Fluctuance can be described as a tense area of skin with a wave-like or boggy feeling upon palpation; this is the pus which has accumulated beneath the epidermis. To differentiate between an abscess and induration, focus on key clinical findings, including fluctuance, pointing, and purulent drainage, which are characteristic of an abscess, as opposed to induration, which is marked by firmness and hardening of the tissue without fluid collection 1.