If you have hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), you will experience flare-ups from time to time. We won’t sugarcoat it: there are many ways to gain greater control of your HS, but it can be tenacious and persistent at times. Even if the condition improves, scars may form as a result. HS can also leave emotional scars, ranging from despair to a lack of self-confidence, according to research. Check out these expert techniques to avoid, minimize, and correct your HS scars.
Understand the Origins of HS Scars
Scars can form whenever there is skin damage. HS lesions, ironically, aren’t actually injuries, at least not in the sense we normally think of them. There is no outside force producing the damage. “The intense inflammatory environment that leads to the acne- or boil-like papules and nodules causes significant injury to the skin,” explains Dr Adil Moulanchikkal, Lead Ayurveda Specialist at EliteAyurveda Clinics. And the irritation does not go away once the lesion has been opened and drained. This makes healing difficult, resulting in distinct scars.
Determine Your Type
According to Dr Adil Moulanchikkal, Lead Ayurveda Specialist at EliteAyurveda Clinics., HS scars can vary in appearance from person to person, and the type you’ll receive often depends on how moderate or severe your disease is. He describes them as hyperpigmented (black in colour), hypopigmented (lighter), atrophic (indented), hypertrophic (thick and elevated), erythematous (pink or red), or tract-like. Scar tissue grows around the tracts (pus-filled tunnels under the skin) in the latter, causing the skin at the surface to retract and bunch.
Get a Glimpse of Your HS
Controlling the inflammation that caused HS in the first place is critical for preventing scarring. “We need to catch these patients early and reduce chronic inflammation to prevent deforming, disabling, and sometimes movement-restricting scars,” Dr. Adil explains. Some people may not receive a diagnosis for up to a decade. “Unacceptable,” he declares. HS therapies include antibacterial cleansers, oral or injectable drugs, and even lifestyle changes like exercise, diet adjustments, and stopping smoking. Laser hair removal, as opposed to shaving, waxing, and plucking, can also help reduce HS-triggering inflammation.
Give Existing Scars a Rub
When a scar has already formed, a gentle massage using an ointment such as petroleum jelly to reduce friction on the skin—read on for treatments that can erase scars—can minimize the look and height of elevated scars, according to Dr. Adil. Apply circular motions to the scar for no more than five minutes twice a day. If your scar is still healing or scabbed over, avoid direct touch. (You can massage around the wound and then directly on it once it’s fully grown). Massage therapy, according to specialists, is especially beneficial during the first two years of scar formation.
Dress Properly
Hypertrophic scars, which are thick and elevated, are more than just visible skin marks. They can be irritating and even painful, like pins and needles. “Compression therapy silicone-based gels or sheets have been shown to decrease scar size, volume, pain, itching, and redness,” Dr. Adil explains. It’s a combination of applying pressure to the scar and limiting moisture loss, which changes the signals that activate inflammation. You can also apply pressure while keeping the scar moist with hydrophilic foam or alginate dressings.
Lighten up.
Topical therapies containing lightening and brightening chemicals may decrease the colour of dark, pigmented HS scars, making the scars less apparent. Use of ayurvedic herbs for skin whitening like licorice helps. Continued use of this herb helps immensely in getting rid of blemishes, reduces dark spots, and also offers protection against UV rays. Mix it with cucumber and turmeric, and you are good to go. Please keep in mind that these are not quick remedies. With constant use, you may see effects after three months.
Microneedling Retexture
Although the in-office treatment has not been tested particularly for HS, it has been found to aid improve scar appearance. According to Dr. Adil a roller device with fine needles causes microscopic punctures in the skin, stimulating new collagen formation. You might even be able to attempt it at home with a microneedling roller. “They’re low-tech and inexpensive, and studies do show that they may help scars fade over time,” he says. “They wouldn’t help with deeper tunnel scars, but they might help with flatter scars.”
Our Outlook –
Scar formation and HS disease stage progression can be completely avoided and treated with Ayurveda Root cause treatments. In Ayurveda, hidradenitis suppurativa Treatment is to restore the body’s natural equilibrium by detoxifying it with potent herbal therapies.
According to Ayurveda, hidradenitis suppurativa is a cause of Kapha and Pitta dosha. When the digestive fire (Agni), or Pitta, is out of balance, the Kapha Dosha becomes vitiated, which slows down metabolism. Due to the disruption of fat molecules, they start to build up in muscles and impede bodily passageways, causing painful, swollen sores in the groin, buttocks, thighs, and armpits.
The treatment for Hidradenitis Suppurativa at Elite Ayurveda comprises balancing the Kapha and Pitta doshas, as well as providing harmony to the metabolism. The treatment comprises body detoxification, internal drugs to balance doshas, and external applications to heal scars.
The treatment involves combinations of herbs created based on individual Prakruti and Vikruti analysis. Visit our website to know more
Connect with us to get our patient testimonials and also to speak with our patients directly about their experience in getting their disease treated by us and by Ayurveda as a whole.
Medically reviewed by Dr Adil Moulanchikkal, Lead Ayurveda Specialist at EliteAyurveda Clinics. With over 15 years of experience in treating Neurological, Skin & Autoimmune Diseases.
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