Hidradenitis Suppurativa

This is a persistent disease which usually occurs after a person passes his or her teenage and mainly affects the sweat glands. In most cases, it is observed that people in the age group 20-40 are more prone to this disease even though the exact cause of this condition is yet to be found out.

Also, hidradenitis suppurativa looks very much like acne which makes the researchers to doubt that this condition occurs when hair follicles get blocked by keratin. One other stream of belief is that it is caused due to blocked sweat glands. In either case, it is observed that a blocked follicle or gland grows and ruptures leading to an infection.

Hidradenitis suppurativa generally originates in places where sweat glands are more in numbers such as groin, armpits, buttocks and scalps. In mild cases of hidradenitis suppurativa, the infection demonstrates itself as a pair of blackheads which are connected to each other under the skin. However, as the disease progresses, the condition worsens and blackheads become painful boils, which do not heal fully and becomes rope-like scars. As these abscesses or boils are linked under the skin they are horribly painful and limit the movement of the affected area.

This condition is usually diagnosed by its appearance and so sometimes there is a possibility that this can be wrongly diagnosed as boils when the infection is still at the starting stage. Remember to treat them as soon as possible in case you get a correct diagnosis as otherwise they may become extremely difficult to treat.

Some treatment options for this painful disease are given below:

Topical antibiotics do not help in treating hidradenitis suppurativa and so oral antibiotics are prescribed to manage inflammation caused by this condition. These antibiotics are often the same ones that are used to cure acne, but in this case, they are to be administered in a higher dose.

If the affected area is having intolerable pain, we will have to resort to steroid injections. This will reduce the pain and swelling and is usually given in combination with another treatment.

In severe cases, surgery may be the only treatment left. When a surgery is performed, not only the whole affected area but also the neighbouring uninfected tissue will have to be removed in order to prevent the recurrence of the infection. Also, make sure not to stitch the surgical wound and left it open. This will ensure that the wound is completely healed from both inside and outside.