Video
Dr Christian:
We’ve had a lot of comments to the site about a condition called hidradenitis suppurativa. It’s a bit of a mouthful, so I’m going to call it HS from now on. But you seem to be worrying about it, and you want to know what it is, and how do you know if you’ve got it. Well, it is a really nasty condition, usually caused by some sort of infection in a particular type of sweat glands, and it gives you nasty, suppurating, pussy sores and boils under your armpits, in women it can occur under the breasts, and in both sexes around the groin and around your bottom.
A lot of you want to know how you tell the difference between HS and acne. Acne causes little blackheads and whiteheads, pussy white spots, usually on the forehead and face, on the chest and on the back. HS causes a lot worse lesions, it causes hard red nodules and suppurating pussy lesions that can burst and leak. It causes the skin to be red and sore.
We’ve had a lot of questions on preventative measures—if you have it, what can you do to try and help it a little bit? Well, best things are to avoid tight clothing and to avoid synthetic fabrics, because anything that makes you sweat and that rubs and irritates the skin will make HS worse. If you’ve got it and the lesions are red and pussy, then warm baths, often with a little bit of anti-bacterial detergent in, or actually salt water, can be very effective in helping the pain and helping bring the pus out.
A lot of people have left comments on the site asking what the most effective treatments are. Well, if you are diagnosed with HS, the first thing we usually try is an antibiotic, because very often it’s caused by a bacterial infection. Now, be warned, you may need to take the antibiotics for a long time, a period of six months or more, before you notice any difference. Anti-inflammatory drugs work well to reduce the redness and the swelling, and steroids also, over a short period of time, can dampen down the infection and the severity of the problem. There’s a drug called roaccutane, which is used for severe acne, that can also be very effective for HS, and as a final resort, surgery to remove the infected skin can work as a permanent solution.
A lot of comments have been left about the scarring that HS causes and what can be done about it. Well, the truth is, the best way to avoid the scarring is to diagnose the condition early and get it treated early. That way, the scars shouldn’t set in, and the best way to do that is, if you’re worrying about any sort of lesions on your body, under your armpits or groin, is to go and see your GP.
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.
I think I may have HS. I have had nasty boils in my groin area off and on for years. As many others i been to the doctors numerous times and been given antibiotics that don't work. I went to the GU clinic where the doctor suggested I may have HS but they couldn't refer me to a dermatologist. Had to fall out with the doctors receptionist to get an appointment after telling me I had to wait 3 weeks. The doctor did a swab but it came back clear. I asked to be referred to the dermatologist which at least he has done but he joked that he didn't know whether to send me to a dermatologist or a gyneacologist. Not funny. Hopefully they might be able to help next week.
hi im kelly im replying to someone called lyn,im still new to the internet so i dont know how to reply properly, she said not to remove my sweat glands and i wont, i have a spoonful of manuka honey few times aday and splash TCP liquid bottle form all over my HS and touch wood its never spread or got worse the seeping has stopped and appears im just left with a scar, i'll write again if it worsens or dont come back x
hi there i belive that i migth have HS ibeen several times to see my GP about this same problem and every time i am told that is just a comon rash and get given canasten hc as consequently have not sorted anything at all is very hard for me at the moment as i am strugling to cope with my work as is quite demanding andi have to walk around quite a lot making hard to this with a severe rash on your groin area. what can i do soi can resolve this matter?
Hi, I recently posted a comment to sharleen, below.After a lot of years and being fobbed off with various comments and creams, I finally got diagnosed today! Last time I saw the junior doctor at the GUM clinic and he thought it was Lichen Planus - I had my doubts. Anyway he is referring me to a Dermatologist who seems to specialise in HS. As you can see to my response to Sharleen, my GPs were equally unhelpful, giving me anything from antibiotics to nappy rash cream and 'advice'. None of which helped. Now after 25 years I am hoping to get some relief. I walked into a Genito - Urinary Medicine clinic to get this final help. For now, I would suggest washing with aqueous cream, wear pure cotton underwear, no perfumes sprays etc. Don't wait as long as I have, it is a painful embarassing condition, and it seems GPs are not 'on the ball' with this condition, or don't think about all the mental and psychological problems it brings. Good Luck, and ask to be referred to a Dermatologist, for a specialist opinion. Meanwhile your best bet is to check on the internet for self help groups, which is what I am about to do now!
hey ive had hs for 6 years.like most of u by the looks of it my gp didnt have a clue what it was. i went to 6 different doctors as they all gave me different antibiotics for acne come on even i knew it was more than acne. finally got sent 2 dermatlogist got gel and was told that if it gets really bad again come staight back. i now have an appoitment in 8 weeks time. at the moment hs is at its worst i cant lift my left arm up and have 1 under my belly which is purple and VERY angry looking and so painful. i went 2 gp today 2 see if he could get me an appointment sooner he just laughed and said eh no your luck u have 1 as soon as that. i even asked him 2 have a look and he said no its fine. the nhs is a joke and that doctors attitude sticks!!!! when i left gp all i could do is cry when anger and pain so now i have 2 wait 8 weeks!!! its ok for these doctors who dont care because they dont have it!!!! its a joke
It isn't just my gp's then!! I have suffered what seems to be HS for 25yrs plus. I have been to see different doctors over the years and surprise surprise, given antibiotics that didn't work. My last visit to the docs in June this year involved me being prescribed nappy rash cream - and that was without examining me. The same Gp had told me 15 years earlier that it would go away after the menapause. guess what!? Yet more scars and suppurating abcesses in both groin areas. Desperate - I called in the GUM clinic, to sit amongst teenagers with STD's. They gave me a diagnosis of Lichen Planus, but am more convinced from the responses here that it is HS. Anyway - I finally see the consultant GUM man this week, so will see what he thinks. THIS HAS RUINED MY LIFE, how can gp's be so unthinking - I'm 60 next year and destined to be on my own as the damage has been done - unless I meet a male with a similar condition - excuse me but do you have...... ? Don't think so!
Hi there I'm 24 and have suffered from hs since I was about 17. I feel for every single person here as I know how painful and mentally as well as physically draining. I suffered mildly at first but since giving birth just over a year ago not a day has gone by without me having Hess horrible cysts and boils! Mainly in my groin which is agony, I am a dance teacher so have a very physical life style and as u can imagine can be extremely painful! I have found that if I drink a mix called golden mill once and day which is a mix of milk turmeric and Manuka honey as well as mixing turmeric and water together and pasting it on the areas is makes it slightly more bearable and takes the swelling down! Another fav for really painfully ready to burst areas is a cream made by lanes it is a tea tree and which Hazel cream with has a light anaesthetic to it. I'm persisting with my doctors and tryin absolutely everything to help keep this condition under control but find it extremely hard mentally to keep positive! I just keep trying every thing I can and holding out hope that someday we will find something that can get rid of them totally!!
The only things which have really helped me are: - using Hydrogen Peroxide to disinfect the lesions; - avoiding foods such as ham, cured meat, sausages, bacon, pork, trans fats, processed food, spreads, hydrogenated oils; - eating healthy food, such as olive oil, fruit and veg, normal and simple food cooked from scratch.
I've had this for about 8 years (since I was 18) - I guess I'm lucky that so far it has only affected my groin. I have been to various different GPs who have diagnosed it as Dhobie Itch (a fungal infection = lots of antibiotics and anti-fungal cream) and more recently as folicultis. 2 GPs agreed with this but I demanded a referral to a Dermatologist who today diagnosed it straight away as HS. So - back on the anti-biotics and Zindaclin gel. I have had it so bad on both sides of my groin that I had to take 2 days of work because I couldn't walk as it was so painful. No-one understands the condition it seems and trying to get fit and healthy at the gym is regularly ruined by having to calm it down so the spots go down. What a miserable condition to have although I am really glad to finally have a diagnosis at least. Good luck to all of us!!
Started getting them under my arm in pregnancy, when my daughter Hope was born it started in my groin coming and going every 4 - 6 months. Given antibiotics but none of them have worked. 6 years later my GP done a blood test and then decided months after them being normall to do a swob test (now waiting on results). Hasnt been confirmed what the problem is or may be although i realy think after researching this condition over the years that it is HS im sure this is it. I feel terrible, with time and no help its never gone away lump is always there on my groin now spread to the other side in the last few days. Cant walk my kids to school due to the pain it stops me from doing any day to day activity feel useless. My kids havent got there mum, Husband hasnt got a partner all because im always in such terrible pain. I suggested this condition to the GP and asked if i could be tested and was told not to research online. Also been told by GP not to got to hospital to have the lump drained swobbed and cleaned. He said no and told me just to see him and be given more antibiotics? See GP yesterday so upset was as if he had never spoken or looked at the condition before, was not helpfull and was very rude and made a joke in the way he asked me if i wanted antibiotics or not. Feel let down he is fully aware they are not helping. Feeling like a freak, a recluse i havent got a life anymore. Dont want my husband near me feel so unattractive, my children have not got the best of me why arnt the NHS helping? To make matters worse my GP is aware of this condition. Feel so alone on this the nurse cant believe after so many years they GP hasnt sent me to a specialist and why give more antibiotics when they are clearly no help to me at all. Just want some help. Im sorry for the rant im so upset im breaking my heart crying while typing this. Wish my condition was taken seriously.
I have been suffering with hs for three years,im 18 and i feel its effecting my life because i cant do anything, i have got them on both arms and in the groine and bottom, and they smell it embarrassing. ive been to 2 specialists and my gp and they keep tryin differant tablets but they dont seem to work.
This condition is having a massive impact on my life, it started just after I had my daughter with the odd boil on my bum, now 22 years later I have boils constantly mostly around the groin area but also under my armpits now and again. The scarring that has been left is horrible and now after going through a divorce and finding myself single again, the thought of meeting a new partner just seems impossible, how do you explain the condition?? I've done all the months on end of anti-biotics and acne cream but nothing worked and to be honest when the doctor doesn't really see the condition as very serious you lose faith and are too embarrased to go back yet again. I also find that the worst flare ups happen just before my period, does anyone else have this pattern?
Hi their, i am in exactly the same boat as you. My GP told me to google my HS condition and ive been on antibiotics now for 8 months and nothing. However some small hints for you, get some herbal tablets called tumatic they are for digestion but do help clear up those nasty boils. stop using deodrants, use wiher moistured roll on, or un fragrenced wipes for under arms. I use pile cream and stretch mark remover for my scars between my legs it doesnt cure it but does help loads, and when im out with the girls on the pull waterproof make up removes all. Diet changed help less carbs is a must. Hope this helps out of it all i would give tumatic tabs a good go. good luck dont let it ruin your life.
i went to docs with this condition just to b told it was sebacious cysts totally unsatisfied with this iv been researching for months and have only just come across this condition i have them constantly under my arms and ocationally on the groin area mine also get worse just before my period and i never had this untill i had my little boy maybe there is a conection, im going to my gp on monday and telling them what i 100% believe to be HS! i think its discusting that ive got to tell some one ov the medical profesion that i have this disease cos they're to incompitant to tell me and rule it out as something else and also the scars are not nice i carnt ware strappy tops coz of em and tops with sleaves iritate them more i carnt win sorry for rambling on lol hope i helped a little. xx
Hi folks I'm the person who posted the first comment here and want to emphasise what I've said - there is no cure for HS but the specific 2 drugs Rifampicin and Clindamycin followed by Zindaclin 1% gel has kept the condition to an absolute minimum and I now have something resembling a normal life. Other anitbiotics haven't helped much, surgery not at all etc so the above combination is a fairly new treatment plan that seems to be working for many people - me included - This time last year I had been unable to walk any distance for over 3 months as the abscesses in my groin were so extreme.I'm now able to anything and walk for miles! Please please go to the HS website and gather the information needed to then go to a dermatologist and ask them to prescribe the above conmbination of drugs.
