My boyfriend tends to get them in his...nether regions. He has a huge one a bit bigger than the size of a marble. He usually doesn't let me touch his acne but he let me touch this one. For two days, I'd pop it and it wouldn't get better. It also popped on my face. I've never really had this problem though. He thinks alcohol will make them better but I just threw at him my nuetragina body wash I don't ever use.

Ah, kaplods - I've done that countless times and have regretted it - letting my morbid curiosity get the best of me! :lol: I wish you lived closer, I often read something wacked you type and decide you're my evil twin in the world - I'd so love to take you out for coffee and laughs.

When I was heavier I endured terrible awful bumps on my inner thighs. They were so painful! I don't know whether or not they were boils, but thankfully it doesn't happen anymore. I don't think it's a coincidence that I never experienced it before being overweight or after I got the weight off, in my case it HAD to be weight related.

HA! new weight loss approach...watch "boils" on youtube before every meal!

I LOVE the idea of being someone's evin twin!! My hubby is the one who LOOKS antisocial, all Mr. Biker-viking, but he's so mellow and down-right conservative on the inside. My twistedness is all on the inside (I would get tattoos, but I'm waiting until I lose a lot more of the weight - I don't want them to twist and distort like they're on silly putty as I'm losing weight). His mom LOVED me when she met me, because I looked very conservative and had a responsible job (when we met before I got sick), and she thought I was going to turn hubby into Mr. Shirt-and-tie. She was very disappointed that I didn't MAKE him cut his hair for our wedding. She was expecting me to "fix" him, and I think she thinks that instead he broke me, not knowing I was pretty bent before he met me.

You can't tell it in the picture, but hubby had a ponytail that was so long it reached his belt buckle. It's several inches shorter now, not because he cut it, but because his hair started breaking off a bit at the ends. I keep telling him he needs to use a better conditioner, but he says he keeps his hair in a ponytail because he doesn't want to fuss with it, so he's not going to "fuss" with a conditioner.

I have to agree with you there, and I have a crazy strong stomach for most gross medical stuff. My dad was a volunteer EMT and we would go to the volunteer ambulance service picnic and the guys and ladies on the squad would spend the whole time talking about the calls they were on. The Youtube stills didn't bother me, but the video added a whole new dimension to the Ginormous gross factor.

On a side note though, I have absolutely no tolerance for blood, injury, or trauma when it's someone close to me, or a child. My youngest sister, when she was 3 (I was 19) bit through her tongue when she slipped and hit her chin on the table, and I passed out COLD. I started college as a nursing major, and in researching pediatric burns for a paper, I almost passed out in the library (shortly after, I switched majors from nursing to psychology).

Hmm, I also haven't had a boil. Sounds extremely unpleasant.. and I am definitely not checking that video out! I don't have a weak stomach, but I'm pretty sure I can live my life without seeing that! LOL.

My poor bf get cystic acne, soo painful! I pop it, and use alcohol on it to dry it out, it's the only thing that seems to work. He's also got super sensitive skin, luckily he's had some results with Avene's acne line!

-Aimee

That Old Faithful article was hilarious.

I've had boils since I was about 13 years old. I 've had them on my underarms, sides, bikini lines, ***, inner thigh. ...never had one on my face thank God! They've always been small. I'm just really really prone to ingrown hairs and while most times they don't get infected...other times they do.

They're more embarrassing to me then painful. I have several scars from these things. Sighs. That's life though.

I had a pilonidal cyst, too, and I also felt a great connection with David Sedaris reading that section...

Most painful medical experience of my life, most definitely. I was in finals at the time and was studying with icepacks on my behind.

I use Physohex (spelling?) soap - prescribed by my doctor, in all the areas where they usually show up.

I know this sounds crazy, but using bacitracian (again, spelling?!) in my nose every day helps!! My doctor told me to do that, and it works!

Not crazy at all, since the highest concentraction of staph bacteria is in the nose, if you can stop it at the source, it can help prevent spreading the bacteria to other parts of the body.

Boils can be a symptom of diabetes, poor nutrition, poor hygiene, or poor immune system. If you get them often, you should see your doctor. They are not cysts. A tailbone cyst (polinoidal cyst) is not a boil.

Cystic acne is a sebaceous cyst and is not a boil.

Saef, thanks for this link...it was so much fun to read. :D

I too have had a polynoidal cyst...and I can only tell you one thing worse than the cyst itself, and that is the surgery to have it removed. They had to give me valium before starting and then had to stop in the middle of it and cover me with warmed blankets and give me more valium, or strap me down to the table like a deranged psycho...I was so humiliated I could not stop shaking.

Ive never really had a boil. My dad said he use to get them really bad, and someone told him to eat a certain kind of berry ( a wild one- cant remember the name- nor am I a Dr) and after he ate those berries the never had another.

I wouldn't have thought this thread would be so popular...

hmmm....

Glad you're cool with being an evil twin! I've been wanting to tell you for some time, but wasn't sure how it would come across. I think of you every time I use my GPS - I want to mail it to you so you can geocache again. Did you find your old one yet?

Ah, I'm the 'rough' looking one in my marriage. My husband was a clean cut Ralph Lauren type while I had the tattoos and interesting hairstyles and clothes. We were a total mismatch! My mother claims that I've dirtied him up.

I do remember you saying your viking husband had a ponytail. Hmm he needs to keep it in good shape, on the conditioner, perhaps trick him and mix decent conditioner into his shampoo? There are also good inexpensive little rubber bands (clear plastic) that claim to reduce breakage. They worked incredibly well for me when I had longer hair. They were sold at Walgreens for under two dollars. They look very small (almost like bands for braids or cornrows) but stretch incredibly well and can hold a lot of hair.