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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffTo make a diagnosis, your doctor may ask about your symptoms and medical history, examine your skin, and order blood tests. If pus or drainage is present, your doctor may send a sample of the fluid to a laboratory for testing. This test is known as a culture. Such tests may be necessary to rule out other skin conditions, such as tuberculosis of the skin, a carbuncle or a pilonidal cyst.
