Video
Doctor Responses: Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Dr Christian answers your most frequently asked questions about Hidradenitis Suppurativa such as: What causes it? What are the treatments for it? What’s the difference between HS and acne?
With thanks to the Baker Street Medical Centre
Yes
NoComments and Questions
You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
Hi I have suffered with chronic HS for 10 years now. My dermatologist started me on all the different antibiotics over the years and I was taking roacutane for nearly 2 years which didn't help. I have had over 30 operations for incision and drainage of these abscesses and also two lots of plastic surgery where the surgeon cut away all the infected tissue and put in a flap. This also didn't work as the abscesses grew back in the scar tissue. I have now been diagnosed with RA and am getting 3 weekly infussions of an anti TNF drug called Inflixamab which doesn't seem to be working either. HS is a debilitating disease where there is no cure - yet. We need to hope and pray that they can find a drug that can cure or make the symptoms better.
I am a sufferer also and in found that gp's do not have the relevant info to hand i was mis diognosed for 7 yrs but have had lots of surgery to try and cure but it does not! So surgery is it the answer or education in ou medical proffesion we need?
Hi, I have suffered from HS since the age of 12 and am now 51 so i'm into my 40th year of coping with this awful disease. After 20 odd years of not having a name for my condition I was sent to a skin specialst and underwent a trial of "cryotherapy" which, although got rid of the problem in that one place did not stop the scarring, i was told I had HS and that operating was out of the question because of the amount of area affected. I was then given "Roaccutane" which did work quite well, however when I visit my GP now he usually gives me something else which are not as effective. Along with a lot of others on this subject, I have tried creams, washes, diet, but all to no avail. I have a very supportive partner who dresses the boils when needed but it makes me feel very unsexy as most of them are in the groin and tummy area. I hate going on holiday as the thought of wearing a swimming costume fills me with dread, but again with the support of my partner, I am slowly overcoming all of my fears about this. At this moment in time I have just two areas of inflamation, which is good as over the past two months I have had as many as 5 on the go at any one time, agony most of the time, uncomfortable at others. I live in hope that a cure, or at least something to help in managing this disease will be found in the future, in the meantime we will all have to soldier on in finding our own ways of coping.
Ive sufferd from H.S for over 10 years now under both my arms and on my groin area... It makes my life a living hell! In the past 3 years i have lost count of the amount of times ive had to go to hospital to get them sliced opend and drained under general anaesthetic and as if that isnt enough i then have to get the packing in the holes under my arm for a few weeks or monthes depending on the size of the wound after surgery... the anitboitcs my dermatologist and doctor gives me never works... im now in fear of losing my job that i love through taking so much time of... Through having H.S so bad in the last few years it has made me very depressed and affects my releationship with my long term boyfriend and has also took away all of my confidence... i need help with this as my own doctors dont seem to botherd and i feel as if they just fob me of with anitboitics that never work! i have asked many times to get all the infected areas removed,a few doctors said they would look in to it for me but ive never heard anything back and other doctors have said they need to wait until my infected areas calm down before moving the sweat glands etc.... im at my wits end please help :(
hey, ive been suffering from this same condition, i am now 23, over the last 2 years this skin condition has progressed agressively, at one point i was on antibiotics for about 6 months, and then roaccutane, i also used anti-bacterial wash.......and guess what it still came back after the drugs were finished. The drugs actually gave me nightmares and my beautiful white teeth became discoloured with brown streaks, (nerve damage). My advice to you is to watch your diet!!!!!1 I noticed that HS gets extremely bad after eating certain foods. I have been a veggie all my life, but i have noticed that once i eat dairy foods hs builds up, spots/lumps build up on my scalp, groin and sometimes my armpit. i am finding dairy to be a huge culprit and i have given it up, its alot better than what it was.... zinc/skin vitamin tabs help, turmeric speeds healing (as long as im eating bad products at the same time). Vitamin C tends to make the spots pus out, so i avoid that. let me know if you have any questions!!!! WATCH YOUR DIET!!
hi marie i dont know if you have been told or not but you can go through the hospital plastic surgery unit an book yourself in as an outpatient an see them there if you are havin no luck with the doctors.thats what i had to do with both my armpits.When they done my op 2 remove an evacuate both armpits an recover with skin grafts my armpits where lumpy an oozing pus.My doctor told me the 1s in my groin where just sweat lumps an i told him it wasnt it was the same as what was in my armpits so 2 years on im sufferin with bout 14 painful lumps to date in the front an back of my groin.I hope this may add a lil help if any good luck an try an keep your chin up i do :)
I am 50 years old and i have been given antibiotics by my doctor now for the last 3 months these just do not work when i go to my GP he just says i will give you some more antibiotics (i then get thrush though taking antibiotics) i just feel that this is a waste of time and money is there no cream that i can use? This is making me more and more depressed by the day and i feel so dirty, im also trying to cope with early stages of the menopause which im wondering if this as anything to do with it.
hi could you help me i have had a problem with my head 4 some mths now it shakes and i dont im doing it. i went to my GP and they told me to do some neak movements to get my musles strong but iv done this 4 mths now and it has not change. can u help me plz.
I have suffered with HS for about 17 years,it being very bad in my left armpit for the past 5 years.I have been offered surgery to remove area and replace with a skin graft.Iam still unsure if i should go ahead with it being a busy mum of two.Has anyone had this procedure and is it worth it?
hi samantha i have had the same operation as what they are offering under both my armpits.they have evacuated both armpits an they took skin grafts from my thigh to cover over the cavitiys.I am a mum of 1.if you do go for the op i suggest you ask for them to use the vac pump as i met a women in hospital that said that she had the drainage an it took her ages to heal properly an the lumps returned several times.It will be 3 years in july since i had my op done an thankfully i havent had any more return.The scarring reduced in colour within 18mnths an my skin graft site has healed over lovely you can still see it at times but not unless you kno it was there.In my own opinion i would say yes to it as it helped me out immensley.good luck
I've been suffering with HS since i was 13 I'm now 33 it started in my groin area and since having my 2ND child is now on my armpits and sometimes on my breasts I'm so distraught by this condition embarrassed and ashamed that i even put of my smear test which could of cost me my life as i had pre cancer cells that had to be removed. the pain is so bad that when I'm at home i wear my PJ's or nightie i cant go swimming with my family summer is a nightmare i cant wear white or vest tops.when I'm stressed,have my period,have sex,or do exercise it makes it worse Ive tried every thing except surgery which is next on the list i hate that there's no help out there i feel very much alone (less of a woman) and really let down by my GP and my dermatologist i hope some one out there can find a cure for this hideous disease.
I cant believe how many other people have this - i'm sure this is what I have been suffering with since i was a child. Now 26 it is still as uncomfortable and embarrassing as ever - i thought I would grow out of it (as i also had acne), but from reading other comments am gutted to see that I am not likely to. I havent seen a doctor about this since i was a child and was just given some cream that didnt work and have been too embarrassed to go back. I have found that avoiding perfumed soaps helps, and using talc helps calm the area though. As for the hibi scrub, I personally didnt find this very helpful longterm. I was recently diagnosed with "Folliculitus" (on my waist and legs)and was prescribed hibi-scrub and tablets which cleared up my skin, but my bikini line flared back up not long after. Thanks for everyone's comments - i will definitely go to the docs !
hi i have tiny white spots on the skin around ny eyes on eye lids and inner aspect. i haveit for at least 10 years but it is getting worse and more spots keep appearing. any idea what it is?
