Surgical urgency · Needs drainage
A perianal abscess is a collection of pus next to the anus. It hurts a great deal, worsens quickly, and antibiotics alone will not fix it — it has to be drained. This is one of the few things here that should not wait.
A perianal abscess is suspected when there is severe, constant pain beside the anus — not only when passing stool — with a hard, hot, swollen lump. Many patients say they cannot sit down or sleep.
Seek care the same day if there is also fever or chills, if the pain increases hour by hour, or if you feel generally unwell. In people with diabetes or a weakened immune system the urgency is greater, because the infection spreads faster.
Pooled pus sits in a closed cavity that antibiotics reach poorly. They may bring the fever down and give an impression of improvement while the collection keeps growing inside.
The treatment is drainage: opening and evacuating the pus. Pain relief is usually immediate and obvious. Antibiotics accompany treatment in some cases, but they do not replace drainage.
After drainage the wound is left to heal from the inside out, with dressings. It is important to know that a share of abscesses later leave an anal fistula: that does not mean anything was done wrong, it is a known course.
If weeks later pus or discharge still comes from a small opening, that is assessed separately and has its own treatment.
Yes. It is an advancing infection and the treatment is to drain it. If there is fever, pain that increases hour by hour, or you cannot sit down, seek care the same day.
Message or call directly. This is not something to fly home with: an untreated abscess gets worse, and flying with one is uncomfortable and unwise. It can be assessed and drained here, in English.
It sometimes drains on its own and the pain eases, but that does not guarantee the cavity emptied fully, and it is exactly the situation where a fistula tends to remain. Even if it drained on its own, have it assessed.
Healthcare by the Sea · De Los Tules 168-10, Jardines de Las Gaviotas, 48328 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.
New address as of September 2026 — previously at Hospital Multimédica.
Monday to Thursday 2:00–5:00 pm and 7:00–8:00 pm · Friday 2:00–8:00 pm.
Phone and WhatsApp: +52 33 3971 8620.
Initial consultation: $800 MXN. Major medical
insurance accepted, as well as private payment.
Consultation, surgical planning and follow-up in English.
Dr. Jason Alejandro Valdivia Nájar · General Surgeon · Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
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