Top Remedies for Hidradenitis Suppurativa

After an ultrasound examination of the tissue, the infected area is sealed off and confined using a surgical laser; the abscess is opened through two tiny laser incisions and removed. After removal, the laser beam is focused on the closed cavity. In this way the previously infected and inflamed area is disinfected and sterilized. In turn the laser beam causes the cavity to contract, reducing the vacant area significantly. A minor, post-surgical treatment of the external tissue is performed.

This minimal invasive procedure allows complete recover within 2-3 weeks.

I then moved to USA to live for awhile and there found a Doctor who treated my underarm with surgery saying that it had become infected. I had also discovered that Talc (unperfumed ) is great for any sores, weeping and have used it ever since. I still did not know I had HS at this stage and no advice was given except loose and breathable clothing which I already did as I am an eczema sufferer from childhood which I managed to get under control with diet and knowing allergies (like washing powders). Years later, and still living with terrible groin sores that no-one seemed to want to do anything about (why wasn't I referred to a dermatologist ?etc! ) I had an enormous breast abscess that started under my arm, I ended up as an emergency admission to hospital and surgery. I have had incidents since starting under the arm that have been staved off by anti biotics. However I still did not get diagnosed with HS and I and the GP's did not make connection with groin sores and underarm abscess at all. I should also say that before this I had Glandular Fever leading to five years of ME (chronic Fatigue Syndrome) which Doctors seemed to denied existing but didn't look into why I had ME. Plus I had pneumonia before Breast abscess and many missed symptoms of Colon cancer by GP's including food intolerances.

Since then I unfortunately was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. When had op to remove tumours it was found that I had old undiagnosed Endometriosis (that can cause ME symptoms) and my Surgeon (not GP! ) finally diagnosed my groin sores and lesions as HS. I had to push my GP to refer me to a Dermatologist (helped by letter from Surgeon with HS diagnosis) who has recently confirmed that the groin and underarm problems are HS and the breast abscess is the end result of an HS flare up. I don't want to scare people and I feel I have been particularly unlucky in what has happened to me but the medical profession needs to take this condition more seriously and more research needs to be done. There may be no cure but better management of the disease is possible. I have never been offered counselling nor received much sympathy for HS yet I have found it to be distressing especially before meeting my very understanding husband as I felt dirty, that I had sexually transmittable disease so wouldn't enter full sexual relations with people etc (this is not true you cannot pass it to others). It makes me cry now to think of how I've been treated. Depression is also common with HS sufferers especially when don't know what they have and are frustrated by medical professionals.

Knowing what you have and having proper information of how to deal with it plus sympathy from professionals makes a big difference. Since chemo I have not had a flare up except twinges under my arm, but I still sweat a lot when weather is hot or get a bit stressed. I need to lose a lot of weight which amazingly I held onto through my illness and 6 months chemo! It's hard to exercise without sweating though! I'm not sure I agree with line drawn between HS and smokers (by one person on site). I have never smoked and got this condition aged 18. I did grow up with parents who smoked though, but I don't think this is the only factor. Genetics, hormones, food allergies and clogged pores probably all play a part. I was vegetarian for 10 years yet still got everything going! What I have found helpful- co-inciding with chemo and HS remission has been my using Lemon Balm(Herb Melissa) cream (available health stores online in UK, not sure about US) on the affected areas, especially when starts to feel that a sore is developing, it seems to stop them in their tracks and helps soothe sores too. It is also effective with Herpes.

There has been indication that HS may be related to Herpes (this could also be Epstein Barr as related to Herpes- Glandular fever which I did have). I also used a lot of Teatree products- caution as long term use can dry the skin but of course that may help sweating conditions. Talc (unperfumed). Eating an organic natural diet- lots of Omega 3. I have been reading about how inflammation anywhere in the body is not good for the immune system so anything that is anti-inflammatory has to be good. This includes some food and drink. I believe in trying to solve problems naturally not with antibiotics and medication. I agree with another person on site who said about eating 'Gods food' , anything refined and processed has to be a No No, but I also think it's easy to get fixated and too strict on certain diets- eat healthy, variety but more veg and fruit in diet and whole grains (balance insulin levels amongst other things). Even if give up other dairy try 'Live' plain yogurt. Turmeric probably does work. Other anti-inflammatories- Oranges, Gingko, seaweeds, veg oils, nuts, seeds, greens, mint (natural), berries, apples, sweet potatoes, spinach, and others.

Pain control foods- Sunflower seeds (but caution if you do have Herpes as can cause breakouts for some), Capsicums- red peppers, Ginger root and powder

Diuretics may help dilute sweat and keep systmem clean, also anti-inflammatory. Try Dandelion and nettle teas, Milk Thistle, Burdock which is also good for skin conditions. Echinacea to boost immune system.

Calendula cream also good for skin.

Also, applied externally only try Lavender oil mixed with a veg oil to put on painful areas (not on open wounds though). Use glycerin based soaps, try plain and sulphur soaps (there is a connection of HS with acne which these are often used for), teatree products and lemon balm.

Avoid Sugars- they increase inflammation and feed fungal infections and tumours. They also push insulin levels up which can also affect hormones and cause diabetes. May contribute to sweating. Find natural sweeteners- Stevia is my preference.

Avoid alcohol (sugars, sweating and lowers immune system).

Start cooking at home or get food where know natural and organic and preferably low sugar and low fat. Ready made foods are high in fats, sugar and salt and low on nutrition. This includes bought baked goods like cakes. (Make own healthier ones- favourite for me and my family is a fruit and nut traybake cake using stevia).

Despite sweating you must exercise, make sure shower after. De-stress, meditate. Join a support group.

Hope this helps (and doesn't scare) others. Getting condition diagnosed and then under control are the key things then it won't lead to worsened infections. Get educated and do what's best for you. Check out-

ba-hs.org.uk, HS-USA.org,

hs-support.uni.cc/hidradenitis-suppurativa-faq

Good luck fellow sufferers.

• -turmeric
• -bathed with borax
• -tea tree oil
• -coconut oil
• -neem oil
• -zinc supplements
• -salt water
• -garlic
• -honey
• -iodine

All of these remedies helped a little, and at least educated me on the ways of living a natural life, but did not wipe this condition out. I was desperate, and I had heard of urine therapy curing MRSA for a family member. I have been using urine therapy for probably 2 to 3 weeks. Basically- every time I go pee, especially in the morning, I drink it, and rub some on the sores.

In the very beginning, I had one, but kind of 3 sores stuck together, that were sore, inflammed, red, raised up, and they are kind of like a pus filled tunnel under the skin. I started drinking the urine, immediately I felt better inside my body. I'm the definition of tired all the time, with a screwed up sleep schedule, and I actually started waking up in the morning. It seemed like the sores became worse, after a week or so. Because they were worse, I applied urine compress on them while I slept. Always in the morning, there would be massive improvement as far as inflammation. The sores were still there, but flatter, less red.

At this point I have had 3 weeks with no new boils, and these ones are on their way out. They are not full of puss any more, they're pain free at this point, all though there is pretty bad scarring. I feel lucky to have to deal with the scars- the scars mean their healing! Finally!

So my point is, I think the urine therapy is working. Now, most people think it's gross, but we're earth clinic people- people who are willing to put our egos aside and just do something, anything to be healthy! Good luck to all the other sufferers out there!

PS, has anyone fully healed up from this yet? I'm interested in the phases of healing of the scars... Thanks :)

So fed up I did some research and discovered turmeric. I started mixing it with almond milk, cinnamon and honey. It tastes really good. I noticed my outbreaks lessened and when I did get anything the pain would be gone within a day or two and then it would drain. I no longer really get any in my groin mostly now just under left breast. It makes me sad all the scars and deep purple scars it has left behind. Time does lessen the appearance and I also use rose water to help with the scars. I have been using an essential oil liver cleanse which has helped tremendously. It's peppermint oil and lemon oil cleanse. You use it by adding one drop of each in a cup of distilled water and I squeeze a half lemon in it and drinking it first thing in the morning. The peppermint does wonders by cooling the inflammation and the lemon helps cleanse and alkalanize the ph in body. It gives me more energy and cleans liver at the same time. I also just started using black cumin oil. I don't know how much it is helping yet since I have just started using it a few days ago.

About a week ago I went to the movies and ate salty buttery popcorn and halfway through the movie I noticed a very painful little friend just popped up in groin area. The next morning I drank my cleanse and poof it popped and drained that day. They used to last weeks. I also just noticed a bright red one that appeared under breast but without any pain. I have been putting Turmeric directly on it and it's gone already. It's amazing what these treatments have done for me. Yes I still break out but the pain isn't there anymore at least not nearly as bad as it used to be, no smell, and they go away sooo quickly. Oh and I had a bad one under breast a few weeks ago and I treated it and the pain went away but the lump didn't bt it also didn't spread. Then about one week ago I noticed it felt wet under breast and it had popped and was draining. I didn't even know it was still there. No pain or anything.

I hope this can help some of you. I have read others posts about mixing turmeric with warm water and drinking it but gross. Mixing it with cinnamon and milk makes it tastes almost like chai tea. I really enjoy the taste. I haven't needed it though for awhile since I began the liver cleanse.

All the DS girls I know suffer with this awful condition.

Well, I visited a couple of sites, including this one, and figured I would give the turmeric a try. I went to a health food store that I always go to get cleanses and stuff and the owner, who is very informative, told me to take the kind that says curcumin, not turmeric. Even though they are the same, for some reason curcumin seems to do better. I have no idea why since they are the same, but WOW! I had a sore that would not go away or heal for close to a year. It looked nasty and was very painful. It has finally healed and looks so much better. I am also taking zinc with it as well. I take one zinc pill that is 30mg and one curcumin pill that is 1000mg. When I first started I was taking 2 of each, but lowered the dosage once my sore closed up.

I have always been taking the zinc, but did not see any results. Right before I started taking the curcumin I started taking 2 zinc pills and actually noticed a difference. So I am not sure if the zinc may have worked on its own or not. I actually believe that curcumin helped. I will be taking the curcumin for life if I have to because the way my sores looked and the pain I felt before I started taking them is not something I ever want to feel again.

I hope this helps someone that is looking for some relief.

Oh, the curcumin also helped with my back pain since it is an anti-inflammatory as well. Knocked out two birds with one stone....

Here is what I have tried that has helped:

1. Hybaclens - antibacterial soap

2. Topical antibiotics both over the counter and prescription

3. Hot compresses

Now I recently found this to be very helpful reducing the swelling and removing the puss within 2 hours of use.

1/2 teaspoon Tannic Acid (powder) in 1/4 cup warm water plus 20 drops of DMSO (liquid). Applied to infected area repeatedly for 1 week. It does not burn but stings a little.

If you have any other homeopathic remedies please post here. Thank you!!!!

I am glad to find that there are other people sharing and talking about this disease. I find the worst part - after the pain of course - is the guilt and shame. I am in the midst of a flare up right now and the self blaming is just awful.

Glad to find others being hopeful. It helps to know I am not alone.

Hydrogen peroxide is the only thing that works for me. It doesn't make it go away, but it reduces the pain to almost nothing. It also keeps the boils from recurring as frequently as they did before. Simply get a spray bottle, heat it in the microwave to where it's hot (Not intolerable) and then spray it on the afflicted areas once or twice a day.

I hope this helps!

I started to do 3 drops under my tongue morning and night and swallowed quickly a glass of water over my tongue and this way it doesn't taste so bad. I also put the oil on the padded part of a water proof , breathable bandaid and applied to any sore that had not become a huge open wound (because a big wound or sore would sting heaps with this very strong oil). Please note Nexcare strips are the only true breathable waterproof bandage care that does not make the sore sweat that I can find. Nexcare 3M strips also come in various sizes depending on size of sore/boil. Elaster plaster and Johnson and Johnson brands made the sore sweat which we need to avoid.

My sores always develop over a couple of hours to half a day with a feeling of pain in the deeper tissue layers and a very small level sore or red dot on the surface. My sores are always worse underneath the surface. I therefore have time to heal them with Oil of Wild Oregano drops placed onto the padded part of the strips (bandaid) before a pus wound opens. My sores once past half a day are fast to get bad and usually only take a few more hours to become a big lump under the skin an inch in diameter with a smaller surface sore producing pus and also cellulites surrounding this sore about as big as your hand. After another couple of hour to overnight the lump of pus is so big I have to go to hospital for intravenous antibiotics as I start to get a fever and loose lucidness as it then gets into my blood and causes further complications. This oil would heal my smaller sores over a day or two and I could shower and leave the Nexcare strip on to keep working on my deep infection. If water did get into the strip (bandaid) I would replace it with a new strip that had the Oil of Wild Oregano drops placed onto the padded part of the strips. Not all Oil of Wild Oregano producers and products are the same but I used one from Solutions 4 Health for potency and quality of product.

I recommend using Manuka honey of the highest quality on large open sores or in sensitive areas of the groin etc. Also charcoal poultice is extremely good for extracting infection and can be placed anywhere. If you cannot get hold of the Oil of Wild Oregano, colloidal silver is good but nowhere near as strong. A herbal "soap free" bar for washing and mild salty water as a sterilizer for wounds and prone areas for infections. Swim at the beach as much as possible to heal and prevent sores. Remove all sugar from diet as much as possible. I was already on a gluten free and dairy free diet. I also started ingesting as much as possible turmeric in food and drinking. Within a month I hadn't had a sore get out of control. All were healed at the bandaid stage (at the stage of a red dot or very small pimple/boil). I then had only the hint of a sore appear about one every month or 2 and I still heal them overnight with the oil droplets on the pad of the bandaids. I only get symptoms now when my immune system is low and generally due to stress and exhaustion.

I also can cure tonsillitis within half an hour with this oil by placing droplets directly to the back of my throat at site of infection or the sore swallowing feeling. This is not for 1st time users as the kick back from the oil is very strong. The white pus at the back of my throat would disappear and I would have no further symptoms. I previously had chronic tonsillitis to the point they wore away so much that there was nothing to take out. They grew back and I now rarely get tonsillitis but if I do get run down and start to get sick my Oil of Wild Oregano keeps me well.

As a child going through puberty I got huge sore red lumps under my arms the size of golf balls that the doctor said were infected sweat glands and he gave me antibiotics which helped. I only got one or two a year that never developed into open pus wounds. I guess my immune system was better back then. My six year old daughter gets clusters of smaller lumps under one of her arms only throughout summer months and I am worried she is going down my same path.

The Oil of Wild Oregano is worth a look into for all and any ailments and relief of symptoms if not a cure. For me, I also need to keep my immune system up and the Oil of Wild Oregano also does this by ingest it. I only do this when I get run down at times of stress as on the whole I have no trouble with my Hidradenitis Suppurativa in the last 5 to 6 years. I do hope this helps others out there as it is so hard to suffer through it. You are all in my Prays, Cheers Liz

I haven't heard about the connection with bronchitis and HS, but I have also had bronchitis as a kid to the point of pleurisy (infection of the lining of the lungs. ) I also had a severe case of Chicken Pox as a child-- I got Staph infection all over my body. Just to make it clear, though, I am 24, in shape and very very clean. I want to help others with the disorder, so I have dedicated so much time trying to learn more about it. Thank God for this site! Just reading these testimonials has made the condition easier to deal with. I've read a lot that HS is connected to stress and food allergies. I can completely understand the stress factor-- I suffer from anxiety every single day, largely in part of HS. I am also a smoker and drink coffee.

I have been researching the diet side of things, and have found that with HS sufferers, their pH balance seems to lean towards the acid side and needs to be balanced towards the Alkaline side, so drinking Alkaline Water (also looking up the alkaline food guide and incorporating those foods into your diet) will help balance everything out. Today I started taking turmeric in warm water with honey and black pepper, diluting ACV with water, and taking vitamin A, and I found this ointment a few months ago online called Emuaid. It worked SO WELL the first time I used it, (2 large bumps gone the next day) then seemed to work less after a few weeks. Here's my shower routine:

-antibacterial soap
-not shaving sides of legs
-after I've dried off, using Witch Hazel to re-rinse the area
-using Emuaid or Bacitracin Ointment

-Maintaining dryness of the area.

God bless all of you. Here's to a CURE! It's out there.

I can not say it enough times on here - it is the CURE and will change your life!! Take out what your body can't digest and you will be back to normal!!!

I would like to help as many ppl as possible who have had this horrible disease -I have this horrible disease for 3-4 years.... And I have now finally overcome it and am now living a "normal" life once again!!!

This MESSAGE needs to BE SPREAD to ALL HS SUFFERERS!!!

I can not say it enough times on here - it is the CURE and will change your life!! Take out what your body can't digest and you will be back to normal!!!

I would like to help as many ppl as possible who have had this horrible disease - - I have this horrible disease for 3-4 years.... And I have now finally overcome it and am now living a "normal" life once again!!!

This MESSAGE needs to BE SPREAD to ALL HS SUFFERERS!!!

I did some research of my own and discovered that dr's in Europe have been using Zinc Gluconate in clinical trials and found that most people had remission of symptoms that lasted! I decided to try it bc really what did I have to lose, right? I did everything the same as the trials, 100 mg of zinc gluconate/ day. I also decided to try diaper rash cream as a topical agent since it contains a lot of zinc. All the areas are almost gone! I have been doing this for 2 weeks are the results are amazing! I finally feel like I have found something that really works!!!!!!

I would say prior to this I had moderate HS and now it is almost gone, I hope this treatment works for all of you as it did for me :) I know how terrible thie condition is and the toll it can take on your life!

And for less that 15$, something that really worked for me!