Hydrosadenitis Suppurativa corresponds to the inflammation of the sweat glands, which are the sweat-producing glands, leading to the appearance of small sores or inflamed lumps in the armpit, groin, anus and buttocks, for example, which are regions of the body that are normally stuffy and produce a lot of sweat.
Thus, people who have this disease may think they have boils, but the characteristics of these diseases are different, because in hydrosadenitis the nodules leave scars on the skin, which does not happen with boils. Learn how to identify and treat boils.
Main symptoms
The first symptoms that may indicate hydrosadenitis are:
- Small regions of the skin that are swollen, hard, sore, inflamed and reddish; There may be itching, burning and excessive sweating; Over time, the skin may turn bluish or purplish due to lack of blood.
The nodules caused by the disease can spontaneously shrink or burst, releasing pus before the skin heals. In some people after a few weeks or months the nodules come back, usually in the same affected area as before. In cases where several nodules appear or when they are constant and take a long time to heal, the wounds can enlarge and form abscesses or ulcers, being more difficult to treat, requiring surgery.
The diagnosis of suppurative hydrosadenitis is made through the symptoms presented and the characteristics of the skin wounds and the patient's history, making it ideal to seek a general practitioner or a dermatologist to identify the problem early on and begin appropriate treatment.
Most affected regions
The regions of the body most affected by hydrosadenitis suppurativa are the groin, the perineum, the anus, the buttocks and the armpits, but this disease can also appear in the areolas of the sinuses and close to the navel. Know other causes of underarm lump.
This disease usually appears in young women and can be caused by genetic changes, weakness in the immune system, lifestyle habits, such as smoking, for example or obesity. Poor hygiene, such as staying 1 week without bathing, for example, can favor the occurrence of the disease, since it is likely that the sweat glands will become blocked, resulting in inflammation. However, suppurative hydrosadenitis due to hygiene habits is not very frequent.
How the treatment is done
Suppurative hydrosadenitis has no definitive cure, but during the early stages of the disease, treatment is highly successful in controlling symptoms, and is usually done with the use of antibiotic creams and steroid injections in the affected area.
In more advanced stages of the disease, the doctor may also prescribe antibiotics in the form of pills and drugs that control the production of hormones and prevent possible infections, especially in women.
In the most severe cases, it may be necessary to have surgery to remove the region of the skin with the defective glands and replace it with healthy skin grafts, curing the disease in that operated region. In addition, some general care must be taken during treatment in all cases, such as maintaining proper hygiene of the place, avoiding wearing tight clothing and applying wet compresses to the wounds.
