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.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Niki (New Zealand) on 03/16/2016
★★★★★
Tried tea tree oil for HS- one overnight topical application worked better than years of medication and specialists. Amazing.
Antibiotics
Posted by Kim (Ma) on 03/07/2016
I was recently diagnosed, after 10 years, with HS and was somewhat relieved that their was a name for what I've been dealing with. I have been on & off cephalaxen (keflex) for about 10 years. Had several expressed and have been hospitalized twice. The keflex was the only antibiotic that seemed to work. After being on it consistently for 2+ years I was concerned about what that was doing to my body on a daily basis. Now I tend to go on it as needed. Ironically I just had the worst issue in my left armpit last Monday & needed Iv antibiotics for the past several days. Today I graduated to keflex 4x/ day for 7 days. Easier to manage as a wife and working mom. Two months ago I started with accutane for cystic acne along my jawline. While the drug came with many concerns and hoops to jump through my skin has never looked better! Then, this lump appeared last week & was so painful!! I've been online searching for ANY info that can help me not be in this situation again! I hope this helps you and others & keflex is helpful for you as well!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Amdkm (India) on 02/14/2016
★★★★☆
I have hidradenitis suppurtiva in my armpits for almost 3 years now. I was misdiagnosed initially and only recently I came to know my exact illness.
As per my experience, antibiotics are not much effective unless its when a flare up occurs and you want to reduce the inflammation. Also, if you do surgery you have to do it each time a flare up comes.
But, I have been dealing with it and now I have very less flare ups using the following:
- After bath, Use Povidone Iodine solution, the traditional brown colour liquid on your affected area to kill all the germs.
Let it dry so that it doesnt stain your clothes
- Use clindamycin gel on your affected area any time of the day or before sleep.
Do not miss any day.
Do not shave or wax.Try an alternative.
Try not to sweat too much.
Drink water.
I guarantee that you wont have a flare up :)
Good luck guys and stay strong!
p.s In case you get a flare up ever, use neosporin (bacitracin) powder on it for school/work since its a powder and the pus won't scar your clothes.
HS Causes and Triggers
Posted by Katzie (Calgary) on 02/12/2016
Hi there. I suffer from the same thing. I would suggest that you try Colloidal Silver on those boils. I use a Silver Gel on mine. I used to get them regularly , but I noticed something strange lately; the boils are getting smaller and smaller. So small, in fact, that the last boil was the size of 1/2 a pea! And after that paltry pathetic attempt at a boil, I haven't had one in months! Please give it a try. If you can't fine the gel, soak a cotton pad In Colloidal silver and then put a bandage over it. It won't take very long before your daughter finds blessed relief. Take care.
HS Causes and Triggers
Posted by Ellie (Md) on 02/12/2016
The cream you mention is rather expensive. Have you considered turmeric for the boils? It is a very popular remedy on Earth Clinic for boils.
Did you get your daughter off birth control? If she is taking it to regulate her cycle, there are many good remedies for it.
HS Causes and Triggers
Posted by Jody (Davenport) on 02/12/2016
My 16 year old daughter a year ago got on the NEXPLANON birth control. That we think is been the same time she started to get boils. She gets them at last 1 a month. So big and bad that we have to take her to the E.R to have them drained and packed. We just learned of a name for her condition. I replied since I seen you are the one had a concern with birth control. They started on her lower back. 1 on her knee the rest under her arm pit. I have been searching since I finally got a name for this. Anyone heard of Emuaid Cream?
Lysine
Posted by Monique (New York) on 12/28/2015
★★★★★
Try Lysine capsules. The seem to work for me. I take two 500mg capsules, twice a day during the time I'm having issues with my Hidradenitis Supperativa. And one 500gm capsule, twice a day when im not having issues. You can purchase them at a health food store.
Let me know if it helps.
Antibiotics
Posted by Dan (Iowa) on 10/21/2015
★★★★☆
I truly feel for everyone in here. I have had HS (undiagnosed - but treated) for going on 15 year now (I'm 30). I guess that I'm a rarer case from the sounds of things, one being that I'm a guy, and two being that doxycycline actually worked for me. I have been on the med for a couple of years now and wash previously troubled areas daily with hibiclens soap and I have been boil free (for the most part) since I started the med.
From my experience... drinking alcohol makes things bad, as the alcohol in my system pushes the doxycycline out of my system and the disease comes back for 24 hours or so with a vengeance. I've also had success putting the hibiclens on troubled areas with a cotton ball during flare ups (don't wash off and re-apply when you feel the itch coming back), which somehow helps to prevent things from getting worse and spreading.
What brings me back to the online community after years of control is that my new insurance won't pay much for the doxycycline, making the drug $70 a month... I reluctantly paid for one more month of meds and received word today that I'm going to be switched over to Cephalexin going forward. Has anyone had success with docycycline and then made the switch over to cephalexin? I should mention that I've been on the doxy daily for going on 3 to 4 years now. However, I've been reading that the cephalexin cannot be taken daily due to its strength... I'd be very grateful for any feedback. Good luck everyone, here's to hoping that modern science and medicine will someday soon figure out a cure to this life-altering disease, which is surprisingly affecting a large part of the worlds population.
On that note, I also hope my experience will help someone out there who is struggling to find answers.
Antibiotic Ointment in the Nose
Posted by Rob (Palm Desert) on 09/24/2015
By the way, I did have a cerec crown put on a tooth almost 9 months ago (I don't recommend the cerec it has only been a problem if you need a crown do it the old fashioned way). My bite has never been the same, and the tooth is still sensitive. I do believe this could be a or the initial cause of my HS problem. I still have to have a root canal now since the tooth has never been right. Perhaps our HS problems are staph due to dental work that invades our body. Toxins have to come out and it's through our lymph nodes. Its a common denominator worth looking at.
Antibiotic Ointment in the Nose
Posted by Rob (Palm Desert, Ca) on 09/13/2015
Hi, I wanted to tell you my remedy for HS. I did use the bacitracin up my nose, still do every evening, sometimes during the day just to keep it moist. I noticed prior to my first ever HS (June 2015) this year (I'm 55) that I had a pimple like sensitivity in the tip of my nose; inside; I thought I had a pimple. I got this sensitivity twice, prior to my eruption under my right arm pit. Since I read the post about it being a strep, which makes so much sense, I stopped shaving at all, (I was afraid it could come from the metal of the razor).
I started taking Turmeric 450 mg 3x a day (Costco brand with olive leaf) I also DO NOT use deodorant anymore. What I do is have a bowl of Baking Soda and pat it under my arm, let the excess fall into the sink, and Voila, no odor ever! I also cut out night shades (peppers, mushrooms, eggplant), I was eating a red, or yellow, pepper almost every other night in a salad. I stopped. No tomato sauce, or spices like paprika, or Spike, or even seasoned foods like Orange Chicken.
I had cut out milk products 3 months earlier only because I didn't want to have the fat hormones that accompany milk products. No cheese. You must be vigilant. We must first look at our diets.
The first HS I had, the doctor cut and packed it - never again. I screamed so bad he lost 5 patients that day. That one healed, still red though and I shaved to test it, and 3 more erupted. Back to doctor for antibiotics 2nd time in 2 months. (I hadn't taken antibiotics for over 20 years). These I did not have the doctor touch. But he said I may have to have that surgery. In my mind I said NO WAY. The surgeries have not stopped HS from what I read. I followed my routine above and have not had another. It has made me look at food, my shower, razors, my gut, my stress. Hey any of you have mold in your shower? Strep is all around us, however when your immune system is compromised, or taxed we can't fight this off. I hope this information helps someone!
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Velvet74 (Nyc) on 08/04/2015
Food absolutely can cause flare ups. For me it is gluten. Within 12 hours I will have new cysts and the number and severity are directly proportional to how much gluten I had. I had more improvement from cutting out gluten than the antibiotics so my doctor took me off them.
Burdock Root
Posted by Dan (Rochester, Mn ) on 07/23/2015
Patients with severe HS tend to have low iron and can easily become anemic. Recent research is beginning to discover there seems to be a connection between inappropriate amino acid metabolism in relation to particular classes of digestive bacteria. While it's not definitive and more research needs to be done this would suggest a high protein diet as a source of iron may actually worsen symptoms. I would instead suggest increasing iron through a source such as curly dock seed.
Yara's HS Treatment Plan
Posted by Mom24 (Kansas) on 07/21/2015
Garlic powder (on peanut toast), antibiotic cream in nose 3x day for at least 7 days, don't share un bleached tub and towels. Grape seed extract diluted and sprayed on boils heals quickest, also good for drying of skin before using suntan lotion or being in humid weather, lose clothes for a couple days after, no synthetics if hot. Hibiscus soap/ tea tree drops in dial soap to clean. Avoid aluminum in lotions and deodorants which keeps moisture trapped. 1 tsp Tumeric in half cup warm milk, mustard let dry on boils or spray w diluted GSE so it doesn't over dry cause skin lightning, which if you need to lighten skin works.
Ocean Water
Posted by Ali (Qatar) on 07/13/2015
★★★★★
Hi,
My daughter is 23 years old, she complains of HS for 5 years, its painful physically and emotionally, she tried all type of medicine and surgical but no benefit. until she removed all spices of her diet and start swimming in sea, within a month she recovered. but after recovery she went back to take spice in her food and stop going to sea, again started to suffer. I'm not sure what is affect of spice and swimming in sea, but you can try, they make good change.
Acne Soap
Posted by Isabel (St Vincent & The Grenadines) on 07/04/2015
★★★★☆
I started to get boils in both armpits after getting chikungunya virus from an infected mosquito bite.
I live in the tropics where the virus swept through last summer causing thousands of people to become ill.
This started September 2014, and has caused me terrible joint pain, styes, skin rash, and the boils. I bought some tea tree oil soap which has helped a lot, I bathe with it, rinse and dry thoroughly, then rub soap on the boils and dab on talc. They seem to be going now, still hard lumps but no pus. I also drink a tea made with fresh grated ginger and turmeric, you can use dried powder, cinnamon, honey and lime juice plus hot water. I have taken 4 types of antibiotics which did nothing, doctors seem disinterested and have offered no advice or medication. There is no cure or treatment for chikungunya virus, only painkillers, the effects can last for years, I had never heard of HS until I started researching the cause of boils/lesions in the armpit area. Hope there is a treatment soon for all the people suffering from HS.
Burdock Root
Posted by Rebecca (North Carolina) on 07/02/2015
★★★★☆
I have suffered with HS since I had a surgery that put me into peri menopause 5 years ago. I have been taking Tumeric for prevention and it works somewhat - I recently read that Burdock Root (capsule form) is a blood cleanser and can help with detoxifying the skin. I have only been taking for a few weeks and have seen a vast improvement (although it does promote sweating). I also want to share that I get Magnesium gel caps, punch a hole in it and squeeze out the contents, I use this as a topical when the HS is red and inflamed - instant relief and reduces the lump overnight. It's messy but works - I have yet to find a topical magnesium cream. I do hope one day there will be a cure!
Turmeric, Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Miko (Columbia, Md ) on 06/15/2015
I'm saddened to hear about what you are going through. I had a large wound in my left arm pit from 12/10/12 - 5/20/15. Antibodies didn't really help. I cut all high fruitrose corn syrup from my diet, and tried to just consume foods that weren't genetically modified. I try to only shop at trader joes & whole foods.
I read some place that oranges contain a vitamin that reduces inflammation. So I eat 3-4 daily. Within two months of these changes the wound that's was present for years is gone. I'm beyond thrilled. It's worth giving it a try. Miko
Colloidal Silver, Zinc, Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Denise (Tucson, Arizona) on 06/05/2015
Thank you for sharing your experiences with this chronic condition. My husband had it and neatly list his life to it. One outbreak landed him in an ICU for six months. All three of my children inherited it and living in a sweltering desert, someone is always infected at any given time. Outside of surgery with steroids and antibiotics, we have never found any advice on how we can control and or prevent outbreaks. Thank you. God bless and heal you.
Turmeric, Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Brian (Michigan City, Indiana) on 06/02/2015
★☆☆☆☆
I see a lot people that say a remedy worked for HS disease. I have used tea oil an turmeric and it has not helped. I see lot people say they have HS disease but do they really? There is a difference between boils an abscess an HS. One is not cured an comes back. I am just tryin to find out more info on the HS disease. I've had no luck really with antibiotics either. I have two holes in my armpits, my butt an groin.
Scars
Posted by Becky (Nokesville, Va ) on 06/02/2015
Cocoa butter helps with the appearance of scars. But as far as your future relationships, if he loves you for you, then the scars won't matter. Take the time to explain to him the condition and that, while annoying, is not something he needs to be worried about. When someone cares about you, they support you through the good and bad times.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Arlene ( Bahrain) on 05/12/2015
Put manuka honey UMF 20+ and cover it with an aloe vera antiseptic band aid..
Scars
Posted by Colleen ( Florida) on 05/02/2015
I had pretty bad scars they were purple, blue, black and green. They were there for years, I read somewhere about taking a supplement of flax/fish/borage seed oil daily would help. I figured it couldn't hurt. One day about 4-6 months later I passed by the mirror and relized they were gone. I hope it works for you. Also avoid sugar and processed foods.
Probiotics
Posted by Knad01 (Ohio) on 04/26/2015
★★★★★
Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Has anyone tried taking a probiotic? I have HS and recently read an article about "leaky gut syndrome". Initially eliminated gluten from my diet and started taking zinc tablets, which I had success with (not 100%). However, it is not really an option to take zinc long term and I find complete elimination of gluten to be very difficult. I have consumed gluten multiple times through cross contamination, causing a reaction.
I recently (about 2 months ago) found an article about leaky gut syndrome and started taking a probiotic twice a day, which really seems to be helping! I have not had a breakout since and I even started adding small amounts of gluten back into my diet (i.e. soy sauce, beer, boneless breaded chicken wings, etc.)!! Not sure if it is a "cure", but it helped me and worth a shot- although I am still weary of pizza and pasta dishes. Probiotics are easily available and not expensive at all, so perhaps worth a shot?
Turmeric, Zinc and Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Edie (Moundsville, Wv) on 03/27/2015
★★★★★
I came upon this site out of desperation looking for some help with the hydradenitis. I have been dealing with this for at least 30 years. I have only had a few at a time and sometimes none at all for a few years, I get them in my groin area and on the labia. I have only had really large ones on 3 occasions that sent me to the Dr.
Just a few weeks ago I developed a very large abscess that became about the size of a lime on the labia on left side. I called the Dr. and went in right away and was put in the hospital to run IV antibiotics. On day 2 it drained and he let me go home on day 3 with 2 different strong antibiotics. It went down to very small size but did not go away and I started to develop a smaller one on the left side.
So coming to this site and reading all that people were using I decided to start using the turmeric and zinc. Also using tea tree oil mixed with olive oil. I have to say that this seems to be working better than the antibiotics. They drained for a few days after starting this, now the drainage has stopped and they seem to be going away. I am taking 450 mg. of turmeric 3 times a day and 50 mg zinc twice a day. The tea tree oil I am applying after shower and then one or two times again during the day. I hope that they continue to go away and I don't have any more for a while anyway. Thank you for all the information and help. Glad to know that this is not a rare thing and lots of other people are going through this also. I did have four surgically removed 2 years ago and did not have any more for a while. But the ones that just came up have come back in the same places. So I guess the surgery wasn't that successful. Here's hoping that I continue to get better with the use of these supplements.
Top Remedies Summary
Posted by Lily (Virginia, US) on 03/04/2015
i wasn't going to share my story until I saw yours. You don't know how much your comment has helped me. I didn't think anyone else got it so young . I have had this since I was 11. I thought it was a punishment from God for shaving off my hair because it didn't want to embrace puberty. I hid it from my family until I was 14, it got so bad I thought I was never going to recover. The first doctor I went to shamed me and gave me antibiotics that almost killed me -literally. The other doctor that I went to save me from the antibiotics was male and too shamed to even try to help me. It's been 5 years and I haven't been back to a doctor since. And have never been romantically with someone because of this. I am hoping this tea tree oil and turmeric work!
Scars
Posted by Natsuko (Seattle, Washington) on 02/24/2015
I'm wondering if there's something that will lighten up Hidradenitis Suppurativa scars? I take 3 turmeric pills a day and so far, they work great! I don't have huge breakouts anymore, but I have really dark ugly scars. I'm 17 and I'm worried that the scars will affect my future relationships. I have HS around my groin area and behind. Someone please help :(
Fresh Garlic
Posted by Charlotte (Pittsburgh) on 02/15/2015
★★★★★
I had suffered for years with boils. Doctors did nothing but lanced them. I got them under my arms and in my groin area. I must of had a least one hundred of them. I have been boil free for over 7 years. They got really big about the size of a half a egg and were very painful.
Glory be to God... I bumped into the simple remedy... Raw fresh garlic, a whole head daily. In my salads and with all my food and sauces.
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.
Ginger, Garlic, Mint, Pomegranate
Posted by Zahid (Saudi Arabia) on 02/10/2015
★★★★★
Dear All who is suffering from this horrible disease Hidradenitis Suppurativa,
I have been facing this issue since last one year and doctors say we can not help in this case even they don't understand what is causing this disease. Two weeks ago I visited my dad and he told me one remedy and I came back and tried and trust me I was surprised. It's herbal Antibiotic which seems 1000 times more effective than medical stuff.
OK try this ...I am same like you, searched on google for whole year, tried many things but nothing worked but this thing which I am going to share here. Cures me 70 % in 10 days ..
I am sure you don't believe but try it and then inform me within two weeks..within 2 3 days you will be letting me know that it's killing the disease..
Here you go
1) fresh ginger 50 grams
2) fresh garlic 25 grams
3) mint leaves 50 gram (fresh)
4) pomegranate seeds 50 grams (dried one)
Put in a blender and make a sauce; now put in an air tight jar.
Dosage:: 1 tablespoon (full) after breakfast, 1 after lunch, 1 after dinner.(with water) ...OR you can put this paste on the Bread and eat it...
Please Please for one week don't eat fast food; you will sea the result which will amaze you.. Please guys share it with everyone .. May Allah cure everyone from all the diseases... Best Of Luck Waiting for your response...
Top Remedies Summary
Posted by Salome Tiny (Botswana) on 02/10/2015
I am doing research for my brother, he has got Hidradenitis Suppurativa under his armpit, will try turmeric.
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.
