I talked to a wound specialist about this and she said as long as we wear gloves, sterilize the needle or blade, as well as the abscess itself & we can handle the pain, then it is alright. To sterilize you have to either boil with distilled water for 10 minutes or let it soak in 70% isopropyl alcohol for 5 minutes then let it evaporate on a clean towel. I’m not a Dr so don’t take what I say as it is. I would talk to your dr to verify it. Also the hot compresses really help. You have to do it multiple times a day for it to really work. Also for pain if you live in a US state that legally sells marijuana in a store then I would go in & talk to one of the employees to see what they recommend for the pain. I like edibles so I don’t get lung cancer. I know it takes longer for the pain to subside but once it does it’s amazing! Start out with the lowest does & just let it do it’s thing. Hope this helps!

I'd never. I use DMSO Cream on painful pustules that need to open and drain.
The O in DMSO is Oxygen, which in that form, kills bacteria. It helps the skin to gather up, corral and push the bacteria toward the surface so the pustule opens to drain.
Be sure the skin is clean first, no other cream or lotion on it (DMSO is a carrier, meaning it can cross the skin barrier and carry other substances with it). A couple times I had an itchy reaction when using the DMSO but it turned out I had another cream on my skin first. No reaction when using on clean, not-lotioned skin.
I use homemade finger cots (cut the fingers off vinyl med gloves, cheaper than buying actual finger cots). With the cot, gently dab DMSO Cream onto the pustules, then peel off the finger cot inside-out.
Cover the pustules with an absorbent pad (a monthly stuck in my undies works for me).
The DMSO immediately gives that sore, burning area a feeling of slight cool relief 🌬, relieving the pain a bit as well (it hurts so much because the infection is IN there- it needs to come OUT!).
The DMSO causes the pustules to break open and begin draining- WITHIN TWO DAYS.
Such a relief!
I have, when they're nearly done draining, used finger cots and gently pressed at the sides to get the pus to clear out faster, then put another pad over them.
For the shower, I wet the HS prone spots first, then apply JĀSÖN TEATREE BODYWASH to the trouble spots, then let it soak in while I wash everywhere else (hair too). Leave the trouble spots for last when rinsing, to have time for the Tea Tree to get in to help the skin heal and stay clear.
I have a clip-on fan in my bathroom- I use that to make sure those areas are dry, DRY after my shower.
Then, MORNING AND EVENING, every day whether I have a breakout or not-
I use SKYORGANICS TEATREE/WITCH HAZEL FACIAL TONER in its spray bottle and either spritz directly on the HS spots or spray on a cotton facial pad and gently dab it on, then FAN-DRY them again. Dry-DRY.

I currently have NO outbreaks- my trouble spots are clear and near-normal skintone.
I'm taking NO Rx meds (I hate taking them when the trouble is so localized and limited to small areas), and am using NO Rx topical treatments.

I DO avoid sugar (bacteria LOVE sugar, and sugar suffuses your tissues because your blood goes everywhere!)

If you can't find the DMSO or TeaTree items in your local grocery,drugstore or health food store (skin care aisle) you can find them at the big online store that starts with A (that's where I buy them).

I've cut my boils many times! However! Be careful about what you use to cut them. Stainless steel from China has something in it that is dangerous! I can not remember what it is. But I bought some of the stickers used for diabetics to check their sugar. Some of those are like fine, thin razors. Also, be sure that there is someone else in the house in case you pass out from the pain. 🙄 That, my friends, is not fun when you hit the floor. 😒

I was told the same it’s just boils and that was it, so for 20 something years I I’ve been looking after them on my own and still waiting to see a dermatologist for the first time

Yes I do it often, before I knew it was HS I was just told that they were boils and they resembled just really large pimples but they're so irritating that I had no choice sometimes because of something I wore it was rubbing against it and I couldn't take it anymore so yeah I'm just like you