How to lance an abscess at home?

Abscesses are no fun, but sometimes you just want to take matters into your own hands. Sure, you could pay a thousand bucks for a doctor’s visit and another million dollars for some antibiotics, or you can get all up in there yourself! So grab your courage (and some alcohol), because we’re about to dive deep into the world of popping pimples and lancing abscesses.

What is an Abscess?

First things first: let’s talk about what an abscess actually is. An abscess is basically a pocket of pus that forms when bacteria enter the body through an open wound or hair follicle. It’s like a little ball full of grossness that wants nothing more than to burst free from captivity!

Symptoms

Some common symptoms of an abscess include:

• Pain
• Redness
• Swelling
• Warmth around the affected area
• Fever

Let me tell ya folks, if these symptoms are sounding familiar then it might be time to start considering taking care of business on your own.

Preparing To Lance The Abscess

Here are some tips on how best to prepare yourself:

Sterilization Is Key!

You do not want any funky business going down during this procedure so it’s important to make sure everything is clean as heck before diving right in. Here’s what else you’ll need:

Essential Materials

• Alcohol swab OR hydrogen peroxide.
• A sterile scalpel blade.
• Sterile gauze pads – duh!

Now let’s move forward!

Make A Small Incision

This part isn’t for everyone – but personally I love feeling like Dr. Pimple Popper in my own bathroom so here’s how it goes:

1) Sterilize! Use either alcohol swab OR hydrogen peroxide on both the abscess and surrounding area as well.
2) Take your sterile scalpel blade and make a small incision through the center of the abscess head, then begin to gently apply pressure to each side (top, bottom, left & right).

Apply Pressure

Now you just press down gently on that bad boy! You should start seeing white or yellow-ish puss come out pretty easily – just keep up the gentle pressure until there’s nothing left.

Drainage is Vital

Be sure the drainage steadily comes out for several minutes OR until it stops entirely.

Bandaging It Up

Finally, we can’t forget about cleaning and protecting:

1. Squeeze/wipe away any last drainage after massaging for a while.
2. Use one of your sterile gauze pads soaked with saline solution (a mix of sodium chloride in water).
3. Place it over where you made that glorious cut!
4. Tape it all securely.

And voilà folks, like magic – you’ve now successfully lanced an abscess!

Conclusion

So if you’re feeling brave enough and have way too much time on your hands why not take care of business all by yourself? Lord knows every day there’s something new popping up (literally) which requires our attention.

My final advice: please at least keep things somewhat clean beforehand… ‘cause who wants those feet near their face?!