The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Tanning Beds
Posted by Ana (Las Vegas, NV) on 05/12/2009
★★★★☆
I have tried several possible remedies for HS if anyone has read my previous post; none of which have worked. Good news! In an earlier post someone spoke of getting as much sunlight to the affected area as possible. Well for those of us with HS of the groin, that's kind of hard to do, so I improvised. I go to the tanning salon! Works great. The sores are drying up and the heat is very soothing to the area. Of course I don't use any lotions on the affected skin but if you time the tanning session just right you won't burn or damage the skin. Obviously if you're prone to burning in the sun I would not recommend using a tanning bed, but for those of us who don't burn, it's a God send. I've only been going for about a month and I already have noticed a significant change in the number of sores and drainage. I'm praying it will continue to work and I may not have to have surgery!
General Feedback
Posted by 32 female (Lakeland, GA) on 05/06/2009
Im 32 and has suffered with HS for about 17 yrs, I have tried everything from antibiotics to steroid treatments. Oh did I mention Nothing worked I am more saddend by the psycological affect that it has. I have been with the same guy for 15 years he is now my husband and Im still ashamed to show him my outbreaks. I try all that I can do to not let him see my armpits, and times that he wants to be intimate I have to turn him down because I have an outbreak in my private area. Very stressful but I have been dealing with a very long time, I just want some relief because no one I know can understand my pain.
Burdock Root
Posted by Tonya (Dallas, Tx) on 03/24/2009
Is Burddock root in a pill that I can buy from the store?
H.S. Dressings
Posted by Legendfalls (Austin, Tx, usa) on 11/19/2009
Hi, wonderful to find this site, I'm 35 and have had HS since age 12, which progressively has gotten worse. I've never gone into remission, but have had times when my HS seems less uncomfortable, and other times when the breakouts are crazy and painful. I haven't tried any one thing consistently, except for using Hibiclens, I can't say I see much improvement using it, but I have to believe that using an antibacterial soap has to be better than not. I've never gone on a gluten free diet, so I am considering that, as well as I've been heavily considering a raw food diet. I have been overweight my entire life. My weight is currently my highest as well as my HS currently it's worse. I've read a lot in the past few days about HS and recommendations on foods to stay away from, and I must say it seems overwhelming.
I mainly just wanted to say thanks to everyone for sharing information, it does help to know I am not the only one who suffers from HS.
Thank you.
H.S. Dressings
Posted by Jb (Austin, Texas) on 01/03/2012
Legendfalls, I have had HS for about 3 years now and live in Austin as well. I'm considering seeing a naturopath here, have you looked at that at all? I have recently tried to avoid dairy, and it does seem to help quite a bit. I'm going to try the turmeric and a couple other things listed on this site. Email me if you'd like, I'd love to have someone close by that knows what I'm going through. -jnbol82(at)gmail.com
Mercurius Vivus (Homeopathic)
Posted by Ana (Las Vegas, NV) on 02/19/2009
Mercurius Vivus as a HS remedy:
I was diagnosed with HS about 5 years ago. I've tried just about everything you could imagine to keep it "in check" since there is supposedly no cure. I've had them lanced, surgically removed, month after month of antibiotics, special soaps and salt baths, etc...I recently found a homeopathic site that mentioned the use of Mercurius Vivus as a remedy. Has anyone heard of this? I've gone to several sites looking for infomation on this but they all seem to say the exact same thing. Nothing about side effects (since we all know mercury can be toxic). I know most homeopathic treatments use such small amounts of these compounds that there is very little chance of adverse reactions but...
It sounds like it could work. I bought the pills from the Seacoast Vitamin site; they are very inexpensive, but I would still like to know the pros or cons of taking them before I start the interesting regimen. (dissolve 5 pills under your tongue 3 times a day until condition resolves) I thought that was different. :) Thanks in advance for any help. Everyone hang in there; we are definitely not alone in this.
Mercurius Vivus (Homeopathic)
Posted by Ana (Las Vegas, NV) on 04/09/2009
★☆☆☆☆
Well I tried the Mercurius Vivus that I spoke of earlier. I took the pills as instructed on the bottle; 5 tablets 3 times a day, so the bottle only lasts about 7 days. I didn't purchase more because there was no real effect on the HS. Also I had a dull aching headache that interestingly went away when I stopped taking the pills. So in short; it didn't work for me. I am now trying the Turmeric. Hopefully I will get some relief. Next step is surgery so I'm praying something will help soon.
Medications
Posted by Reena (East Hanover, NJ) on 02/06/2009
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
antibiotics and cortisone shots to the infected area only help somewhat - no cure exists (had it 46 years) I've been cut and had drains on and off for 46 years - I have found that washing with TRIAZ (a prescription liquid soap) works in fighting the bacteria that flourishes in the groin and armpit areas - the only natural remedy that helps me is the ocean and sun - thanks for all the info in this website.
Reader Comments
Posted by Dianna (Austin, TX) on 01/11/2009
you said your derm said your hair care products are giving you your boils? stop using them. i wash my hair with grandpa's pine tar soap once a week and then use a rinse of either ACV (1 capful) or lime juice (1 small (key) lime) and a liter of water.
i now have more beautiful hair than ever. oh - and don't ever use hot water on your hair. i have switched to only washing my hair with cold water and i can't believe the difference it has made. i used to have very dry hair no matter what i put on it conditioner wise. now i don't even need conditioner at all and my hair is long again and in much better condition.
try it!!! you will certainly save money and maybe your skin problems will stop too. when you are bathing all of the stuff from the hair care products goes all down your back and onto your body. makes perfect sense to me. i for one would never put anything on my head/scalp that i couldn't put in my mouth. btw - i also brush my teeth with grandpa's pine tar soap...
djh/texas
Reader Comments
Posted by NB (Los Angeles, California) on 05/09/2009
Pine tar soap.... that's funny. I, too, am African-American and all this started for me at eight years old. I can barely believe I've been dealing with this for 30 years. I'm not sure which hair products your doc is referring to, but I'm pretty sure the pine tar soap as shampoo deal is NOT gonna work on Black hair. I have natural hair and always have since my teens and still have the condition so I don't know about that.
I'm still trying to discover a cure that will work for me. The less wholesome my diet and lifestyle are the more boils I get. When I was pregnant I had NO boils for the entire time. But afterwards they came back with a vengeance.
It's an ugly, embarrassing, lonely condition.....just keep experimenting, we may luck up. Many blessings and good luck.
Pau D'arco, Red Clover Tea
Posted by Cs (Bordentown, Nj) on 01/20/2010
Were you able to get pregnant on this? I think I have HS, although have not officially been seen by a dr for this but I think I will soon. I am considering becoming pregnant but am nervous due to this horriffic disease. Can you share your experience with HS as it related to your pregnancy?
Colloidal Silver
Posted by Sarah (Brisbane, Australia) on 02/11/2009
Hi - just reading the above comment on your husband getting cysts similar to HS.
I've been an HS sufferer for many years now but this message rang an alarm bell as my husband is a testicular cancer survivor. PLEASE get the doctor to check his cysts to make sure it is not testicular cancer.
The doctor will be able to see right away if the cyst is a tumour or not.
HS is NOT contagious and his problem is unrelated so please don't feel guilty that you have given him something - you haven't.
I can't stress enough how common testicular cancer is in men or the necessity to have any lumps in the area checked. TS is a VERY fast cancer, but also one of the most survivable if you catch it fast.
General Feedback
Posted by Nek (Evansville, Indiana) on 11/04/2008
I have suffered from hidradenitis since puberty. I am now 40 and male. I have read comments about the effectiveness of turmeric for hidradenitis on this site and on others and having suffered in silence for so long I am optomistic, yet skeptical, as to whether it will work. I, too, have tried accutane (God-aweful experience), antibiotics, tretenoin cream, various soaps, etc. (all to no avail) and am very close to making the choice to have a sinus tract surgically removed from my groin. The pain is, as everyone knows, excruciating and until recently (probably the last 1 1/2 years) the disease has manifest itself on both buttocks cheeks. I have connecting sinus tracts all over my bottom (and also have the embarrassing scarring to prove it) and I can only guess that the tissue is so damaged from years of boils on my bottom that the disease needed "fresh meat" and headed to my groin in search of new apocrine sweat glands. Lovely, huh? All of this said, I hope it is understood that I have lived with this affliction for 30-some painfully (literally and figuratively) and, at times, humiliating years and no physician has been able to prescribe a medication that helps.
Inasmuch as I continue to search for a cure, to no avail, I am cautiously optomistically that turmeric is finally the magic bullet that will end the years of pain, scarring, embarrassment, smelly discharge and useless/expensive trips to doctors, who nearly always say that I should be glad it is "down there" and not on a visible part of my body. I always have been glad for that but somehow their words lack true sympathy for the debilitating nature of the disease.
So, last evening, after reading posts regarding turmeric helping combat/cure hidradenitis I ran out and bought turmeric from Walgreens. The pills are 950mg with pepper as a buffer (I guess). I took two pills last night and then made a salve from another pill mixed with neosporin and applied it to the boil (with sinus tract) on my groin. I have had this particular oozing, painful boil at this location for about 10 months. It started to tract about 2 months ago. This morning I took another 950mg pill, a second around noon and a third around 6PM. I'll let you know how the treatment works out after a week.
General Feedback
Posted by Shelly (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on 11/05/2008
I'm curious if anyone has mentioned botox injections at the groin area for you. it has been a life saver for a few people i know. i know it can be expensive, but you can look into health care coverage, i would rather be out of pocket,than to live through that pain and i totaly sympathize with you i've been there too.
General Feedback
Posted by JOane (Newcastle, England) on 05/10/2009
Hi my name is joanne and since i was diagnosed with HS a few months ago (had symptoms for 20 yr), I like many are trying to find what works best for us. Ive heard that tumeric powder is more effective than capsules, although it does taste a bit "funky".
General Feedback
Posted by Renee (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) on 11/17/2009
I'm writing more so because my daughter who is now 25 years old has had HS since she was 12, at which time I authorized surgery to remove sweat glands from under her arm pits. That worked for a few years actually; however, over the past few years, she's had really bad outbreaks in her groin area and it is also regenerated under her armpits. She gets depressed more often lately and I feel so helpless. She has two young children, 4 years and 5 months old, works a full-time job, and is completing her Bachelor's degree on line. She's a wonderful young lady. I try to help in every possible way that I can, by dressing and bathing the children, feeding them, buying her dressings for her sores, planning events to keep her mind occupied and to keep her happy. I feel for all of you because I have seen the debilatating effect of this disease. I have faith in God and I trust him and believe that he will heal her. In the meantime, I'm looking for a way to help her to live through this both physically and psychologically. We're going to try Tumeric and she's trying to get her weight back down after having the baby. Although her children's father seems to really care a lot about her, I think she would do better than him if she didn't have this condition and had more confidence in her appearance. I finally got her to go to counseling one time and she invited me to participate. For a long time, I thought she was dealing really well in accepting and dealing with the condition. I found out in the session that she's been hiding her real feeling. Everything I thought she must be feeling as a young lady, she was feeling. I'm going to keep trying to make her feel comfortable and deal with things one day at a time. I'll keep looking and taking her to every doctor and clinic I can until we find a cure. I won't give up and don't you give up either!
General Feedback
Posted by Ellen (Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada) on 11/18/2009
You may find some relief if you apply coconut oil to the affected area and then apply 1 drop of oil of oregano. The oregano will help allieviate the pain for a while and both oils are very healing and are antiviral, antibacterial and antiparasitic.
General Feedback
Posted by Liz (Monticello, MN) on 11/03/2008
Sufferer of HS
I had my first lesion when I was 19, did not know what it was at the time, I am now 43. I was free of flare ups until I was 35, when I gained weight with my pregnancy. Since then, it has been a nightmare. I completely relate to all of you on this sight. Short version...my doctor sent me to a derm. he said it was HS..sorry can't help you, but you can take accutane! NOT!! So leaving there empty-handed and no idea what to do..I learned on my own..to live with it. The pain is unbearable, embarrassing, and completely gross! Mine started on my thighs and groin and have seem to have found their home on armpits. Oh, when I showed the derm. my boils and scars, he asked me if I had any on my armpits, I said no and he said "You will"..gee thanks.Well, he was right about one thing! So, now I have done my own wear and tear on the darn things and they have torn me up worse. I am a firm believer in Dial soap but that is the only preventive measures I ever knew about until now. I tried antibiotics, turns out I am allergic to most of them, great! Band aids..allergic to latex, too. My Dr. once told me, "Boy, did God ever give you a body to deal with".Ya think. She actually lanced one when I was having my daughter. She said not to say anything, I guess it was freebie. Well, I am sure looking forward to trying any and all of the remedies you all have mentioned on this sight. I just don't know where to start and with what doses or mixtures. Can anyone give specifics on this? I also noticed that they seem to flare with PMS, the only problem there is being premenopausal and getting my period every two weeks does not give enough time to heal between outbreaks...What else, huh? So, please, anybody...HELP!!
General Feedback
Posted by Joanne (Newcastle, England) on 05/10/2009
Hi i have heard that the contraceptive dianette which is also used for acne can help with HS. I read today that contraception that stops you from menstruating altogether is also effective. i too seem to have a flare up just before my period. also there is a link between HS and prolonged bleeding during menstruation which i find true in my case too. i wonder if this is how it is for others. good luck
General Feedback
Posted by Becky (Woodridge, Illinois) on 12/11/2011
I am 35 yr old female & have suffered from HS for the past 15 years. I can honestly say taking the pill consecutively as I have for the past 4 years, does not help my HS. It seems we are all a little different when it comes to healing methods. So far I have yet to find a cure & I feel like I have tried everything!! Urrggg!! So frustrating.
General Feedback
Posted by Devina (Kanpur, India) on 10/30/2008
hi iam 24 years old and have been suffering from hidradenitis suppurativa since i was almst 18 years old. just got diagnosed about a month ago after going through one horrible surgery and getting the sweat gland under my right armpit removed. i do get the lesions at various places in my body but they are fare less than what i used to few years back.its not so painful now as maybe one gets used to the pain..but i agree it can be very embarassing specially the scarring..and dont feel like getting into any intimate relationships..with anyone..and talking about your condition with other people.
thankfully i met a dermatologist..he did diagnose me though i researched on it over the internet my doctor confirmed it was hidradenitis. he gave me certain antibiotics for a week and now iam on these pills for 3 months called sotret..supossed to shrink the sebacious glands.have been given an anti-bacto soap to bathe.since i sweat a lot a form one armpit as the other sweat gland is gone..it even omits a really bad odour.my doctor has a recommended a lotion called the no swet lotion which gradually decreases..the sweat production.
i have been taking this medicine sotret which is also called isotreniton for about a month now and i think it has started to work.real progress only happens after you have stopped with the medicines..condition improves even after that.
i used to be very overwieght at one point of time.i have lost a lot of weight and i realised it makes a major difference..while suffering from this disease however loosing weight can be quite a challenge with this disease and the lesions always flare up with the heat created by excercise.
dont know why god created this disease..but when i read about other peoples sufferings i know i am not the only one and there are people with far worse..cases.
General Feedback
Posted by Talija (WILKES BARRE, PA) on 10/23/2008
I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH HIDRADENITIS SUPPURATIVA SINCE MY EARLY TEENAGE YEARS, I WISH IT WOULD JUST GO AWAY. I AM 24YRS NOW AND HATE MY BODY. DOES ANYONE ELSE EVER FEEL THIS WAY. I FEEL AS IF I WERE ROBBED OF MY OWN LIFE. IF ONLY THERE WERE SOME MAGICAL PILL THAT YOU COULD TAKE ONCE AND YOUR LIFE WOULD BECOME NORMAL. I HAVE THREE KIDS (GIRLS) WHOM I HOPE THAT ONE DAY WILL NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS. I HAVE ALSO BEEN IN A RELATIONSHIP FOR OVER SIX YEARS AND STILL FEEL DISGUSTING ABOUT MYSELF WHEN AROUND HIM. ANY GOOD THOUGHTS.
General Feedback
Posted by Beanie (Ontario, CA) on 04/18/2009
To Talija: I know exactly how you feel. Mine first started when I was 25, and was newly married (now divorced from this man, which has nothing to do with the HS). I am now 39 and still have major problems. When I was dating again in my early 30's, the idea of having a serious relationship, moreover, a meaningful sexual relationship was horrifying, because by that time, my inner thighs/groin area were horribly scarred, with pits and tunnels... I have been so fortunate that my new husband is very understanding and recognizes that this is a medical condition with poor prognosis (from a medical perspective, at least). He has gone to great lengths to help me remember that I am desirable, attractive, important, etc. regardless of this disfiguring condition near my most "intimate" parts. I have spent many nights crying and asking him why he is attracted to me since I am "broken." He giggles, then reassures me. His attitude is "well, it's not your fault, and you have little control over it, so we deal with it and go on," DESPITE the fact that this can seriously affect our sex life during flare-ups. Aside from this issue, I am a very confident person, which coupled with his support, allows me to remain feeling like a desirable, attractive, and non-disfigured woman. I hope this helps.
General Feedback
Posted by Ravenblackwolf (Indianapolis, Indiana) on 11/04/2009
i have had this awful thing for a long time and never knew what it was until now. my doctor is useless and so is my husband. instead of supporting me he thinks it is kind of funny. i have to basically diagnose myself. i wish all of you luck and love. and i pray there is a way to stop this dreaded illness. blessed be.
General Feedback
Posted by BRENDA-LEE BLACK (SPRING VALLEY, CALIFORNIA) on 10/06/2008
WONDERFUL WEBSITE: I AM AN HS SUFFERER FOR 10 YEARS NOW, DIAGNOSED FOR 6 YEARS. I HAVE NOT REALLY BEEN TO ALOT OF DOCTORS BUT THE ONES I HAVE BEEN TO HAVE NOT REALLY HELPED. I OFTEN USE CEPHALEXIN CAPSULES. THEY HELP WITH THE ODOR WHILE TAKING THEM AND FOR ABOUT TWO DAYS AFTER THEY ARE DONE. ALSO IT KEEPS THE PAIN AND SWELLING DOWN BUT NOT FULLY. I WILL DEFINITELY TRY SOME OF THE HOMEMADE INEXPENSIVE STUFF I FOUND ON THE LINK. I AM QUITE FRANKLY TIRED OF IT.
General Feedback
Posted by Jessy (sarasota, usa) on 07/08/2008
★★★★★
Hidradenitis Suppurativa Remedies: Please beware of any suggestion to try ACCUTANE, if it is still being scripted. The side effects can be immediate & devastating. Please notice if summer's heat aggravates your HS. There's already an internal body heat issue, coupled with the external heat of the season. There are several Chinese herbal formulas that may be helpful, but they must be given professionally, because each person's constitution is different. PLEASE CONSULT A TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICAL PRACTITIONER WHENEVER YOU CAN, as there are a variety of herbal washes, tablets, & foods, that may be effective. I am trying a remedy called Coptis Detox that seems to have been of great relief in reducing the internal heat that adds to the pain of breakouts. Will report more as results develop.
Also, for the Lady & the colonics - YES/YES/YES, they are helpful too, but not without a change in intake of foods that could be aggravating the condition. Notice your intake & break-out routine, so that you can capture what triggers an outbreak. For me, for example, BEER-CITRUS-TOMATOES, much as I love all those things are guarenteed break-out starters, AS WELL AS STRESS & WT. GAIN. In fact if there's any goodness to this, it is that breakouts tell me that a weight gain of at least 10 lbs has happened...Jessy
Homeopathy
Posted by DIANNE (WAIKOLOA, USA) on 05/16/2008
★★★★★
HI, I HAD HIDRADENITIS SUPPURATIVA. I CURED THIS DISEASE BY GOING TO A HOMEOPATHIC DOCTOR AND BEING PRESCRIBED ELAPSE CORRALINEOUS. I HAD BOILS ALL OVER MY BUTTOCK, UNDER MY ARMPITS, CHEST ETC. IN 10 DAYS IT CLEARED UP AND NEVER RETURNED. I HOPE THIS HELPS.
EC: When we searched for Elapse Corralineous on the web just now we could find no mention of it, so we emailed Dianne for more information. We will post her response as soon as we hear back!
Homeopathy
Posted by Rebecca (woodbridge, VA) on 06/05/2008
IN REFERENCE TO Hidradenitis Suppurativa Remedies HAVE YOU FOUND OUT THE RESOURCE FOR (Elapse Corralineous) YET? Thanks so much!
EC: No, sorry. She never wrote us back!
Homeopathy
Posted by Karen (Vancouver, Canada) on 07/17/2008
I have to say that I agree with Jessy from Sarasota. The tomatoes or citrus cause me to break out. I have been in recession and I ate a tomatoes every day for a week...and suddenly I had a massive breakout like never before. Beware of the TOMATOES for sure!! Hope this helps.
Homeopathy
Posted by Becky (Woodbridge, VA) on 07/31/2008
I originally wrote: 06/05/2008: Rebecca from woodbridge, VA replies: "IN REFERENCE TO Hidradenitis Suppurativa Remedies HAVE YOU FOUND OUT THE RESOURCE FOR (Elapse Corralineous) YET? Thanks so much!"
I am sorry it took awhile to follow up, have you found out any further information as of yet? Thanks so much!
Homeopathy
Posted by Lynn (Indianapolis, Indiana) on 12/29/2009
I was just wondering if anyone else had tried the elaps Corallinus because the side effects look like a mild heart attack and I wanted to make sure it was okay to use before I purchased any.
Homeopathy
Posted by Karen (Gaston, Sc Usa) on 01/22/2010
I am going to try this product but I am so nervous about a product that I dont know anything about. Can anyone who has tried it let us know how its going? I will post after I start it also!
Homeopathy
Posted by Karen (Gaston, Sc Usa) on 01/22/2010
Ok I was in process of ordering the elaps Corallinus and I decided to stop a minute and do a bit of research. The side effects are CRAZY! They sound as bad as having these boils, maybe even worse! I advise people to really check it out. Unless I am reading totally wrong on all these sites, its made from a deadly coral snake from Brazil! You can experience Hallucinations, black discharge from the ears and body, and so much more! When I read about it on one site it gave me a great paragraph on how wonderful the product is, then 6 paragraphs on all the bad side effects. Some of these are really bad! Shouldnt we be scared of this stuff???
Homeopathy
Posted by Brittany (Newport News, Virginia) on 02/11/2010
where did you find information about the elaps coralinus?
Colonics
Posted by Jerika (Detroit, MI) on 05/12/2008
★★★★☆
Hidradenitis suppurativa: hello everyone, i'm back with more suggestions on how to help this annoying painful skin disease. I've decided to try a colonic, I realize that with our fiberless, and nutrient lacking diets that our immune systems and internal health could be contributing to this disorder. The buildup of toxins over the years from not fully expelling fecal material could be causing our immune systems not to properly perform, therefore allowing skin disorders such as acne, hs, anemia from malabsorption of nutrients, fatigue, insomnia, and so many other health problems.
A healthy diet free from refined sugars, and processed foods, and plenty of water could only help this disorder. I'm guilty of terrible eating habits and smoking which could only be contributing to this problem. I strongly believe that a colonic which is like an intense enema rids our body of old fecal material, parasites, and toxins that have built up in the colon over the years from unhealthy eating habits, I think that colonics and a drastic change in eating habits can drastically make a difference in the severity of hs.
I think that antibiotics and surgery are only a bandaid to the true cause of hs. Getting to the root of the problem is the only way to pinpoint the cause of hs. I wil try the colonic and make healthy diet choices and let you know the outcome as soon as I see results. I hope that someone suffering with hs as i have over the years will read this and give others ideas on what worked for them, take care and god bless.
Black Onion Seeds
Posted by Blr (Moreno Valley, Ca) on 10/25/2009
More info on the black onion seed please. How do you take it, hot or cold water? do you grind it up? At this time I will try anything please help. I have a very bad case. Thanks
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by T3 (Chicago, IL) on 01/04/2009
I will try this. My cysts go on for 20 years all over and each has a different name and none have a cure. I either have to wait til it comes to a point (huge then) so dr. can cut it or it busts by itself and is a bloody mess. Not to mention the pain. I had 3 in my breast all come to a point at once after a mamorgram, which never showed them, but the ultrasound did. So for any of these cysts, I need answers, deoderant, shaver, soaps all been tried and no relief. No insurance now and when they come I'm on my own. Few times dr. wouldn't even open it and drain it, so pain, pain to my toes on the side of the cyst. I looked bruised or blackened on the ones that have reawaken lately. Antibiotic is hard to get, the dr's don't believe it helps me, but one did, plus I said they make me exremely nausaus and they said it was all in my head. I told them they're crazy,i get so much pain and it gets so big, i can't go to work, what more proof you need? I get so sick to my stomach, headeaches, radiation of pain on the entire side and can't move sometimes. Just need some help. Apple cider baths did not help, baking soda relieved pain, but stung the other unopened one and bactraban seemed the best, but is a prescription, and may eventually flair up anyway til it needs to break. They all do this and I can't take it anymore. Even my clothes are getting ruined. I had some removed and they come back 1/2 inch from the last one. Like I'm 1 big cyst with a head on top. Let you know if tea tree oil helps. Also tried the diet thing too, over 20 years of this, one thing right dr.'s say, NO CURE. Cut, cut, drain, scar, scar, cut, cut. Been there don't that. I was only 19 then. I can cry/I do.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Evelyn (Brevard, NC) on 03/17/2009
Hi, I had HS for 25 yrs or more. Didn't have name for it until 8 yrs ago. Try many different things, nothing work. I use dial (bar) anti-septic soap but sometimes in the summer, I use liquid soap and mix with tea tree oil. It cheaper than buy it at the health food stoe. The only thing I found to help with the pain is Emla, it a cream I get from my doctor, it has lidocaine & prilocaine. It come in genertic, also. Use it only on my real ones. Help to numb the pain some! Also use a Draw Out Salve to help bring it to surface. It main ingredent is green soap. Hope these suggestions might help! Ev.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Sonia (Christchurch, New Zealand) on 03/24/2009
★★★★★
Since I started using Tea tree Oil I have not had many problems at all. Prior to this I had new lesions coming up all the time one after the other.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Ray (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) on 10/26/2011
How do you apply tea tree oil? Can it be added to bath water? Applied directly to affected area? After bathing? Has anyone seen a wound care therapist?
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Coco (Thousand Oaks, CA) on 01/05/2015
Thank you Aalexand,
I will give that a try. I have this issue chronically on my thighs and "nothing" has worked for me.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Tara (Canada) on 02/15/2015
Tea tree oil does nothing for HS, there is a new clinical trial that proves it does nothing, your dermatologists dont know nothing obviously... Ask him to send you for humira injections, I have been in remission for a year now, and my lesions were as big as golf balls under my groin, and even worse on the arm pitts, so get a new dermy, cuz the symptons are only gonna get worse with time, I am only 25 by the way, started with hs when I was 15, was told it was nothing, kept searching and searching for a good derm till I finally found mine, get the injections, and do your research, dont go to a dermy misinformed, because 75% of them dont know crap.
Deodorant Connection
Posted by Jackie (Chicago, IL) on 09/01/2007
★★★★★
Hi. I wrote in last month about the wonders of baking soda for underarm body odor. Well I still agree that it's a great remedy, however I had a side effect that I wanted to share. A few days ago I shaved and after getting out of the shower, put baking soda under my arms. I guess I had knicked an area because it hurt like crazy after the baking soda hit it. That night, I started to feel shooting pain in the same area... it lasted all night. The next morning, still in pain, I looked in the mirror at my armpit and discovered a big ole boil forming. I am guessing that a chunk of baking soda got in and irritated the area. Knowing how great turmeric is for cysts and boils, I immediately went and got some warm water and put a teaspoon of turmeric in it and chugged it down. The shooting pain stopped in about 3 hours and the next day the boil was half the size. 2 days later it is gone. My suggestion is not to apply baking soda to your armpits if you have knicked them while shaving! I continue to use the b.s. but haven't had any more inflammation in that area.
Deodorant Connection
Posted by Sam (NY, NY) on 08/01/2008
Baking Soda for BO- what to do when you shave
If Baking Soda is used after shaving your armpits will become extremely sensitive even irritated. I use VCO after shaving for a few days until any small wounds (invisible to the eyes but there nonetheless) heals. VCO's effect is not as long lasting as Baking Soda - so on a very hot day a few application might be needed. However, VCO expedites the healing then one can return to the Baking Soda. Hope this helps!
Anyone has a better interim solution than VCO - please share.Thank you.
General Feedback
Posted by John (Corpus Christi , Texas, USA) on 03/16/2007
★★★★★
Hiradenitis Suppurativa 1) Stop using any form of Spray on or Roll on Deoderant. Clean with soap and water in Shower (Not Bath). Use a Stick -Type of Deoderant ( and Make Sure No One Else Uses It). Make Sure that you Dry Off very good Before you apply anything and use a Different Towel after Each Shower. If Redness Persists after you have done this, Use Hydrogen Peroxide on the Affected Areas after Shower. Then use Corn Starch on them to keep them Dry. If the condition does not fade or disappear within one week, Go Directly to your Doctor.
