| 5 star (6) | 86% | |
 (1) | 14% |
Marie (Conr9e) on 08/21/2015: 
Well, I just got another one @its been 4 months. Now I have a huge boil in the panty line horrible unrelenting pain. i started using ichtoma,l bad smell, but it's been three day and it's forming a head. I also have been putting warm compresses on it.
i wish they found a cure but ichtomal does work
Eaglez (Waldwick, Nj) on 09/09/2012:
Get yourself a bar of 'brown soap' from Walmart, Walgreens or your supermarket. I have two brands that I have stocked up on: Octagen and Felsnappa. Either will work just fine. Now, place a small plastic bag flat and un-opened on a table. Place the bar of soap on the plastic. Take a butter knife and begin to shave off thin slices of the soap onto the plastic. If the bar of soap you are using has been around for awhile it may be a little dry and will slice off harder than a freshly unwrapped bar of soap. Either will work just fine. Okay, when you have an amount that will cover the intended area of concern remove the bar of soap and then, using your fingers, mush the scrapped pieces of soap together making something that resembles an upside cone or pyramid. Now get some household white sugar and, using a spoon, make a pile of sugar next to the shaved soap. Add enough white sugar so that it is about the same size as the soap. When done simply mush together the soap and the sugar with your fingers. Now you need to add water, a drop or two at a time to make a paste that is not runny or too think and lumpy. Be careful not to add too much water as it will render the paste to a watery mass and become difficult to work with when applying it. When the paste is tacky to the touch, or close to it, apply it to the area(s) of your concern. I use the plastic bag that I mixed the soap and sugar on as a cover to which I also apply some thin padding such as a piece of inexpensize gauze. If you are out in the woods or away from civilization use your best guess as to what to use that would cover the mixture and hold it in place for about twelve hours. About twelve hours after applying this mixture you can take it off and make another application if needed. I've used this to draw out pieces of rust from a terribly corroded nail, pieces of glass, snips of wire and gravel (sliding on a road surface after a fall from a bike). It works well. Someimes a second or even a third application will be needed to do the job - it definitely works. Hope this helps someone.
Drea (San Antonio, Usa) on 05/02/2011:
As soon as one would form, both of us would use something called Ichthammol. The one we used was a thick black ointment, not sure on the clear ones cause we didnt use it. It smells a bit like roofing tar but the smell isnt so bad to where you cant stand it, and believe me this stuff works miracles. We would apply it, and put a thick cloth over it cause it can stain clothing, and would tape the area with medical tape for the skin. By the next day the head would form, we would them clean our hands, take tissue and wrap it around both pointer fingers, and pop the head. You want to push out as much of the infection as possible till nothing but blood is coming out, then you would wipe the area good, apply more of the Ichthammol with new wrapping and repeat the process the next day of removing whatever pus was there.
To best describe what it seems to do, is make it easy for the puss to be drawn out do that draining it is easier, and the pain or the infection doesnt last for days or weeks. I use to go to the Hospital for mine and they would numb the area with shots which was extremely painful because the skin was already tender to the max, and then they would slit the skin with a blade, and remove what they could, they I would have to stuff it with guaze over and over for about a week, everyday and it would leave a nasty scar that at times either would heal over 6months to a yr, and some have not seemed to heal at all.
With the Ichthammol, and all the easy removal of the fluid, there isnt as much pain compared to having to stuff the open sore wound with guaze, and it seems to heal more rapidly with no scars left after.
Also I make sure to apply something called Hibiclens over my skin when I take a shower. But I only do this about once a month. It helps to clean the skin and kill bacteria, now it doesnt get rid of the boils coming back permanantly but it does help bring down the reoccurance of them, cause I use to get them every 2-4months, and I made sure to wash/bleach my sheets and clothes, also went around the house with bleach and hot water, wiping down things that are touched often but forgotten about like light switches and door knobs. Now I might get a boil/staff infection once every 6-8 months.
Hope this helps anyone dealing with these horrible things, I wouldnt wish these on anyone and hope everyone has found some kind of remedy that works.
L (USA) on 01/04/2008: 
Jennifer (Raleigh, NC) on 12/21/2006:
Tanya (New Mexico) on 07/21/2006:
Renee (Pepperell Ma) on 05/05/2006:
