually need medical treatment, such as a drainage tube or antibiotics.

Pus is a sign that a wound is infected but it is also a sign that your body is trying to fight the infection and heal the injury. Once an infection has started, your immune system begins trying to fight it off. It sends white blood cells to the area to destroy the bacteria.

Is pus a good thing? “Nope,” says Dr. Derby. “P-U-S is B-A-D.” It's the byproduct of your body fighting an infection.

After the initial discharge of a bit of pus and blood, your wound should be clear. If the discharge continues through the wound healing process and begins to smell bad or have discoloration, it's probably a sign of infection.

How long does it take for a pus wound to heal?

What to Expect: Pain and swelling normally peak on day 2. Any redness should go away by day 4. Complete healing should occur by day 10.

A small skin abscess may drain naturally, or simply shrink, dry up and disappear without any treatment. However, larger abscesses may need to be treated with antibiotics to clear the infection, and the pus may need to be drained.

If the area around the wound becomes red or begins to swell, or pus begins to drain from it, seek medical care right away.

If you see any of the following signs of infection in your wound, call your doctor immediately: Redness in or around the wound. Fever and/or chills. Pus or drainage.

Apply warm compresses and soak the boil in warm water. This will decrease the pain and help draw the pus to the surface. Once the boil comes to a head, it will burst with repeated soakings. This usually occurs within 10 days of its appearance.

As pus builds up, it can press against the skin and surrounding inflamed tissue, causing pain. Some abscesses are caused by an irritant like an injected medication that was not completely absorbed. Since they're not caused by infection, these kinds of abscesses are called "sterile" abscesses.

A wound that's healing can produce a clear or pink fluid. An infected wound can produce a yellowish, bad-smelling fluid called pus. When fluid seeps from a wound, it is called wound drainage.

Home remedies

Make a warm compress by soaking a clean cloth in hot water. Apply the compress to the affected area for 10 to 15 minutes, around 3 or 4 times a day, until it releases pus. Consider taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen if the boils are painful. Keep the area clean.

Pus is a thick, opaque, often whitish-yellow or brownish-yellow fluid that's formed during an inflammatory response (i.e., in reaction to an infection).