After your abscess was drained
How to care for the wound while it heals, and the warning signs to watch for.
You had an abscess (a collection of pus) that has been drained. The wound is usually left open so it can heal from the inside, and it may have a pack or dressing inside it. Here is how to care for it.
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
These need an ambulance.
- You feel confused or dizzy, your heart is racing, or you are breathing fast
- A high temperature with shivering and feeling very unwell
- Pain far worse than the wound looks, or skin turning dark or purple
- Heavy bleeding that soaks the dressing and does not stop after 10 minutes of firm pressure
Come back to the ED or the dressing service named above.
- Increasing pain, redness, swelling, or more pus than before
- Red streaks spreading out from the wound
- A fever, or you feel generally unwell
- The surface closes over but pain and swelling build up again underneath
- The packing falls out early, or you cannot get it out
- You have missed your dressing appointment, or were not given one
Abscesses are treated in different ways — some are left packed, some have a small drain, and some are simply left open to heal from the bottom up. What was done for you, and when the dressing needs changing, is written in Your care details above. Follow that plan rather than general advice, and do not remove or re-pack anything yourself unless you were shown how. The wound is meant to heal slowly from the inside outwards, so it will look open for a while — that is expected, not a sign it is failing. Bathing or showering is usually fine once the first dressing has been changed, unless you were told otherwise.
Caring for the wound
- Leave any pack or dressing in place until a nurse or doctor changes or removes it — do not pull it out yourself.
- Go to every dressing-change or wound-review appointment. If none was arranged, contact your GP or the unit that treated you.
- Once you are told you can, you may shower and gently clean the area. Avoid soaking the wound in a bath.
- Take the full course of any antibiotics you were given.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain if you can take them.
What to expect
As it heals from the inside, you may notice:
The cavity gradually closes from the bottom up, which can take a few weeks. Keep any wound-check appointment.