1. Wash Your Hands to Prevent Staph Infections
Staph bacteria may be present in many people without them knowing. It travels through the air, on contaminated surfaces or from contact with others. Regular hand washing is essential in preventing staph infections or spreading staph bacteria.
2. Keep Skin Infections Clean as Part of Staph Infection Treatment
If you suffer a cut or abrasion on your skin, clean it immediately with an antibiotic. This will keep any staph bacteria that may be lingering on the surface of your skin from entering your body and causing an infection.
3. Boils as Part of Staph Infection Treatment
Skin boils are one of the symptoms of a staph infection. A boil occurs when a hair follicle is infected and the staph infection spreads to the oil glands. A boil can start out as small as a pimple then grow into the size of a golf ball in a few days. Boils are tender and painful. To help relieve discomfort from a boil, try soaking in a warm water or apply a heating pad to it for twenty minutes, three or four times a day. Wash any washcloths or towels that come into contact with it. Never try to pop a boil with a pin, as this can cause further infections. If a boil is particularly painful, a prescription for antibiotics may be necessary. Very large boils may be lanced (cut open) by a doctor.
4. Antibiotics may be Prescribed as a Staph Infection Treatment
Doctors treat many staph infections with antibiotics. Be sure to take the entire dose of antibiotics, even after the infection goes away. Staph infections are increasingly resistant to antibiotics, so skipping a dose can put you at risk for the infection coming back in a more aggressive form. A MRSA infection is an aggressive form of staph that is resistant to common antibiotics. Doctors use different, more concentrated medicine for MSRA and most patients make a full recovery.
5. Keep Staph Infections Clean
Most mild staph infections do not need special medication or antibiotics. They will heal on their own in a few days. To treat them, keep the area clean and covered with topical antibiotic. If the infection is oozing any pus or other liquid, cover it with a gauze pad or bandage. Change the bandages frequently to keep the infection as clean as possible.
