There are a number of illnesses you could suffer from that are not considered important if you were to take some Critical Illness Coverout, and an abscess is one of these.

An abscess is a small amount of pus under the skin, and usually occurs due to an infection or something trapped underneath the skin. To identify an abscess you will see a small lump which is of a red colour, which would be very painful. Another definition for an abscess is also a boil, and are likely to occur in places where hair grows or there is a constant rubbing factor, areas include your armpit. With a normal infection a course of antibiotics will normally cure the infection but if suffering from an abscess or boil you may need other treatment than a course of antibiotics. Depending on the size and typically most would tend to be of a small size smaller than a five pence coin, but others of a larger size may need to be drained.

The reason why a small formation occurs on the skin containing pus is because when the body is trying to fight an infection it then wants to stop other infection from occurring elsewhere on the body. And whilst having a shield over the infected area it means that the infection is contained in one place and when ready it will burst. The description carbuncle is where there are multiple boils, the level of pain suffered will not only depend on the size but also the location for example in between your legs where you cannot control the rubbing factor whenever you walk. The boil will tend to burst within a week; however a deep routed infection may mean that it will take anything up to two weeks. A way in order to try and treat the infection is to try and not move the infected area, however although it is an infection you do not want to apply any creams on to the areas all you should do is keep the area clean especially when the boil/abscess bursts.

If the pain persists and becomes to painful take pain relief medication to ease but if continues to get worse you may need to consult your doctor. You may also need to consult a doctor if the infection does not come to the surface of the skin where you can see the pus forming, or the head has formed but does not burst within a few weeks. When consulting your doctor they may cut the boil in order to release the infection where you would then need to keep clean and dry by applying clean dressings.

The doctor may give you an injection of antibiotics to reduce the risk of further spreading of the infection, but at the same time take a few tests to identify the bacteria causing the infection but also tests to exclude any question whether or not the patient suffers from diabetes. If you are fit and healthy there is no reason why it would not heel of its own accord however if not you should identify the possible causes. It is not an infection which will make you critically ill or be covered under a critical illness insurance plan however it would be advisable to identify the possible causes for peace of mind and future reference.