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There are numerous myths surrounding this chronic skin disorder. Our professionals will clear up any misunderstandings.

If you’re surprised by a hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) diagnosis, you’re not alone. At initially, this inflammatory skin disease causes painful lumps, or nodules, that resemble pimples, boils, or infected hair follicles. People regularly treat the conditions it resembles with little success. The truth is that HS is caused in part by an overreaction of the immune system to microorganisms that typically exist in and around hair follicles, resulting in nodules, gushing sores, and deep scars. HS is not a medical condition. “It’s amazing how many patients suffer for a long time and are unaware of their diagnosis,” says Dr. Adil, EliteAyurveda’s Lead Ayurveda Skin Specialist.

What Happens When You Have HS?

If you don’t have HS, someone you know does—the National Library of Medicine estimates that one in every 100 people has it. Hidradenitis suppurativa most commonly affects adults in their twenties or thirties and can deteriorate if left untreated. It usually affects body areas where skin comes into contact with skin, such as the armpits and groyne, and tends to reoccur in the same places. It may first appear to be severe acne or irritated hair follicles. Nodules can develop into abscesses, which fill with pus and become painful as the disease progresses, or chronic tunnelling wounds, which leak pus and form deep scars.

How Do Doctors Identify HS?

For hidradenitis suppurativa, there is no laboratory test. Your dermatologist will instead look for “draining wounds in natural folds in the body such as the armpits, groyne, around the anus, under the breasts, and beneath the abdomen,” according to Dr. Adil. If you have milder HS, you may only have one bothersome nodule. You may develop a cluster of pus-filled nodules as your hidradenitis suppurativa progresses. Because the appearance of HS can be disfiguring, the disorder has a stigma; as a result, there are many misconceptions about what HS is and how it develops.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa is not communicable.

Measles and chickenpox are two contagious illnesses that cause painful skin bumps. So it’s understandable that some people believe HS spreads through human interaction. HS, on the other hand, is completely transferable. While the exact cause of HS is unknown, genetics is thought to have a role, and there is no sure method to prevent it. It’s most likely connected to how the immune system interacts with hair follicles and the germs that dwell in and around them. You cannot contract HS by being near someone who has it or by coming into contact with their skin or other surfaces.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Sexual Transmission – A Myth

Some people mistakenly believe HS is a sexually transmitted infection since it usually develops in the groyne area, where skin against skin rubbing exacerbates symptoms. HS also gets a bad name since pus-filled sores are a hallmark feature of herpes, a contagious disorder shared through sexual activity. HS cannot be “caught,” even if you are in close proximity to a partner who has HS night after night. It is also not transmitted by contact with sperm or saliva. “Contact with bodily fluids will not cause transmission,” Dr Adil explains.

Myth: Isn’t Hidradenitis Suppurativa Just Bad Acne?

It’s easy to confuse HS with acne. Acne, on the other hand, arises in various sites than hidradenitis suppurativa, such as the armpits, groin, and buttocks, such as the face, neck, back, and chest. Furthermore, unlike most acne lesions, which heal in a month or two, HS lesions are more likely to develop into chronic tunnels that drain continuously or repeatedly for months. People avoid therapy because they associate HS with acne and other skin conditions. “Many patients have had boils, cysts, and nodules on common areas of the body for many years and have not considered it being HS,” Dr. Adil says.

Myth: Poor hygiene causes HS.

And now for one of the most popular myths: Many individuals believe that HS is caused by inadequate hygiene, especially as it advances and foul-smelling pus flows from burst abscesses. HS is caused by an overactive immune system and has little to do with hygiene, however heredity may play a role. Obesity and smoking are two other risk factors for HS, however the exact relationship is unknown. Meanwhile, forgetting to bathe and cleanse your face frequently or properly isn’t a concern. “It’s a common misconception that not being clean causes HS,” adds Dr. Adil.

Myth: Hidradenitis Suppurativa Affects Only Women

This is incorrect: According to the Academy of Dermatology, women are not the only ones who acquire HS, albeit they are nearly three times more likely than men. Women are also diagnosed at an earlier age than men, for unknown reasons. Race is also a consideration. Those who are Black or mixed are far more likely to have HS, according to the HS Foundation. Gynecologists occasionally diagnose and treat HS since they are trained to look for it during annual exams, but this is not simply a female disease.

Myth: You Can’t Treat HS

This misunderstanding likely arose as a result of many people mistaking HS for other skin issues and trying the wrong things to make it go away, then concluding incorrectly that it can’t be treated when nothing works. It is possible to eliminate or change the bacteria that cause an overactive immune response, as well as reduce inflammation, pain from nodules, remove damaged tissue, and lessen the frequency and intensity of flares. One of the most common misconceptions concerning HS is that “there isn’t much that can be done about it,” according to Dr Adil, Lead Ayurveda Skin Specialist, EliteAyurveda.

“We’re at a point in time where we have more treatment options than ever to treat the disease,” says Dr. Adil, “and the earlier we can diagnose people, the better off they’ll be.”

Ayurveda provides a root cause treatment for HS, and many long-term sufferers are no longer experiencing relapses or recurrences.

Fact: You Can Get Help

It’s easy to become discouraged, especially if you’ve tried and failed numerous times to improve your symptoms before realizing you have HS. “It is a disease that has an incredible burden on patients’ overall quality of life, including daily activities like walking, wearing sleeveless clothes, sexual activity, and sports,” Dr. Adil adds. However, there are several things you may do to improve and reduce the frequency of your symptoms. Seeing a specialist as soon as possible is critical, as treatment is most successful before HS worsens and becomes more severe, according to Dr Adil, Lead Ayurveda Skin Specialist, EliteAyurveda. Most essential, do not struggle alone.

 Our Outlook –

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.

In Ayurveda, hidradenitis suppurativa Treatment is to restore the body’s natural equilibrium by detoxifying it with potent herbal therapies. 

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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