What is the reason for pustules on the skin

A pustule refers to a raised bag on the skin with pus inside. The color of the pus may be yellow or yellow-green, etc. The pus may contain many bacteria or necrotic cells. In life, many people will develop pustules on their skin, which makes patients very distressed. They don’t know why pustules grow on their skin. Here we introduce some common knowledge about the causes and treatments of pustules.

1. Causes and common diseases

Pustules can be divided into bacterial pustules and aseptic pustules according to whether there are bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms in the pus.

Bacterial pustules are mainly caused by bacterial folliculitis, acne pustules, furuncles and furunculosis, carbuncles, cellulitis, lymphangitis, pustules formed after bacterial infection of the wound, and pressure sores. It is mainly caused by bacteria or fungi invading the human skin or mucous membranes, which produce local inflammatory reactions, resulting in the appearance of red painful nodules, and then pustules, with local redness, swelling, heat and pain. Pus is a thick or thin exudate formed during the inflammation of body tissues, which contains degenerated and necrotic white blood cells, bacteria, necrotic tissue fragments and exuded tissue fluid.

Sterile pustules are mainly formed by the local aggregation of inflammatory cells, together with the collapse of epidermal cells, eosinophils, etc. Common ones include palmoplantar pustulosis, continuous acrodermatitis, herpetiformis pustulosis, subcorneal pustular dermatosis, eosinophilic pustular folliculitis, pustular psoriasis, and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis.

2. Clinical manifestations

Pustules can occur anywhere. Infectious pustules often occur in areas with abundant oil secretion and prone to trauma, such as the face, back, and buttocks. They are scattered and the pustules are the size of grains to mung beans. They are follicular pustules and pustules formed on the tops of papules. The pus is relatively viscous after bursting, and shallow scars are left after healing. Non-infectious pustules often occur in wrinkles, extremities, back, and other areas. Initially, the base is not erythematous, and there are purulent lumps ranging in size from needle tips to mung beans, which are scattered and some merge into pus lakes. After rupture, the epidermis peels off, revealing a bright red base. Some patients have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and body aches.

3. Treatment principles

The treatment of pustules mainly focuses on the treatment of the primary disease and corresponding symptomatic treatment. For infected pustules, treat with local and systemic antibiotics and keep the area clean and dry. For non-infectious pustules, the focus is on treating the primary disease, symptomatic treatment, and appropriate supportive care.