Hidradenitis Suppurativa Support Group
Hidradenitis suppurativa (hi-drad-uh-NIE-tis sup-yoo-ruh-TIE-vuh) is rare, long-term skin condition that features small, painful lumps under the skin. The disease manifests as clusters of chronic abscesses or boils, sometimes as large as baseballs, that are extremely painful to the touch and may persist for years with occasional to frequent periods of inflammation,...
....and I just figured out that what I have is HS about 6 months ago. Being a guy, I have a natural distrust of and reluctance to visit a doctor unless I'm obviously dying. My HS has gotten really bad with a constant flareup on my butt since Feb. of 2018. The smaller flareups over the years were blamed on acne, or cysts, or whatever was familiar to me. The flareup I have now is almost constantly weeping to the point that I need to wear pantyliners to ensure that I don't leak through my clothes. Since I have self-diagnosed my problem accurately I feel like I can direct my treatment a bit and get the prompt care I need. I'm going to visit my GP next week to get a referral to a dermatologist whom can hopefully operate on the fustula and sinus tracts in my groin/buttox. The thought of getting cut open doesn't make me happy, but if it stops this madness that's what I'll do. I've started a Keto diet and have lost some weight, but quitting smoking is still in the works. I know that these two things may reduce or limit the severity of the disease. I'm feeling hopeful now that I have decided to do something more than research on the internet and change my pantyliner...I'll continue to share my experiences here.
ears. When I was younger my HS wasn’t that bad I stopped smoking for a about a year and had no outbreaks. I started smoking again and the flare ups started again. As the years went on I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and my HS got way worse. I could have up to 20 boils, and the new ones were popping up faster then the old ones could heal. It was a lot to deal with. I started to apply hydrogen peroxide to body before showering, and using acne wash for soap. I used both benzoyl peroxide and salyctic acid. I found the salyctic acid works better. After showering I would use an anti fungal foot spray on all my problem areas. I would atleast shower once a day using this technique, but most days I would shower twice. I found using this technique I could control outbreaks, and if I did get a boil it would be a really small one. However as soon as I stopped using the washing technique I would immediately flare up. I decided to do something about my diabetes and started doing the keto diet. While on keto I had no flare ups. However keto is a tough diet to stay on. As soon as I stopped keto it flared up again. I am no expert on HS but from my personal experience quitting smoking helps, hydrogen peroxide, acne wash, and anti-fungal foot spray helps, and the keto diet helps