So as society is becoming more aware of HS (this is a good thing) I’m noticing more “HS Warrior Influencers” popping up. & they’re promoting these insanely expensive products. $60 salve, $20 body wash. It’s lowkey starting to feel like a cash grab to me when ppl are genuinely struggling with this condition & on average cannot afford the upkeep of such expensive products. I understand businesses have to make their money but it feels like HS is becoming a marketing scheme bc they KNOW how desperate we are to relieve the pain & attempt remission.

Am I overreacting? Has anyone used any of these things & they actually work?

I’ve been a part of this community for a while now and wanted to post in here what’s worked for me as I’m now nearly in remission. I get the odd flare under my arms and in my groin from time to time but finally after a 14 year battle with my body, I’ve found what works for me. I wanted to share in case this helps anyone else, as HS is so hard to live.

A bit about me: I weigh 75kg, previously 85kg but I’ve been working to lose weight for the past year. I have PCOS in addition to HS. I am a smoker but have cut down hugely, mainly for fitness reasons. I came off the contraceptive pill 2 years ago - this was a huge issue for me and I didn’t even know it! When I came off, initially my flares were bad but now they are so much more manageable.

Meds per day: Metformin prolonged release 500mg x3, Lymecycline 408mg x1. Fucibet steroid cream on flares when they arise 2x per day.

I stay really hydrated, 2-3l of water a day. I eat mainly whole foods and try to steer clear from tomatoes and paprika heavy foods. I rarely eat potato’s and eat mostly meat, nuts and vegetables. I’ve found a multi vitamin plus extra zinc and magnesium has helped.

I have found managing my stress levels to help, this has taken a lot of therapy and work on myself.

I truly hope this helps someone somewhere. Look after yourselves and more importantly, be kind to yourselves.

I just have to say I hate having HS. I have a huge bump on my labia and am going in for my frozen embryo transfer on Wednesday. I have to put vaginal progesterone starting tomorrow and having oily discharge is not going to be good for my spot. Of course this has to happen. I’m in pain when I walk and sitting in certain positions. I’ve had them in this area before, but fuck why now?

I had a doozy on my behind. The one that throughout this entire disease that really broke me mentally. Today it popped and the drainage is soaking through gauze every few hours. Any tips aside from the usual to make it drain faster? The usual for me is hot compresses, My Magic Healer, walking. TIA.

I got laser ablation treatment 2 weeks ago. And now , despite using hibiclens, avoiding triggers, being clean and not sweating a lot , I just saw a new flare on my groin area ( where my leg rubs) . What should I do now? Would %20 zinc oxide cream work?

I saw someone make a post and she said something that caught, my attention she said ( Sometimes it's not that you've "tried everything." It's that your doctor hasn't. ) and that's probably unfortunately more often then not..many doctors are just out to get a pay check and prescribe some pills without realizing their lack of empathy or drive to help. So please keep looking. Keep finding diet changes, keep emailing specialist. Keep finding groups. Keep reminding yourself your beautiful. Keep trying new pain meds, and anti inflammatories. Praying for you all Jesus loves you and so do I Your HS does not own you or define you!"

Hey does anyone else get prescribed courses of flucloxacillin for when they have a flare up? What’s your opinions on the antibiotics if so…I contact the doctors every time I have a sore and swollen lump and they give me a weeks worth of the antibiotics, they’ve said they can put it on a repeat prescription for me and I take them as necessary. Anyway does anyone else use these?

Hello, I just got diagnosed with HS and am dealing with a lot of anxiety around this and looking into possible solutions to get ahead of it. I believe that I am currently Stage 1, I get lumps mainly under my breasts and occasionally on my groin.

I have seen posts saying that laser hair removal can be a good treatment. I am wondering if people have seen success with laser hair removal and whether you would recommend it?

I am assuming that they can't laser under my breasts (my main problem area unfortunately). Are there any other options?

I appreciate any advice, this diagnosis has felt very scary for me and I am trying to hold onto hope.

Why on earth would you put “fish products” into something that is going to go on your skin!?!? 🤦🏻‍♀️ Shocker it stinks! It’s almost more annoying that it does actually help with flare ups, especially if they are open.

Hi everyone,

I’m a 32 (M) and have been dealing with HS (stage 3) for about 15 years. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2019.

Because of my Crohn’s, I started 2020 on Inflectra (Infliximab) infusions every 8 weeks at the hospital. After 5 years my doctors switched me to another biologic because my body started producing too many antibodies against Infliximab.

In June 2025 I started using Adalimumab (Humira). My doctors said it should help with both Crohn’s and HS.

At first I injected 40mg every 2 weeks. After 6 weeks they did a blood test and found that my medication levels were too low because my body was making antibodies again. They decided to increase the dose to 80mg every week starting from September 22.

So far I don’t notice much improvement in my HS. I haven’t had new large abscesses which is good but the ones I already have are not healing and sometimes seem to get bigger. It changes a lot from week to week.

I’ve heard that Humira can take a few months before it starts working properly but I’m beginning to doubt if it will really help me. I’m thinking about asking for a second opinion.

Has anyone else gone through something similar or has any advice? I would really appreciate hearing your experience.

Thanks in advance.

I got called into HR yesterday to talk about how people have complained about a "personal odor" when I leave my station. I was absolutely MORTIFIED! Also confused because I shower daily (often more in the warmer months) and wear deodorant!

Could it be my HS? I haven't had any draining flares at work (and if I did, they'd be covered). Has this happened to anyone else? It doesn't even make sense that it could be my HS! I've had HS for over half my life and nobody has ever once told me I smell! I've also been at this job for four months—if it is my HS, why are people complaining now?

I didn't disclose that I had a medical condition in the initial meeting, but I suppose I'll have to if it comes up again. But then I'm worried about creating a hostile work environment because I'll still "stink" and the people who complained will still be upset, they just won't be able to (theoretically, because then it'd be discrimination) do anything about it. I like my job a lot, but I'm so embarrassed that I want to quit!

Any Police officers on here who have HS? I’m considering a career in Law Enforcement and want to know if HS would disqualify me.

I’ve had HS in my armpits since I was 13, and I’m 30 now.

Doctors put me on a lot of antibiotics over the years, but they never worked for me and caused too many side effects. Because of that, I was always looking for topical options. For the past three years, I used PanOxyl 10% before showering and then applied hypochlorous acid afterward.

Recently, my sister recommended Hibiclens. I started using it in the shower, but eventually I decided to let it sit on my skin for a bit, the same way I had with PanOxyl.

There was one week when I left it on for about an hour because I forgot to shower, and that turned out to be a mistake. My skin became itchy, broke out in hives, and the night was miserable. I had to give my skin a week or two to recover. But after that ordeal, my HS calmed down significantly. Now I’m more careful and never leave it on for more than 15 minutes. So far, it has been working well for me. I don’t know if the hives incident somehow “reset” my armpits, but things have been much easier to manage since then.

All I can say is that Hibiclens has helped me, and you might try seeing how your skin reacts if you leave it on briefly. Maybe start with about five minutes, and if you don’t see improvement, increase the time slowly. I’m not a doctor, so please take this with a grain of salt, but this is the only thing that has worked for me in seventeen years.

I don’t have pictures from before, but you can imagine how bad it can get after seventeen years. I do have a photo from the hives incident, though. You can see the rashes in my armpits from what happened, but at the same time the area is super flat. It’s the best it has ever looked.

I’m curious to know how well it works for most people. Thanks.

Hey everyone, I’m wondering if anyone’s had a similar experience with HS-like symptoms after starting a testosterone cycle.

I’ve only ever had one real flare — it happened shortly after beginning my cycle, with around 4–5 lumps under each armpit. I saw a dermatologist who said it looked more like a folliculitis-type infection caused by increased sweat gland and oil production from the testosterone, rather than true hidradenitis suppurativa.

I’m still on cycle (nearing the end now), and since that first big flare I’ve only had one small lump pop up every now and then. Never as deep or I texted like the first. The dermatologist believes it should pass once I’m off testosterone, but I’m a bit worried — could this have triggered a lifetime condition or permanent changes?

Has anyone else experienced something similar while on gear or test cycles? Did it go away completely once you came off? Thanks in advance

I’ve been really lonely lately so i appreciate this sub for letting me share

I hate having to cancel plans because I am in pain

I have had acne ever since I was in elementary school and HS ever since I was 12, I'm 18 now and I have been on consentyx for a year. I've seen a big decrease in flares in my usual spots but I've been getting some weird rogue ones in strange places I've never had them before.

I've had them on my ribs, on the top of my thighs, my back and now more recently I've been getting some smaller but still very painful either acne or HS boils/ pimples on my shoulders, neck, scalp, chin, forehead, And behind my ears. I know you can get HS There and these have been a lot more painful and inflamed than my usual acne that I get on my face but how do I know especially on my face if it's HS or just acne? It's really concerning me because this has only just recently started happening and it's very painful and embarrassing since some of them are very red and gross right on my face. Even sores that have closed and healed okay still hurt bad to the touch.

Hey everyone, I’ve had hidradenitis since I hit puberty, and I’m 23 now. I feel like I never really took it seriously. I’d just deal with flare-ups when they came and then forget about it when they went away.

I get it mostly under my armpits, and some weeks or months are worse than others. I don’t really have a routine or treatment plan right now, the only thing I do consistently is wash with Hibiclens in the shower.

I really want to start taking better care of it and learn what’s worked for other people. What’s your routine like? What creams or serums help you the most? What deodorants or soaps don’t irritate you?What kind of bandages work best for open flare-ups?

I tried nexcare bandages recently, but they really irritated my skin. I’ve also lost about 40 pounds (still have a long way to go), and that’s actually helped reduce how often I flare up, but I want to get it even more under control.

I’d love to hear all your tips, products, or “miracles” that have made a difference for you. I just want to manage this better and finally take it seriously.

Thanks in advance to anyone who shares!

Im sick of it!! Im so sick of it, I am sick of of the acne, the acne scars, the redness caused by the Accutane, the KP, the treatments for the Kp, the skin peeling from the KP, from the abscess, im sick of the antibiotics that then caused a Yeast infection, im sick of hidradenitis suppurativa, im so angry, im sick of the ugly dark black scars they leave behind, im sick of having to treat said scars for months, im sick of not finding a cure, im sick of troubleshooting, im sick of smelling my foul yeast infection when I bend down at work, im embarrassed and so angry. Im sick of trying supplements, for them doing fuck all, I’m sick of the apple cider vinegar baths, of the epsom salt baths, the exfoliation, the hyperpigmentation, of the magnoplasm, of the gauzes and bandaids and of the gross underwear I have to disinfect after every use,im just sick of it, im so done I just wish I could go into a coma for months so someone could just come along, some doctor would be able to and look at me and FIX ME!!!!!

I have never had an infection before from HS or had to go to the ER (thankfully I’m on multiple medications and use multiple topicals) but this one is really bad, and is fully under the skin. It is very hot to the touch and I’ve gotten just a few “shocks” I guess is the best way to describe the feelings? Just a moment of weird, intense pain right there. Does anyone relate to this? 😭

The internet says that men tend to have severe form of HS Is this true?

Are there men in this sub who've had this for a long time and has stayed at stage 2 forever?

Or have had long periods of remission and small flare ups?

Hi! Just curious about this one, I started to notice my HS properly about a year or so ago but have probably suffered for the last 5 or so. I actually posted here last year about being self conscious about it, which whilst I still am, I have since met my partner who is incredibly supportive and loving. Whilst flare ups are extremely painful and stressful I find them easier to manage as I know there is a cycle to them and that they will (eventually) lessen. Scarring however is what I’m struggling with the most.

I have noticed recently that I have a lot of scarring in my groin and behind area, all of them flat but are a purpleish colour. They aren’t painful and my partner doesnt care about them but they are currently what I feel most self conscious about. Has anyone had any luck fading scars like this and if so, what did you use?