A friend of mine keeps getting these strange absesses in her arm pits. I have had to take her to the doctor twice now to get them cut open. I think she has also gone two other times on her own to get them cut open. Does anyone know why she would keep getting these things??

My 17 year old has the same problem as your friend. We are trying to find out what is causing this and how to prevent it. So far, we've been to the er 4 times to have them lanced/drained/packed. It makes her feel very sick and weak. Out of 6 doctors including her pediatrician, none can give us very much information -- they don't seem to know. Our next stop is a dermatologist. Other than these abscesses, her skin is perfect.

hello
i actually suffer from absesses, am trying to get over one at the moment, luckily this time they were able to stich it up instead of packing, i have had 4 altogether, they really get me down and they re not able to state what or why they keep coming, i am going to seek advice from a dermatoligist and hopefully they will have the answer. i have had absesses in other places aswell as the arm pit, so i have a few scars cause of them, if anyone has any suggestions i would love to hear them, thanks

i have had them to, near the groin area. my doctor said that they were actually MRSA- the staff infection that is resistant to most antibiotics. You should def. get tested for MRSA to make sure it isnt that. They can do a culture of the infected area.

I have had only one other besides the one i have currently. My aunt who is a doctor gets patients in all the time with them. Why most abscesses occur is because its usually in areas where there is hair and in begins as a ingrown hair and then develops into a abscess or boil as they are also known as. This is what has caused my first one and the one I currently have. While I hope this helps.

my names emma im 20yrs old and i have been getting these absesses since june 2007 and its now may 2008. i get them every where. bottom, groin, thighs, stomach, on my side and armpits....ive even had 1 on my face. i was just recently in hospital gettin 2 of them drained/lanced/packed...im at a loss as what to do. im a mental and emotional wreck. they have tested me 4 MRSA, diabeties, even aids! the list goes on....if any one has any idea please help me....im not coping with them very well ae....they stop me going to work, to poly tech and other things. i have been to see an infectious deseis doctor but even he cant help. where do i go next? can anyone help me?

My friend had one in his armpit, it's more common than people would think - just nobody ever tells people about them. I had a really big one develop on the back of my neck. Over about 5 months it went from what I thought was a deep spot to the size of a golf ball pretty much - it was ridiculous. They sliced it open in the end under general anaesthic, but I've got a bit of a ******* of a scar, makes me not want to cut my hair. If ever I feel a spot on the back of my neck I get worried it might happen again, but hasn't yet - fingers crossed.

I sympathize with those of you for who this is more of a regularity. As for how to beat it, I'd suppose work on your diet (always the answer), think of any products you might be using in those areas... OH! In fact, at one point me and my gf got little lumps in our armpits, she had a few, then I got one... We figured out it was because we were sharing a shower scrub/shower gel, we stopped using it and none came again - so definately have a house clearing of all those products, just to check. I'm not sure if a dermatolagist can help, aren't they under the skin? Don't really know about that though.