Multiple Abscesses Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)
Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is an under recognised medical condition when people get more than one or two abscesses or puss producing lumps under their armpits, under the breast or groin this condition is usually misdiagnosed and patients are sent to A&E for incision and drainage when in reality this is a medical condition that in moles the special sweat glands called apocrine sweat glands in these special areas where the bodies white cells interact with them in an unwanted manner causing multiple usually sterile abscesses, they can get secondarily infected hence all the time antibiotics are given doesn’t work effectively only if they get secondarily infected the antibiotics can help.
Treatments are usually medical involving long term anti-inflammatory anti biotic therapies failing which moving on to systemic treatments such as immunosuppressants or biological therapies. Once being under medical therapies these patients can have laser treatments to improve the outlook of the areas, weight and smoking are two modifiable risk factors in this condition, very rarely it can be associated with other folliculitis disorders involving the scalp and acne light crashes of the body. We offer intralesional steroid injections for painful absesses in this condition which gives immediate relief from the pain and shrinks them within days.
