It can be the problem but thighs rubbing together is not always caused by weight. Some people are just built that way, while others have too much muscle. So, if losing weight does not work you will need to find a remedy to keep from having pain. One thing I found that is my favorite is Bandelettes. They work great for men and women, they have unisex pairs. Plus, they also help to keep bandages in place should you get chafing.
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Hi! I've read this thread for months , and I just thought I'd add my two cents in here. I don't have diagnosed hidradentitis suppurativa, but I have struggled with acne on my inner thighs since middle school (I'm 23 now). I've found the combo that works for me is the following:
1. Weight loss: some zits, boils, whatever still exist but they are more contained. Also exercise and a good diet are key for any skincare regime (plus you just feel better). I'm not saying cut out gluten, dairy, sugar, or
meat (because I love all 4 of those things) but just make smarter choices. I notice a huge difference in my skin when I exercise and load up on fruits and veggies VS when I watch Netflix and eat Chinese food.
2. I start my regime off with neutrogena's body clear body wash. It's the one that's 2% Salic acid and has the freaky orange color. I use it outside the shower!!! This is key because when it's in the stream of water it all just gets washed off before it can work. I usually sit on the edge of the tub, and then use my scrub brush to get the lather in better. Weirdly specific but I've found that a good white lather is the key to making that stuff work.
2. TCA or gyloicic (sp) peels. I've been really into one by philosophy but I've tried others on and off for a while. They really help to smooth out the skin around the area. The philosophy one I'm using is a two part peel. I always use it immediately after the neutrogena wash. This is because I want my skin to be as clean as possible for the peel to really get in there and kick ass.
3. Acne spot treatment. I always choose one that's OTC and the strongest I can find. I'm currently using an off brand one from target. If I can catch the spot in time, this usually keeps it contained to a small annoying dot rather than a massive crater.
4. Pulling salve. I use this as a last resort. I prick the boil or cyst with a sterilized needle (don't just pick up any old sewing needle, make sure to clean it first). Then I apply the pulling salve, and cover with a bandage overnight. It helps drastically reduce the size of the whatever. My personal favorite brand is prids (it's on Amazon).
5. Vitamin E for scars. This is an awesome alternative to lasers and grafts. It's not a miracle but putting some vitamin e oil on my acne scars has really helped lighten them
up.
I've also found that tanning and using anti chafe stuff helps. I'm assuming the sun/tanning bed dries out the acne. The chafing stuff keeps existing acne from being further exacerbated.
I've also noticed several people mention having keratosis pilaris, which I also have. I am OBSESSED with the line of products from dermadoctor (sold online and at Sephora). Their products are made specifically for people with KP!
Also for all the teenagers who are worried you'll never get a boyfriend because of this, try to be calm. I've had plenty of boyfriends and it's never been a problem. If a guy is that freaked out by a couple of zits (FYI: I guarantee he has, at some point, had zits on his back, chest, face, or ass) then you need to kick his sorry ass to the curb!!! :)
Hi ladies I thought I really was the only one with this problem, I am 29 and I have had this problem once I got pregnant with my son at 22. I have been so embarrassed and ashamed of it ever since l. I have been with my husband for 9 years and to this day I will not let him see me in the light (if know what I mean)... I can't even wear a bikini are shorts at times because of it.so if anyone know a solution to this please let me know, let us all know.....
Atleast not for me. I am 62 yrs. old and still suffer just as much as I did 30 yrs. ago.I feel for everyone that has this and you do feel and wonder if you are the only one. I haven't found too much of a remedy but wish everyone else good luck.I have done so much to relieve my condition I wouldn't know where to start.Nothing seems to help. I just learn to live with it.
I've just stumbled across this thread - and I can see it's been going for ages. It just shows how common the condition is and how desperate people feel for a cure. I've had Hidradentis since I was about 11 or 12 years old, although it wasn't diagnosed until I was about 33!! I'd like to share my experience - it's long so bear with me!
I've had terrible problems - and over 30 surgeries for abscesses since the age of 15. I've been in hospital over 25 times in the last 16 years. I also have a condition called Crohn's disease (an Inflammatory Bowel Condition affecting the digestive system - believed to be an autoimmune disease). I used to get abscesses with this too. The bowel would fistulate and burrow through my body to the outside causing huge, agonising abscesses. For a long time, I think doctors put these abscesses down to the Crohn's disease. That's why it took so long for a HS diagnosis and treatment.
Once I got diagnosed with HS, because I was so poorly with Crohn's and with serious recurring abscesses, I fortunately got to see some very brilliant doctors. A general doctor or even a general Dermatologist isn't going to give you the best advice when it comes to HS. I've had some wonderful doctors and surgeons who said it was caused by sweat glands, hair follicles, being overweight, infections and so on and so on. Even when I searched on-line I found the same repeated stuff. It was only when I got to see a specialist Dermatologist that dealt with diseases which as a consequence caused a skin issue, rather than just dealth with skin issues - that I even got anywhere with helpful treatment. (I'm from the UK this was free through the NHS, but I don't know how it would work in the States)
Let me tell you, it is nothing you are eating. I know this, because for 4 years I couldn't eat because of Crohn's. I had pre-prepared elemental drinks, then laterly I was on IVs and fed through a tube - I still got abscesses. I was starving to death and lost over 5 stones in weight (over 70 pounds) - nothing was chaffing, I was a bag of bones and still got abscesses! I've got fat as a pig from immobility and medications - still got abscesses! I've been fat and thin; I've been hairy and hairless; I've been active and sporty to housebound and immobile: I've washed everyday with anti-bacterials or only everyother with a mild wash; I've had long soaks in the bath to bed baths! I've tried everything and then some. D'ya know what - I still got abscesses! I hate them, they are so painful and they have left me hideously scarred.
I'm now 42 and I still get occasional recurring abscesses (I have one now) but since getting treatment I don't get the horrendous amount or the size that I used to or with the same rigorous persistency that I used to get them. The truth is, no one knows what causes HS - as a result, no one knows how to effectively treat it. It may me one condition, or it may be a collection of conditions that look the same. I've had my abscesses swabbed in surgery everytime - the results state 'sterile', ie. there is no infection in them at all. But I'm on a combination of treatments that have really helped me, but how they've helped is quite complicated and involved several different Specialist Consultants and 2 hospitals.
My dermatologist treats the HS with a combined 10 week course of Clindamycin and Rifampicin. Although very strong antibiotics, I am not taking them for their antibiotic effect. They work as an Anti-Inflammatory and this is their purpose for me. I take them for 10 weeks, 3 to 4 times a year. They give me terrible runs and upset tummy for the first 3 weeks and I confess I feel quite rotten, but it does pass and gets easier each course I take. They do something that I can't quite describe. It's like they make my skin so soft and less greasy (even though my skin isn't greasy!) It dries it up without drying it out! - in effect, reduces the inflammation! It helps my arthritis pain due to Crohn's too.
Secondly, I'm on a low dose of an immunosuppressant drug called Azathioprine. I take this for my Crohn's disease, however, it has a knock on effect by reducing the quantity of abscesses.
Thirdly, I have PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome). There is a theory that HS is caused or exacerbated because this condition causes excess androgen hormones in women and/or an over-sensitivity to androgen hormones which results in abscesses. So, I take Metformin twice a day (this is a Diabetes 2 medication ordinarily but I'm taking it as an anti-androgen).
All in all - I see my Consultant Gastroenterologist, Consultant Dermatologist, Consultant Endocrinologist and my Surgeon. Having been consistently in and out of hospital for over a decade - I'm now in my 2nd year of never having been a patient or had surgery for almost 22 months! This is a huge achievement considering the severity of my condition.
It is still important to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet - what you eat, does impact your skin (it doesn't cause HS) but healthy body and skin will help you cope! Of course, keeping weight down is important for a host of health reasons too. If nothing else, it makes you feel better about yourself when HS can otherwise really get you down. And of course - please have a bath or shower - otherwise you'll stink!! Exfoliation helps, because if you have inflammation it's easy for a hair to ingrow, but this isn't the cause of the HS - it's a symptom of it! But go easy!
The overall biggest help to me and my HS has been the Clindamycin and Rifampicin courses I take throughout the year. If your doctor hasn't suggested this yet, perhaps get a second opinion or ask for the treatment. It is a common and medically agreed upon active mode of therapy and has been for several years now. You should at least try it. Whatever, a doctor or anyone might imply - this is not your fault, you are not doing anything wrong (no matter what weight you are or if you eat cake!), you aren't somehow causing this. Don't wrap yourself up in what you should or shouldn't be doing and thinking if you just try hard enough or get clean enough you'll fix this! I know it's really tough, but do get or keep healthy - simply because you should, it's better for you. Keep clean - because you should, don't be stinky! But don't think this is what will fix your HS - that route madness lies! Seek the best treatment you can (I hope this helps), and let's hope they come up with a cause and treatment soon. Best wishes everyone, I know it can really suck - but I hope my experience gives you a little help.
I'll try some of the things many have mentioned here, so thank you all!