Have you ever heard of Hidradenitis Suppurativa?

I went to the dermatologist because I had an abscess on my leg and it wasn't the first time I had one. I asked her what could be causing it and she said, "You have Hidradenitis Suppurativa" I had never heard of it before and I did a little research on it and I don't think she's right. If I do have it, it's a mild case. How can she even glance and me and know what it is? Is there a test you can take or just something they look at and diagnose?

H.S. is usually hard to diagnose and many doctors misdiagnose it. I went through three doctors and a surgery before I was diagnosed. It's classified as a rare disease because of the lack of reported cases and doctors misdiagnosing it. Basically, to put it in simpler terms, it's a condition that affects your endocrine glands, i.e. anywhere you sweat. Your skin produces small holes (if you do have H.S., these holes should be visible which may have been how the doctor diagnosed it just by looking), the holes can look like little dents. The holes act like a wound allowing bacteria to enter into your body. The bacteria then causes an infection which leads to the abscess that you speak of. It can be very painful.

It's also known as a progressive disease which means that as you get older it supposedly gets worse. It shows up in three main areas on most people, the groin (it's pretty common), the chest (around or under the breast), and the underarm is another common area. You can get it in other areas even if you just have it in one at first. The good news, if you can call it that, is that you should expect it to reverse itself around menopause.

However, there are some things that you can do about it and some tings to look out for in the meantime. And its certainly not the end of the world. Many doctors reccommend losing weight if you have any to lose and I've had doctors prescribe me painkillers and antibiotics to take when I feel an occurence. I dont reccommend taking either one. I never took them simply because I don't want my body to build an immunity to the antibiotics and the painkillers can be addictive. I did lose some weight which helped. Also DO NOT LET ANYONE SURGICALLY REMOVE ANY OF THE AFFECTED AREA. It doesn't help because H.S. is a genetic condition (not even really a disease) and it will reoccur even after surgery. All that surgery does is leave you with scars and can create more of an infection problem for you. Make sure to be proactive. Avoid stress, that's probably the most important thing. I always got mine when I was stressed out, or under alot of pressure. The more stressed I was, the bigger and more painful my H.S. It usually felt like soemone had a hot needle and was slowly moving it through my chest with varying pressure. Not fun! But the condition can also be very mild and hardly bother you at all. I get alot of that now. Another thing to do is to keep potential areas clean and dry. When I go workout or when I know I'm going to be sweating, I have a little trick. I put antibacterial soap on the area to try to kill some of potentially harmful bacteria caused by my sweating. IT WORKS! Asprin is good to take as well because it's an anti-inflammatory and pain killer. Overall good health is essential as well, build up your immune system with the right foods and vitamins, help your body fight.

Hope this helps and just know that its a misunderstood condition and its hard to explain and there aren't very many people who will understand the extent of it but just be sure to take care of your own health and be proactive about avoiding occurences.

It does not appear to be Hidradenitis Suppurativa, which is a
chronic suppurative and scarring disorder of the Apocrine gland-
bearing skin areas, chiefly the axilla and anogenital area.
You should consult another Dermatologist. Check for Diabetes.

Is it "higher" or lower on your leg? I know hidradenitis can be on the thigh and higher into the groin, but never heard of it being any lower.

There is a range of severeness. Some people have it easy with mild, infrequent cases and some have it all the time. The only test I'm aware of is for the doctor to test the bacteria by taking a scraping. It won't specifically say its hidradenitis but it can help identify the bacteria. If possible, see an infectious disease specialist (your doc can refer you). They should be able to definitively tell you, so you only have the one spot.