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Based on description, could be hidradenitis suppurativa.
I have come across that term & sounds like it could be. Thank you. It says no cure, but just managing it the best you can & trying to stay away from foods that cause it, etc.
Finally able to see a dermatologist today & it's hidradenitis suppurativa as suspected in the last couple of posts.
I've had the latest & MOST severe flare-up for the past 2.5 mos now & I'm so tired of dealing w/ it! I haven't worn deodorant all this time so as not to irritate it. I haven't shaved in at least a few mos.
I've had to buy TONS of boxes of band-aids too because they ooze liquid & put warm towels on them...sorry for TMI.
I have noticed that when armpits gets used to NOT having deodorant, they don't really have a bad odor anymore.
It's been almost 3 mos & they're still not quite healed up.
I got a prescription for this Benzamycin Gel that needs to be mixed by the pharmacist upon pick-up.
I see the dermatologist again in 2 wks. Sigh!
Anyone have any tips, help, all-natural remedies, etc.?
Anyone have any tips, help, all-natural remedies, etc.?
It's kinda like acne of the armpit.
Avoid sticky, roll-on deodorants and the powdered ones- they plug up pores.
Don't shave. Just tell nosey people you've become European.
Just like teenagers with acne-- don't get obsessively concerned with bathing-- too much can irritate and make it worse.
Rather than an expensive antibiotic 'script for routine use, just get a soap with hexachlorophene. You can't sterilize the area anyway. Clean enough is good enough.
Thanks a lot guidoLaMoto! Do you OR anyone know the answer to this question below:
One armpit has developed a wound that a hole about a month ago. Will it ever heal & close up & how do I do that...what do I put on it? I'm worried about having to always be so careful & how the armpit always stays moist & is never completely dry & possible infection setting in.
I assumed from the title, lymph nodes and cysts were under the skin but you appear to have a more surface-of-the-skin problem. A diagnosis is half the solution, so watch your diet and I hope it will sort itself out.
I just watched the first episode of a new series on TLC. It's called "Save My Skin" and follows cases of a British dermatologist.
I thought of you as one of the patients has what you have. She showed her daily routine using various medications and dressings which weren't all that successful. Then she went to the dermatologist showcased on the show who put her on biologics. The improvement was amazing, a word I don't use lightly. As the doctor pointed out, the biologics aren't for everyone and have their fair share of side effects, but for those whose HS is non-responsive to more traditional treatments it can be a miracle.
See if you can watch the show - you're bound to learn a lot about your condition. The patient also had some sores that had been open for - literally - two or three years so you're not alone in that. Check with your doctor about the dressings that you'll see on the show. They're used for bed sores (they were used on my invalid mother with great success) and are a thin sheet which completely covers the wounds. I don't remember their name now but your doctor will know what I'm talking about.
Best of luck to you. I can only imagine the pain and discomfort you're experiencing. I hope you figure out a good management protocol soon.
Thanks a lot guidoLaMoto! Do you OR anyone know the answer to this question below:
One armpit has developed a wound that a hole about a month ago. Will it ever heal & close up & how do I do that...what do I put on it? I'm worried about having to always be so careful & how the armpit always stays moist & is never completely dry & possible infection setting in.
Do you mean it is a non-healing, open wound with "proud flesh" in the bottom (as if you had just freshly skinned your knee) or do you mean it was opened, but healed with a dent in the surface?
An open wounding in that area is a problem, not only because it stays moist, but also because it's an area that you're constantly moving and any healing is liable to be broken open again quickly.
For an open wound, fill it in with plain ol' petroleum jelly and cover it lightly with a gauze pad-- just to keep the jelly in and small animals out. Secure it lightly with one long stripe of tape running from the back of the shoulder , thru the arm pit and on to the front of the shoulder/chest area.
The jelly keeps the proud flesh moist and prevents a scab from forming (I know this works from repeated experiences of getting strawberries on my knees & hips from playing ball on The Field of Screams-- poorly kept, rocky amateur baseball fields.) Without a scab, the wound remains supple and doesn't crack.
Bathe by lightly splashing soapy & rinse water on the area. Dab dry or better, use a hair drier. You don't want to scrape off each day's new healing tissue. It should fill in at about 1 mm per day.
Taking a Zinc supplement may speed things along-- particularly in diabetics.
movinon, thank you! I looked up that show, which I had never heard of (but I have heard of & watched Dr. Pimple Popper). They're still repeating episodes on TV & fortunately, they're showing the entire episode online too on the TLC site. I'll definitely watch!
guidoLaMoto, thank you! Yes, it's a small open hole that has always stayed moist & oozes off & on since I had it for the last month now. Apparently, that's what could happen w/ this HS condition too because hollow tunnels right under the skin's surface can develop as my dermatologist said the other day. OK, I'll check out doing this, thanks.
Oh good! I'm so glad you found it. Yes, the patient shown has tunnels between the cysts/pustules. She also has it in numerous locations on her body, not just in the armpits. Her mother and grandmother have it too, so definitely a familial connection. Do any of your family members have it?
Here's the product I was talking about. It's available OTC. I'd forgotten that I still had a piece of it from an injury to my leg a couple of years ago. Great stuff. I got mine at a local medical supply store but Walmart has it too. It's called Tegaderm.
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