What is Forehead Skin Abscess: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention

A skin abscess is a lump or a boil, which develops within or just below the skin surface. This lump is normally filled with pus or fluid and is caused mainly by bacterial infection. A skin abscess can develop in any part of the body and when it develops in the forehead, it is termed as a forehead skin abscess. Forehead skin abscess is quite an uncommon condition as abscess generally develops in the face, trunk, buttocks, or areas where there is growth of hairs like the armpits or the genital areas.

A forehead skin abscess is quite a benign condition and usually resolves on its own without needing any intervention; however, if an individual has recurrent forehead skin abscesses then treatment in the form of antibiotics and drainage of the pus may be required to treat Forehead Skin Abscess.

As stated, the most common cause for a forehead skin abscess is bacterial infection. Among the various types of bacteria the most common type which causes forehead skin abscess is called the Staphylococcus bacterium. This bacterium can enter the body through various means like through a hair follicle or through a wound or injury to the forehead because of which the wound is open to air and the bacteria may find its way in the body.

Bacterial infection can also be caused if the individual is in close contact with an already infected person or if an individual has skin diseases like eczema. Forehead skin abscess is also seen more in diabetics. Immune-compromised people also tend to be exposed to frequent bacterial infections, which may cause forehead skin abscess. People with poor hygiene habits also tend to be exposed to bacterial infections leading to forehead skin abscess.

The most classic symptom of a forehead skin abscess is a lump or a boil in the forehead area, which may resemble a pimple or a mosquito bite which tends to grow with time and then may resemble a cyst filled with pus or fluid. Some of the other symptoms which may accompany Forehead Skin Abscess are:

• Fever.
• Nausea.
• Chills.
• Inflamed skin around the forehead region.
• Drainage of fluid from the abscess.
• The region around the abscess may also feel painful and warm to touch.

In order to diagnose Forehead Skin Abscess, the physician will first inspect the forehead area and take a history of the patient to inquire as to how long the lump has been on the forehead and whether the patient is experiencing any other symptoms. This will be followed by a careful physical examination of the infected area, which in this case is the forehead in order to attempt to find a cause of the lump.

The physician may take a small amount of fluid from the abscess and send it for culture and analysis to identify the offending bacteria causing the infection and resulting abscess. In cases where the patient has recurrent Skin Abscesses then the physician may take urine sample and send it for analysis to rule out any other underlying cause for recurrent Forehead Skin Abscess.

As stated, majority of Forehead Skin Abscess go away by themselves and do not require any intervention; however, if the Forehead Skin Abscess is not going even after a few weeks then treatment may be required. The treatments given for Forehead Skin Abscess are basically antibiotics to eliminate the bacteria causing Forehead Skin Abscess. The most common antibiotic used for treating Forehead Skin Abscess is cephalexin.

This will be preceded by draining the pus, which can be done either through a needle or by making a small cut near the abscess and draining the pus. The pus collected will then be sent for analysis to the laboratory. In some cases, a Forehead Skin Abscess is caused by a type of bacterium called MRSA, which is methicillin resistent staphylococcus aureus which is resistant to most antibiotics. If this is the case, then the physician will recommend using more stronger antibiotics, but will prefer draining the pus completely and shrink the abscess so that the bacterium does not get resistant to more antibiotics. Most of the times, the recurrence rate is extremely low in cases of Forehead Skin Abscess.

There is every way that Forehead Skin Abscess can be prevented. Some of the ways through which Forehead Skin Abscess can be prevented are:

• Washing hands regularly.
• Cleaning all types of cuts or small wounds before applying antiseptics.
• Keeping cuts and wounds properly bandaged.
• Avoiding sharing the personal items like soaps, towels, razors, clothing with other people, especially those who have a history of frequent infections so as to prevent Forehead Skin Abscess.

Also Read:

• What is a Skin Abscess