What kind of surgery after care did you have? Did you do the wound vac? That is what I am going after, since it seems like a few folks have had some success with it, and less of the ugly kind of scarring you see with skin grafts.
I'm choosing wound vac because I don't want to have to deal with secondary pain of where they take the skin grafts from. One thing in pain at a time is about all I can really mentally think I can take.
Best of luck to you in which ever you choose.

You know when I had my surgery I didn't really have after care it was just sewn up and I was sent on my way with weekly checkups ... I have no clue as to what wound vac is( I should've looked it up but...) I am worried about the grafts and all but I'm at my wits end...

Even though I have yet to have surgery (come on insurance, kick in so I can! lol) From everything I have read, I would recommend doing the wound vac for closing the wound after surgery. Just sewing it up seems to leave it open to re-occurrence and every skin graft I have seen has been just ugly ugly ugly looking, and looks painful as well.
Like you I am at my wits end with this disease, and have finally decided, after many years of pain, to try surgery. I'm going to have my armpits done, but only one at a time, as I have two kids who rely on me heavily, so I have to have at least one arm free to help out as much as I can.
A wound vac seems to leave a much smoother surface because the wound is healing from the inside out. The sponge and negative pressure associated with wound vac kinda pulls the inside of the wound up a bit, which ( I'm just talking about what I have read myself, kinda my view) to me, makes it look like the wound grows new skin/flesh and builds it up from the inside, gradually repairing it, due to the negative pressure. It causes something called granulation, which is the process a wound vac causes.
Here is a link to wound vac therapy.
http://www.kci1.com/KCI1/sciencebehindthetherapy
and
http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2010/06/30/how-vac-therapy-works-vaccum-assisted-closure-aka-negative-pressure-wound-therapy-can-radically-speed-healing/

Hope this helps some.

Thank you so much ShannonA! I really appreciate you taking the time out to reply and look up the info on wound vac... Hopefully I can get in Pretty soon to see the doc and go over what he's willing to do .. Some of these doctors want nothing to do with disorder which sometimes I can understand but other times I wanna drop kick one of them in the neck! Just saying! Sorry slightly irritated by the amount of pain I'm in right now! I'll also be sure to look up that link! Thanks again!

Oh no problem at all! That is what we are all here for, right? The links were easy..lol.. ^._^ I've had them stashed in my favorites bar since I found them, as I am pretty dead set on this being my preferred option when I can get in for surgery, which for me will be just as soon as my insurance kicks in, which will mean a bit of a damper for the holidays, but I think it will be worth it if it cuts down on the occurrence of "monsters" in those areas. I'm just tired of this stuff getting me down and interfering with me being able to take care of my kids.
If you ever need to talk about anything, HS or other, feel free to message me. I'll answer back as quick as I can.
Just make sure that you research each option as thoroughly as you can so you can be as informed as possible. I had to slow down myself several times, that's one of the many bad things about this disease. It can make you rush to try to stem the tide of pain, embarrassment and infection and that has cost many a person not only money but frustration and maybe even their health (further than what the HS has already done) not to mention the added extra stress that none of us need.
I'll keep you in my prayers and thoughts. Your a strong woman, I can tell you that. I'M not EVEN considering groin surgery at this point, when it comes to that I'm so chicken I could lay enough eggs to make an omelet for a small army! LOL Right now, even as bad as the one on my rear is, I couldn't even process the thought of surgery there either. I mean I've had some really bad ones downstairs, but I'm flat out just too chicken to even go there. ^._^
Much love to you sweetheart and I'm praying for relief for us ALL!

Will do! Yeah I've had the surgery on my backside and of court it didn't help! I still get flare ups as for the groin I scared to even do that one myself! But I will look further into it and let you know what I fond out ! I'm sure it will be something you already know as to how little is known about HS but it does help to always be on the lookout!

I had large scale excavation surgery on my groin with skin grafts several years ago. None of the grafts in my groin took. The Doctor said it was because when my legs closed it kept the grafts from getting the air they needed to heal.

This year I had surgery to remove a HUGE one on my butt. This time the Doctor used the wound vac to heal it. It healed in remarkable time. The original incision was 17cmX15.5cmX3cx and the wound vac closed it 70% in just 2 months. If you go this route let me know & I'll give you some pointers.on what to expect & how to deal. Good luck.

I will storm thanks for the info! Got a question though! What happened with your skin grafts? Did they ever heal? Do you have terrible scars now?

I am fresh off a breast surgery in May from a straight closure where a Plastic surgeon did miracles with no return so far. and I am having surgery on Thursday and raying for just an incision and closure. with the skin grafts my dr advised to not do any skin graft in warm weather bc they tend not to take as well. with surgery coming on thursday I will happily let you know how it goes as soon as I am coherent lol.

There is a chance that even in a great chance that the graft wont take and we will use wound vac but my prayer is that he will lipo out my fat and just pull up the extra skin aand sow it down lol. But as you can see there is clearly no MD behind my name so I will just have to do what he thinks is best for less chance of ever having reoccurance. Ill keep you posted. Good luck I hope you feel bettersoon Ill be praying!!

Thanks ajenson! So have any of you tried bacterium?