Are you living with boils under your arms? These can be caused by several different things. It’s important to find the right cause so you can get an effective treatment. After all, you don’t want to get a bad infection in your armpits.

Here’s what you need to know about boils in your armpit. This information can help you understand what might be going on so you know when to talk to your doctor to get medical advice or emergency help.

Underarm Boils and Infections

If you have a big boil under your armpit, it’s normal to wonder, “What triggers boils?” Most boils, including those you get under your arms, are triggered by a staph infection. This means that a bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus has infected the skin under your arm. If you have several boils in the same place on your body, it’s called a carbuncle.

Most of the time, bacteria infiltrates your hair follicles. These are small openings in your skin that your hair grows out of. The armpits are one place where this often happens. Hair follicles on your face, your buttocks and inner thighs, or on your neck can also get infected. There’s also a chance you can get this type of infection anywhere you have body hair.

One way to get a boil is through an ingrown hair. This means that a hair that got shortened, usually by shaving, waxing, or tweezing, turned around and started growing into your skin, rather than out of it. Ingrown hairs can lead to infections in your hair follicles, which may turn into boils. Other times, you may get boils when your skin has been broken via a bug bite or a small scrape. This makes it easier for the bacteria to get into your skin.

Risk Factors for Skin Infections

Some people are more likely than others to get skin infections that lead to boils. While there’s no way to say for sure what causes boils, some risk factors include:

• Diabetes — This can make it harder for your body to fight all types of infections, including ones on your skin.
• Obesity — Individuals who have a higher body weight may have an increased risk of getting a boil.
• A variety of skin conditions — Some of these, like eczema or acne, can make you more likely to get boils.
• A weakened immune system — This can occur with cancer and some other medical conditions, including diabetes.
• Close proximity to someone else with a staph infection — Because bacteria can spread, you’re more likely to get a boil if someone you’re close to has one.

If you have one or more of these risk factors, keep a close watch for boils. If you see one, give it the attention it needs right away.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is another medical condition that can cause abscesses and boils under your armpits and on other parts of your body. It’s an autoinflammatory condition, where your body’s immune system attacks your hair follicles. This causes inflammation, which can lead to boils that may sometimes resemble cysts.

HS isn’t contagious in any way, and it doesn’t happen because you don’t clean your body well. It’s based solely on your immune system and the way it’s working in areas of the body where you have hair follicles. Sometimes, healthcare providers may mistake HS boils for those caused by infection, as described above. You may have to go to a specialist to get the diagnosis you need.

In addition to being under your arms, HS may show up anywhere where skin rubs against skin. It’s common between your thighs, in your groin or genital area, on your buttocks, around your waist, under your breasts, and on your neck. If you’re diagnosed with HS, you may want to watch these areas closely in case other boils develop there too.

Risk Factors for HS

Some people have a higher risk of developing HS than others do. Risk factors for hidradenitis suppurativa include:

• Being female, according to Cleveland Clinic
• Having sex hormones that change a lot, like during puberty or before menopause
• Being diagnosed with obesity
• Having at least one close relative who lives with HS
• Smoking regularly
• Growing more body hair than most people do
• Being a teenager or in your 20s
• Being diagnosed with acne, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, metabolic disease, or diabetes

If you’re living with risk factors, you can always talk to your dermatology team about HS. Even if you don’t have symptoms, they can tell you what to look for, check your body for signs you might have missed, and help you understand your risk level for developing HS later.

Treating Armpit Boils

If you’re reading all of this and wondering, “Yes, but how do you get rid of armpit boils?” then this is the section for you.

The treatment for your boil will depend on what caused it. Most of the time, armpit boils respond well to being soaked with warm compresses several times a day. A lot of boils will resolve in a couple of weeks with this kind of care. Some boils may require antibiotics, especially if they don’t seem to go away on their own.

If you’re living with hidradenitis suppurativa, you’ll need to treat that to get the relief you need. This can take the form of medications like antibiotics, steroids, and biologics. Your doctor will help you find the treatment that’s best for your body and your needs.

Talk to Your Doctor

If there’s ever anything going on with your skin that you’re not sure about, talk to a doctor. You can start with your primary care physician if you don’t have a dermatologist, or go straight to the skin care experts. They should be able to help you figure out how to get rid of a boil under your armpit.

You should definitely talk to a doctor if your boils go away but return, don’t heal even though you’re caring for them, or get bigger despite all you’re doing. These aren’t necessarily signs that the situation is urgent, but they do mean you need medical care in addition to what you’re already doing.

Armpit Boils and Emergency Care

It’s rare to need emergency care for a boil in your armpit, but it can happen. If you get a fever with your boil, it’s time to see a doctor right away. Similarly, if your boil is getting worse very quickly or you’re in extreme pain, it’s time to head to the emergency room. If your armpit boils spread to your face and they affect how well you can see, you also need to get medical advice immediately.

It’s important to make sure you always get the medical care you need. Occasionally, infection from armpit boils can enter your bloodstream, causing sepsis (blood infection), or get into your brain or other organs. Infection from boils can also go deeper into your skin and cause an infection called cellulitis. Seeking medical attention as soon as you realize you need it can lower your chances of experiencing these things.

Talk With Others Who Understand

On myHSteam, people share their experiences with hidradenitis suppurativa, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

Have you had a boil under your arm? What caused it? Let others know in the comments below.