After incision and drainage, the abscess cavity has traditionally been left to heal spontaneously (secondary closure) in order to prevent premature reapproximation of wound edges and abscess recurrence. However, studies — mostly of anogenital abscesses drained in the operating room — have suggested that primary closure after incision and drainage can lead to better outcomes. A systematic review of data from seven randomized trials on 915 patients with cutaneous abscesses, nearly half in the anogenital area (455 assigned to primary closure and 460 assigned to secondary closure), showed that healing time was significantly shorter after primary closure than after secondary closure (7.8 vs. 15.0 days), and recurrence rates were similar