The principal therapy for staph infections of the skin at NYU Langone is wound drainage. This method includes making a tiny incision in the skin with a sterile instrument such as a needle, scalpel, or lancet. The pus that has accumulated there is drained by the doctor. After this procedure, an antibiotic is prescribed. Staph bacteria can live on any surface in the hospital - inside bedpans, on equipment, in doctors' hands - so cleaning everything with disinfectant solutions keeps these infections at a minimum. Some people are allergic to antibiotics and so should not try this process alone if they get sick. Instead, see a physician immediately so that proper treatment can be started.