What are the stages of a boil?
A boil often starts as a tender or itchy spot on your skin, surrounding a hair follicle. As the affected area starts to fill with pus, the boil grows and forms a firm, red lump under your skin.
Boils often look like large pimples, and most grow to be the size of a pea.
After several days or weeks, the boil will usually form a whitish head and then burst, allowing the pus to drain away. At this stage some boils may settle slowly without bursting.
Most small to medium-sized boils don’t cause permanent scarring, but larger boils may leave a scar.