There's no cure for hidradenitis suppurativa. It's an ongoing skin condition with symptoms that may come and go for years. Treatments can manage symptoms and clear up boils. But there's still a chance they could come back.
Although HS cannot be cured, your dermatologist can create a treatment plan to control the disease and lessen your symptoms. Treatment can: Reduce flare-ups. Heal wounds.
If left untreated, it can grow deeper into the tissue and over time can lead to painful fluid-filled lumps or thick scars. The condition is most common on parts of the body where skin presses up against skin, such as the groin, the underarms, the thighs, or the buttocks.
Scientists believe that cigarette smoking is the most common trigger for HS. Researchers have found that between 70% and 90% of people who get HS smoke cigarettes. Being overweight also seems to trigger HS. The more overweight you are, the higher your risk of developing HS and of having severe HS.
Tight-fitting clothing. If you have HS, you have to think about more than style when choosing what to wear. Tight clothing rubs against your skin, which can lead to an HS flare, according to the AAD. Instead, opt for loose-fitting, breathable clothes to help reduce friction, chafing, and sweating.
Hidradenitis suppurativa is a lifelong, recurring condition that is often difficult to manage, although the symptoms may improve or eventually stop with treatment.
Jackson Gillies – Hidradenitis Suppurativa Celebrity Alert!
Sometimes people with HS think their immune system is under-active because they get what look like infections, but the HS lesions are inflammation, not infection. Your immune system is overactive and causing inflammation that has too many of the cells and proteins that usually fight infection.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory, follicular occlusive disease. It has an average onset at age 23 years and is reportedly rare in children, with an estimate that fewer than 2% of cases occur before age 11 years.
Basel, June 1, 2023 — Novartis announced today that the European Commission (EC) has approved Cosentyx® (secukinumab) for use in adults with active moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and an inadequate response to conventional systemic HS therapy7.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease in which genetic factors are thought to play a role. Up to 38% of patients with HS report a family history of the disease, and several variations have been identified in the γ-secretase genes in familial cases.
Hidradenitis suppurativa lesions are acute, painful, deep-seated inflammatory nodules and abscesses, often accompanied by throbbing. Acute pain is not relieved until nodules and abscesses rupture.
What You Should Know About Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Skin Cancer. Studies show HS is associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma. It's a small chance, though, and there are plenty of ways to keep it that way.
Hurley stage 3 is severe HS. With this stage, there's often widespread skin disease. There are likely multiple nodules and abscesses with tunnels or sinus tracts connecting them over a large area.
HS is not an infection, and it's not contagious, says Dr. Kirby. It's caused by an overactive immune system. Let your partner know that this condition will not affect them, except to the extent that you may need to adjust positions if an HS flare makes certain sex acts uncomfortable.
HS can be painful. Without treatment, it can cause scars that make it difficult to move. However, HS is rarely life threatening. The only time HS might become life threatening is when someone develops a serious infection.
There are three distinct HS stages, also called Hurley stages (named for the doctor who defined them), ranging from mild to more severe. Your HS may progress from stage I to III, but that's not always the case. “There are many people who remain in stage I for the duration of their HS,” Dr. Shanmugam says.
Fertility. Women with HS may find it hard to get pregnant. HS has been linked with irregular menstruation and infertility.
Hidradenitis suppurativa was once thought to be a rare condition because only the most severe cases were reported. However, recent studies have shown that the condition affects at least 1 in 100 people when milder cases are also considered. For reasons that are unclear, women are more commonly affected than men.