Hidradenitis Suppurativa Medication Options to Talk to Your Doctor About

Treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic skin condition that causes inflammation in the hair follicles, can involve a few different options.

“I like to think of it as starting at the top and working your way into the skin,” explains Erum Ilyas, MD, Dermatologist at Montgomery Dermatology in Pennsylvania. 

What are topical treatment options for HS?

In order to treat the painful, tender nodules that form under the skin, a dermatologist may prescribe you a topical treatment to reduce inflammation and pain. Some of these potential treatment options are topical antibiotics or topical anti-inflammatory medications.

Topical treatments can relieve uncomfortable symptoms like pain and inflammation on the surface of the skin, but they won’t prevent new nodules from forming under the skin. 

What are systemic treatments for treating HS?

For more severe cases of hidradenitis suppurativa, you may need to take systemic medication. These work throughout the whole body and may target the actual causes of HS. 

For example, oral antibiotics or retinoids can control inflammation and prevent pores from becoming clogged and progressing into formation of HS nodules.

If you have a hormonal condition such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), treating it may actually help your HS symptoms, too.

Finally, a dermatologist may also prescribe biologics to treat HS. These target the substances in the immune system that cause HS inflammation.

Ilyas explains that biologic treatments target different inflammatory markers in your cells. “You [may] see that swelling, inflammation, and pain gets under better control,” she says.

How do you choose an HS treatment?

In order to treat your HS, Ilyas says that it’s important to consider which aspect of the disease is bothering you the most. That way, your doctor can target your treatment plan to address that particular issue. 

While it may take time to find the right treatment, it will be worth it to stick with it until you find the plan that relieves your symptoms.