<P> Boils may appear on the buttocks or near the anus, the back, the neck, the stomach, the chest, the arms or legs, or even in the ear canal . Boils may also appear around the eye, where they are called styes . A boil on the gum is called intraoral dental sinus, or more commonly, a gumboil . </P> <P> The most common complications of boils are scarring and infection or abscess of the skin, spinal cord, brain, kidneys, or other organs . Infections may also spread to the bloodstream (bacteremia) and become life - threatening . S. aureus strains first infect the skin and its structures (for example, sebaceous glands, hair follicles) or invade damaged skin (cuts, abrasions). Sometimes the infections are relatively limited (such as a stye, boil, furuncle, or carbuncle), but other times they may spread to other skin areas (causing cellulitis, folliculitis, or impetigo). Unfortunately, these bacteria can reach the bloodstream (bacteremia) and end up in many different body sites, causing infections (wound infections, abscesses, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, pneumonia) that may severely harm or kill the infected person . S. aureus strains also produce enzymes and exotoxins that likely cause or increase the severity of certain diseases . Such diseases include food poisoning, septic shock, toxic shock syndrome, and scalded skin syndrome . Almost any organ system can be infected by S. aureus . Squeezing or cutting boils in the danger triangle of the face can be particularly dangerous if done outside a medical setting, as blood vessels in this area drain into the brain and can carry serious infections there . </P> <P> Naturally the cause is bacteria such as staphylococci that are present on the skin . Bacterial colonisation begins in the hair follicles and can cause local cellulitis and inflammation . Myiasis caused by the tumbu fly in Africa usually presents with cutaneous furuncles . Risk factors for furunculosis include bacterial carriage in the nostrils, diabetes mellitus, obesity, lymphoproliferative neoplasms, malnutrition, and use of immunosuppressive drugs. . </P> <P> People with recurrent boils are as well more likely to have a positive family history, take antibiotics, and to have been hospitalised, anemic, or diabetic; they are also more likely to have associated skin diseases and multiple lesions . </P>

Where do boils on the body come from