24 years
Récurrent hidradenitis suppurative.. treatment???
Aug 22, 2014
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Hidradenitis suppurativa, better known as acne inversa (inverse acne), is a disease of the hair follicles in areas of the skin that contain a particular subset of sweat glands, the apocrine sweat glands, mainly the armpits, the groin, and underneath the breasts in women. It can also involve the face (near the nose and cheekbones) and ears.
The disease starts by blockage of the hair follicles (so the hair shaft cannot grow out onto the skin surface) with resulting blockage of the sweat glands in the vicinity. Inflammation results with formation of boils (abscesses) underneath the skin. You get red swollen very painful points that will ultimately rupture with pus coming out. These heal and leave scars. They may also clump together and form bigger abscesses, or form tracts with an opening on the skin surface (draining sinuses).
The exact cause are not well understood. Genetics, male hormones (androgens), female gender (acne inversa is 3 times more common in females vs males) , obesity and smoking have been implicated.
Treatment depends on the degree and severity of the disease.
General measures include:
-Stopping smoking: can lead to improvement within several months.
-Follow a low-carb , low-dairy diet, and aim for ideal body weight.
-Wash with antiseptics or acne preparations to minimize skin bacteria. -Hydrogen peroxide solution and medical grade honey have been found helpful.
-Wear loose fitting clothing to minimize friction.
Medical management:
-Topical anti-acne antibiotics such as clindamycin or erythromycin in combination with benzoyl peroxide
-Short course of oral antibiotics for acute abscesses (red, hot painful discharging lump). Flucloxacillin or dicloxacillin are the most effective (unless you're allergic to penicillin)
-Prolonged courses of tetracycline or metronidazole (at least 3 months), fluoroquinolones and dapsone
-Three-month courses of clindamycin plus rifampicin may be the most effective medical treatment in severe cases.
-Metformin, usually used in treating type 2 diabetes, when taken long-term can reduce the number and severity of inflamed nodules
-Oral contraceptive pill (in women) for 12 months or more. Those containing the antiandrogenic progesterones drospirenone or cyproterone acetate are usually more effective.
-Spironolactone, a diuretic (makes you pass urine) with activity against androgens (the male hormones that induce hair formation) may also be helpful
-Oral retinoids (vitamin A derivatives) for 6 to 12 months, especially isotretinoin, which are very effective for acne, may also help hidradenitis suppurativa
-Acitretin is not used in females of childbearing potential, but may be more effective than isotretinoin and long term remissions have been reported
-Colchicine:said to help some patients
-Systemic corticosteroids or intralesional corticosteroids (injections directly into the nodules) may reduce severe inflammatory lesions
-Other immunomodulatory treatments, including ciclosporin, methotrexate and azathioprine, successfully induced healing in some patients with severe disease
-Biologics (affect the immune system response), reserved for severe cases, include infliximab, adalimumab, and etanercept, may prove useful.
Surgical management includes:
Incision and drainage of abscesses – at the very painful pointing stage
Scraping out nodules and abcesses
Excision of persistent hidradenitis lumps
Radical excisional surgery
Laser hair removal and surface tissue ablation
The disease starts by blockage of the hair follicles (so the hair shaft cannot grow out onto the skin surface) with resulting blockage of the sweat glands in the vicinity. Inflammation results with formation of boils (abscesses) underneath the skin. You get red swollen very painful points that will ultimately rupture with pus coming out. These heal and leave scars. They may also clump together and form bigger abscesses, or form tracts with an opening on the skin surface (draining sinuses).
The exact cause are not well understood. Genetics, male hormones (androgens), female gender (acne inversa is 3 times more common in females vs males) , obesity and smoking have been implicated.
General measures include:
-Stopping smoking: can lead to improvement within several months.
-Follow a low-carb , low-dairy diet, and aim for ideal body weight.
-Wash with antiseptics or acne preparations to minimize skin bacteria. -Hydrogen peroxide solution and medical grade honey have been found helpful.
-Wear loose fitting clothing to minimize friction.
Medical management:
-Topical anti-acne antibiotics such as clindamycin or erythromycin in combination with benzoyl peroxide
-Short course of oral antibiotics for acute abscesses (red, hot painful discharging lump). Flucloxacillin or dicloxacillin are the most effective (unless you're allergic to penicillin)
-Prolonged courses of tetracycline or metronidazole (at least 3 months), fluoroquinolones and dapsone
-Three-month courses of clindamycin plus rifampicin may be the most effective medical treatment in severe cases.
-Metformin, usually used in treating type 2 diabetes, when taken long-term can reduce the number and severity of inflamed nodules
-Oral contraceptive pill (in women) for 12 months or more. Those containing the antiandrogenic progesterones drospirenone or cyproterone acetate are usually more effective.
-Spironolactone, a diuretic (makes you pass urine) with activity against androgens (the male hormones that induce hair formation) may also be helpful
-Oral retinoids (vitamin A derivatives) for 6 to 12 months, especially isotretinoin, which are very effective for acne, may also help hidradenitis suppurativa
-Acitretin is not used in females of childbearing potential, but may be more effective than isotretinoin and long term remissions have been reported
-Colchicine:said to help some patients
-Systemic corticosteroids or intralesional corticosteroids (injections directly into the nodules) may reduce severe inflammatory lesions
-Other immunomodulatory treatments, including ciclosporin, methotrexate and azathioprine, successfully induced healing in some patients with severe disease
-Biologics (affect the immune system response), reserved for severe cases, include infliximab, adalimumab, and etanercept, may prove useful.
Surgical management includes:
Incision and drainage of abscesses – at the very painful pointing stage
Scraping out nodules and abcesses
Excision of persistent hidradenitis lumps
Radical excisional surgery
Laser hair removal and surface tissue ablation
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