Carbuncles are infections of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue with swelling, redness and later pus formation under the skin. It typically has a sieve-like appearance on the skin with surrounding redness. It is most likely to be seen in diabetic patients.

Treatment

Treatment consists of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication, local treatment, control of diabetes and surgical treatment in the form of incision and drainage of the carbuncle. All the pus and devitalized tissue has to be excised, leaving healthy tissue behind which is then nursed back to normalcy with regular dressings. Here, it cannot be emphasized enough that the blood sugar levels of the patient need to be controlled strictly.

If the carbuncle is large, then once the wound starts improving, the patient may require superficial skin grafting on the wound to expedite healing.