Hidradenitis Suppurativa

700 Words2 Pages

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic skin condition that features lumps under the skin that range from pea-sized to marble sized. This condition is also known as acne inversa. Hidradenitis Suppurativa is NOT contagious. This condition usually occurs where skin rubs together such as between the buttocks, under the breasts, the armpits and the groin. Most of these lumps tend to be very painful and when they break open they often produce malodorous pus.
Though Hidradenitis Suppurativa occurs in the glandular areas of the body, it doesn’t have anything to do with the glands. HS develops when hair follicles become blocked and swollen. The direct cause of this blockage is idiopathic but many factors may play a key role, such as, obesity, smoking, hormones and genetics. For reasons unknown women are more likely to inherit or acquire this condition, but that doesn’t mean men can’t develop this issue as well. Most cases tend to develop after puberty occurs, usually in a person’s teens or twenties, though children can develop this condition as well.
These recurrent nodules and abscesses not only cause pain, but self-consciousness, social isolation and even depression. Other less common complications include severe infections, restricted movement caused by a buildup of fibrosis and a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.
Unfortunately there is no cure for HS, only treatments. Although, some cases of Hidradenitis Suppurativa may disappear over a period of time. Antibiotics are the most common form of treatment, it comes in two forms, a pill you can swallow or an ointment applied to the affected area. A combination of the two is probably more successful. Corticosteroid injections to this area are also used to help reduce...

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• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. "Hidradenitis Suppurativa: MedlinePlus." Nlm.nih.gov/. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. .
• Genetics Home Reference Staff. "Hidradenitis Suppurativa." Ghr.nlm.nih.gov/. N.p., n.d. Web. .
• HS Institute. "HS Institute." What Is Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)? Hidradenitis Suppurativa Institute, n.d. Web. .
• Habif, Thomas P. "Hidradenitis Suppurativa." Skin Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia: Elsevier Mosby, 2005. 102-03. Print.
• Barone, Eugene J., Judson C. Jones, and Joann E. Schaefer. "Hidradenitis Suppurativa." Skin Disorders. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000. 21-25. Print.

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