Top Remedies for Hidradenitis Suppurativa

I have several auto-immune conditions, one of which is Hidradenitis Suppurativa. I manage all of them by monitoring my diet. Over the years I have found several things to ease the HS but by far the best was just avoiding nightshades and other trigger foods. I found citric acid to be especially problematic. It was no fun avoiding my favorite foods like mashed potatoes or tomatoes, but I did so in order to achieve clear skin. Then one day I came across an old book called, "The Ultimate Healing System" where the author mentioned something I hadn't heard before. The author stated that if someone has a "sensitivity" to a food, there is usually an antidote for it, which is typically a deficiency. Meaning, that the "sensitivity" would be reversed if one corrects the deficiency. So I began to focus instead on making sure I was consuming all vitamins my body needed. I am unable to take anything, not even supplements, on a daily basis otherwise my body tends to become sensitive to that item.

So I started with taking a B complex supplement that contained about 100 mcg of B12, every other day (making sure to take only supplements with limited amounts of "extra" ingredients). I saw some improvements in my overall autoimmune symptoms. But when I went to get my B12 levels checked with my doctor, they were found to still be in the 400s range, which is not optimal at all. He recommended I take a higher B12 dose.

So I purchased a B12 supplement that contained 2,000 mcg per capsule. I began take 3 capsules per week (one on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). I continued with my regular B complex on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. A couple weeks after beginning this regimen with the added higher B12, I noticed I was no longer breaking out at all. I tested this by going for Mexican food and had enchiladas drenched with tomato sauce. No reaction. A few days later I ate mashed potatoes. Again no reaction. Since then I have eaten nightshades so many times with no reaction! The HS was gone!

I decided to stop the B12 for a week to see what would happen when I ate nightshades. The breakouts returned. I started the B12 again, and my skin cleared pretty quickly. I googled to see if there was a connection between B12 and HS and I did find one small study where someone's HS was cleared with higher doses of B12.

Anyway, I wanted to share this to hopefully help someone. Raise your B12 levels and other vitamins and minerals to optimal levels and you will see a marked improvement in your symptoms.

I was doing research on this site for autoimmune disease and mycoplasma treatment and decided to try borax protocol. I took 1/4 TSP borax dissolved in one liter distilled water for 5 days a week for months. I never got a new HS boil after taking the first drink the first day! It took me about six weeks to heal the ones I already had, but it's been 18 months with no more boils, not a single one. I still drink maintenance dose of borax, but only because I feel all around better when I do. Good luck!

DMSO for HS.

I have tried every remedy on earth clinic and many that aren't listed. Sometimes I got a bit of symptomatic relief. I still wash with antibacterial soaps and use fresh lime juice as my deodorant. My HS effects my underarms and groin area. Even when there is no active infected boils the lumps remain.

Last week I started applying a topical solution of 70% DMSO and 30% pure organic aloe vera gel. I bought the items and mix them myself in a small glass beaker after my bath. I apply every other day. The difference is like night and day. The long lumps under my skin are gone. There is one slight one left under one arm but it is reduced 90% and I expect it to completely resolve within a few days. The only dietary changes I have ever made is to cut out hot sauces and cayenne of any kind.

The DMSO was the CURE. I had to post...for those of you who have given up on being rid of this horrible ailment there is hope!

I was just diagnosed with HS this year after dealing with what I thought were ingrown hairs in the groin area for over 12 years and I'm only 26 and healthy otherwise. My Dr. prescribed me antibiotics but when I lost my job and health insurance I couldn't afford the medicine. I didn't want to be on meds for the rest of my life & my body responds much better to NATURAL Remedies. Around that time, I also had persistent dandruff, the dermatologist prescribed me a medicated oil treatment that did absolutely nothing to help.

I purchased some TEA TREE OIL from WALMART for about $4.00 to mix with my shampoo to treat the dandruff. After reading a few posts on here, I used it on a particularly large, painful sore that would NOT open or drain after weeks.

I saw results WITHIN HOURS. No exaggeration, within HOURS the "cyst" had gone down in size noticably. By the second day, it had shrunk nearly 1/2 of its original size and pain was nearly 80% gone. I'm on my third day and I can't even feel it. I had no drainage, no pain and it is nearly gone. All I did was saturate the tip of a cotton swab (the kind you clean your ears with) with Tea Tree Oil and rub it gently onto the area. I covered the surrounding area for good measure. I did it twice per day and the results are amazing!

I read another post about the connection between HS and Yeast. At first I was really skeptical because my Dr. told me that the disorder is caused by inflammation of sweat glands which "traps" in bacteria which is naturally occuring in the body. Once it gets trapped, she explained, it festers and grows out of control and gets infected, causing these sores. But after seeing how well the Tea Tree Oil worked, I'm wondering if that "bacteria" she mentioned was a generalization and could include the naturally occuring yeast on/in? our skin? Tea Tree Oil, aside from moisturizing is an Anti-Fungal. It is helping with my dandruff, and it worked miracles on my HS sores. So, I wonder if there is not a connection.

I also saw some people treating it with a popular homeopathic yeast infection treatment. I used that same kind for a long time but never thought to monitor the sores with its use. I may start that up and see if it helps.

With all of this information, it makes sense that certain foods, stress and illness could cause a flare up of HS. It could be that those foods, situations, etc are causing inflammation which is trapping the naturally occurring bacteria in our bodies and BAM! Sores all over the place.

I posted about this originally in 2013 and as its now 2022 I wanted to add that I have followed my own advice to take omega-3 oils (specifically flax seed oil) every time a boil has tried to build and it always resolves quickly. It has worked consistently for me and as long as I make sure to take flax seed oil capsules regularly I stay boil free. (I was diagnosed with hydradenitia suppurativa.)

I have posted previously on this topic and I have been suffering from HS for 12 years. It has increasingly gotten worse as I have gotten older. It go to the point where I had two spots on my inner thighs that were almost constantly absessed. It was so painful and really got in the way of my normal life activities.

I have tried almost every remedy on this site with little results, aside from tumeric, which really only slowed the rapid growth of the massive infections.

I hit my limit one day and went to a natural foods store with a very long list of things I was going to try from this site. I ended up speaking to the owner of the store who asked what I was dealing with. I reluctantly told him, because as you know, it is very embarassing. He immediately said it sounded like a Ph issue and recommended organic sulfur (MSM).

I started taking 1 tsp in water morning and night. I felt the pain had started to go away the first night. By the third day I could lightly pinch the absess, which was quite large, with almost no pain. I would have been excruciating before. By the end of the week it was shrinking and COMPLETELY gone by two weeks. It is nothing short of amazing. I can have a normal life again.

It has been almost a year and I have had only one issue, only because I quit taking it regularly. I felt a little Pain on my inner thigh and felt a hard lump under the skin about the size of a pencil eraser. I didn't immediately panic and get upset. I started taking the organic sulfur again and in two days I can't feel it anymore.

It was very expensive in the store, but I found 4xs the amount on Amazon for half the price. My finace and I have been taking it regularly, for the most part and have seen our allergy symptoms dramatically decrease, he has started regrowing hair, and reduce sinus infections.

It is recommended to buy the powder, not capsules, because anticaking agents inhibit its results. Don't eat or drink anything for about 10 minutes after and don't mix it with anything but water. It is kind of bitter and doesn't taste very good. I noticed it tastes much better if I mix it in hot or very warm water and it disolves right away.

Please try it and let everyone know how it works for you. I went to the doctor many times over the years and NOTHING helped. I have had many absesses lanced and packed and it is awful. I didn't want to post to early as not to raise anyone's hopes. But I am more than sure now.

Hey everyone! I'm 23 years old and had sufferend from HS from the age of 16 - 22. I tried turmeric, tea tree oil, anitbiotics, surgery, antibacterial soap, natural deodorant, no deodorant, no shaving, creams, accutane, birth control... none of it worked.

What finally worked for me was Baking Soda. Just plain old, straight up, arm and hammer baking soda. After I shave, I just pour some into my hands and rub it on my underarms and inner thighs. I haven't had a flare up for a good 6 months and I'm happier than ever. I know this solution may not work for others, but everyone's body is different, and it's possible this may help someone. I understand the shame and the pain involved with this disease, but I want to encourage you all that there is a solution. As I said before, everyone's body is different, so each of us need different solutions. Here was mine. Hope it helps someone.

With Hope, Shanay

I have this issue in my groin, around my vaginal area. Here are a few remedies that worked for me:

Try to get rid of as much hair as possible in the area of your frequent breakouts. I use a hair removal lotion around my bikini area (don't get any of this on the bumps! ) that seems to work well and not cause further irritation. Shaving is the worse-I usually got a bump afterwards. I've never waxed my bikini area so can't comment on that. I've heard laser hair removal may work.

The TURMERIC really works. I simply mix a few dashes of it in a small cup of hot/warm water and drink it straight with a straw. The turmeric really stains so you may want to do this right before eating or gargle before brushing your teeth. It will stain your toothbrush. I try to do this at least once a day when I have a bad breakout but it you can do it more often I'm sure that is better. I actually like the taste of the turmeric so I'm thinking I must have a mineral deficiency or something.

I had a large boil right along my belt line that really hurt! I bought those large square band-aids and soaked the gauze part in straight TEA TREE OIL. It was large enough to completely cover the boil and was discreet enough for me to wear all day. In a few days it became flat and eventually went away. It did leave a dark spot that does eventually fade, after several weeks...

VICKS VAPOR RUB-even the generic kind-did give me some relief. It is soothing and did relieve some of the itching that happens as the boils go away and heal. It was best for me to use this at night.

Ladies-use TAMPONS instead of pads if at all possible. I usually get these breakouts around the time of my cycle. Using the pads causes more moisture in my vaginal/anal area and I start to sweat, which causes the bumps! Change your pads often. There is one particular brand-that starts with an "A"-that is the absolute worse and I always feel the moisture a few minutes after using them. Choose wisely!

Using ZINC SUPPLEMENTS seemed to work also. I read that taking 90 ml a day is the trick, but the brand I had is only 50 ml, so I had to take it twice a day. You MUST take this with plenty of water or with a meal, otherwise you will get nauseous or you may throw up.

This last breakout I had was the worse-I had about 4 small boils in my vaginal/anal area at the same time. As they heal, the itching is intense! Scratching seems to make itchiness spread. To combat this, I used ANTI-ITCH VAGINAL WIPES, (in my vaginal area) ANTI ITCH CREAM and ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT outside of my vaginal area.

I don't currently have any boils now, but on a daily basis I use TEA TREE OIL mixed with COCONUT OIL around the area where I've had past breakouts.

Mind you-my boils never burst, they just went away. Draw your own conclusions with that...

This is a really embarrassing ailment. I truly hope that some of these things I've tried helps someone.

I have posted previously on this topic and I have been suffering from HS for 12 years. It has increasingly gotten worse as I have gotten older. It go to the point where I had two spots on my inner thighs that were almost constantly abscessed. It was so painful and really got in the way of my normal life activities.

I have tried almost every remedy on this site with little results, aside from turmeric, which really only slowed the rapid growth of the massive infections.

I hit my limit one day and went to a natural foods store with a very long list of things I was going to try from this site. I ended up speaking to the owner of the store who asked what I was dealing with. I reluctantly told him, because as you know, it is very embarrassing. He immediately said it sounded like a Ph issue and recommended organic sulfur (MSM).

I started taking 1 tsp in water morning and night. I felt the pain had started to go away the first night. By the third day I could lightly pinch the abscess, which was quite large, with almost no pain. I would have been excruciating before. By the end of the week it was shrinking and COMPLETELY gone by two weeks. It is nothing short of amazing. I can have a normal life again.

It has been almost a year and I have had only one issue, only because I quit taking it regularly. I felt a little Pain on my inner thigh and felt a hard lump under the skin about the size of a pencil eraser. I didn't immediately panic and get upset. I started taking the organic sulfur again and in two days I can't feel it anymore.

It was very expensive in the store, but I found 4xs the amount on Amazon for half the price. My fiance and I have been taking it regularly, for the most part and have seen our allergy symptoms dramatically decrease, he has started regrowing hair, and reduce sinus infections.

It is recommended to buy the powder, not capsules, because anti-caking agents inhibit its results. Don't eat or drink anything for about 10 minutes after and don't mix it with anything but water. It is kind of bitter and doesn't taste very good. I noticed it tastes much better if I mix it in hot or very warm water and it dissolves right away.

Please try it and let everyone know how it works for you. I went to the doctor many times over the years and NOTHING helped. I have had many abscesses lanced and packed and it is awful. I didn't want to post to early as not to raise anyone's hopes. But I am more than sure now.

Finall found something that made my hidradenitis go away completely! I have had hidradenitis my whole life but sometimes I went years without a breakout. 9 months ago I got a bump in my groin area that just wouldn't go away. Every day I had to drain it and you all know the frusteration. I visited many websites and read everyone's suggestions but nothing worked for me. A couple of weeks ago I visited the doctor's office and he suggested I try Bacitracin Ointment in my nose twice a day. I just dab a little on a Q-tip and swirl it in my nose. I can't believe after 10 days my bump is completely gone!!!! He believes HS can be caused by a staph or strep infection that lives in your nose. Maybe I've had this my whole life, I don't know but it worked for me. Bacitracin is an over the counter ointment so no need to visit the doctor. I hope this continues to work for me and if it worked for me maybe it will for you too. Good luck everyone!

Calendula oil is the only remedy I know of that can clear up HS on a permanent basis. I read about this remedy in an obscure old homeopathy book and it worked perfectly. I mixed mine with about 1/3 castor oil to enhance absorption and further purify and detox my skin. I was lazy about applying it--maybe every other day--but it STILL worked perfectly.

Hi Fellow HS Sufferers! I am here to tell you firsthand that neem leaf oil is the next best thing to a cure for HS. What was once a cluster of boils about the size of a kid's bouncy ball has managed to rupture, drain, flatten, and partially heal in less than 3 days. No exaggeration!!!

I've suffered with HS for almost 20 years with outbreaks occurring in my younger days almost every other week to every 3-4 months, presently. Don't suffer another minute. Give it a try. It works!!!

Tried tea tree oil for HS- one overnight topical application worked better than years of medication and specialists. Amazing.

I wanted to drop by and share my experience with anyone who is suffering with HS as I have for 30 years. I've tried just about every one of these treatments, all of which may have given me some relief, but I was still losing the battle. I consulted a friend of mine who has researched skin treatments thoroughly and he told me to go out and get Lysine. It's an amino acid and can be found at any good health food store. By his recommendations, I took 1000 mg twice a day for the first month. I could not believe the difference in just the first week. At the end of the month, I cut back to 500 mg twice a day and I only increase it if I feel like one is coming on. My friend told me that it had to do with two amino acids that need to be balanced in the body. I really don't care how it works, what I am ecstatic about is that it works! I wanted to share this with this group in hopes of helping as many who suffer from this condition as I know how painful and embarrassing it is. I'm not saying that this is a cure for anything, just that it was something that I tried that had amazing results for me. I hope it works for you!

My daughter is Down Syndrome and has had hidradenitis suppurativa since she started puberty. I had the usual doctors misdiagnosis this and one day I happen to mention it to a friend who was very knowledgable with herbs. I described what the condition looked like and he said it sounded like HS. He made a solution for me apply twice daily that contained collodial silver. The solution did wonders for the condition. She would still break out but the skin would sluff of and it would open and drain and she had practically no pain. But the best part was it stopped the scarring. When I ran out I went back to get a refill and he couldn't give it to me because they had stopped supplying him the C. S. I never knew all the ingredients in the solution and he closed up shop after 5 years doing this. He said he couldn't make a living. If anyone has heard of this and know how I can get this product again I would be very glad to hear from you.

All the DS girls I know suffer with this awful condition.

Hi Fellow Hidradenitis Suppurativa sufferers, I was diagnosed with Hidradenitis Suppurativa in April 2006 after some 26 boil sores over a 2 month period where some hospitalized me for intravenous antibiotics for deep huge sores with cellulites surrounding them. I was to be put on continual, permanent antibiotics for at least 7 yrs to help. I was a devastated very unwell new mum. Lucky about a year earlier, a naturopath had put me on to "Oil of Wild Oregano" for other numerous conditions I had/have including a strep infection of the blood. I was to ingest this oil and I hadn't really given it a go as it tasted awful. I was desperate not to have antibiotics as this only causes more problems. This "oil" is a natural antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal etc. (It used to also be promoted as antiviral, but they have, I guess, been prevented from promoting this anymore. It has however worked as an antiviral for me)

I started to do 3 drops under my tongue morning and night and swallowed quickly a glass of water over my tongue and this way it doesn't taste so bad. I also put the oil on the padded part of a water proof , breathable bandaid and applied to any sore that had not become a huge open wound (because a big wound or sore would sting heaps with this very strong oil). Please note Nexcare strips are the only true breathable waterproof bandage care that does not make the sore sweat that I can find. Nexcare 3M strips also come in various sizes depending on size of sore/boil. Elaster plaster and Johnson and Johnson brands made the sore sweat which we need to avoid.

My sores always develop over a couple of hours to half a day with a feeling of pain in the deeper tissue layers and a very small level sore or red dot on the surface. My sores are always worse underneath the surface. I therefore have time to heal them with Oil of Wild Oregano drops placed onto the padded part of the strips (bandaid) before a pus wound opens. My sores once past half a day are fast to get bad and usually only take a few more hours to become a big lump under the skin an inch in diameter with a smaller surface sore producing pus and also cellulites surrounding this sore about as big as your hand. After another couple of hour to overnight the lump of pus is so big I have to go to hospital for intravenous antibiotics as I start to get a fever and loose lucidness as it then gets into my blood and causes further complications. This oil would heal my smaller sores over a day or two and I could shower and leave the Nexcare strip on to keep working on my deep infection. If water did get into the strip (bandaid) I would replace it with a new strip that had the Oil of Wild Oregano drops placed onto the padded part of the strips. Not all Oil of Wild Oregano producers and products are the same but I used one from Solutions 4 Health for potency and quality of product.

I recommend using Manuka honey of the highest quality on large open sores or in sensitive areas of the groin etc. Also charcoal poultice is extremely good for extracting infection and can be placed anywhere. If you cannot get hold of the Oil of Wild Oregano, colloidal silver is good but nowhere near as strong. A herbal "soap free" bar for washing and mild salty water as a sterilizer for wounds and prone areas for infections. Swim at the beach as much as possible to heal and prevent sores. Remove all sugar from diet as much as possible. I was already on a gluten free and dairy free diet. I also started ingesting as much as possible turmeric in food and drinking. Within a month I hadn't had a sore get out of control. All were healed at the bandaid stage (at the stage of a red dot or very small pimple/boil). I then had only the hint of a sore appear about one every month or 2 and I still heal them overnight with the oil droplets on the pad of the bandaids. I only get symptoms now when my immune system is low and generally due to stress and exhaustion.

I also can cure tonsillitis within half an hour with this oil by placing droplets directly to the back of my throat at site of infection or the sore swallowing feeling. This is not for 1st time users as the kick back from the oil is very strong. The white pus at the back of my throat would disappear and I would have no further symptoms. I previously had chronic tonsillitis to the point they wore away so much that there was nothing to take out. They grew back and I now rarely get tonsillitis but if I do get run down and start to get sick my Oil of Wild Oregano keeps me well.

As a child going through puberty I got huge sore red lumps under my arms the size of golf balls that the doctor said were infected sweat glands and he gave me antibiotics which helped. I only got one or two a year that never developed into open pus wounds. I guess my immune system was better back then. My six year old daughter gets clusters of smaller lumps under one of her arms only throughout summer months and I am worried she is going down my same path.

The Oil of Wild Oregano is worth a look into for all and any ailments and relief of symptoms if not a cure. For me, I also need to keep my immune system up and the Oil of Wild Oregano also does this by ingest it. I only do this when I get run down at times of stress as on the whole I have no trouble with my Hidradenitis Suppurativa in the last 5 to 6 years. I do hope this helps others out there as it is so hard to suffer through it. You are all in my Prays, Cheers Liz