Latest news with #skinCondition
Health Line
25-06-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Mortality: What Research Shows
Large, painful bumps in areas where your skin touches might resemble acne, but you may actually be experiencing a skin condition that can impact mortality rate — hidradenitis suppurativa. Your skin is your largest organ, making up the integumentary system along with your hair, nails, and various glands. Like any other body part, it can experience disruptions in function from medical conditions or disease. Skin conditions can negatively affect self-esteem. They're often misunderstood as poor hygiene conditions that can make people feel self-conscious or embarrassed. Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), which can create large lesions and sores, can be particularly challenging. Also called acne inversa, HS is more severe than acne and may be linked to a higher mortality risk. What is the death rate of hidradenitis suppurativa? According to a 5-year population-based cohort study in the United States, participants with HS had a 77% increase in mortality risk compared with those in a control group. In the research, living with HS increased mortality risk from all causes. Similar findings were noted in a 2019 Minnesota-based study spanning 28 years, which linked HS to a twofold increase in risk of death from all causes. Both studies noted that smoking directly influenced the mortality rate in those living with HS, and other evidence indicates that having excess body weight may be an important factor in HS outcomes. How serious is hidradenitis suppurativa? If you live with HS, you're not alone. HS is relatively common, affecting approximately 1% to 4% of the population. Additionally, women are three times more affected by HS than men. If you live with this condition, the lumps, cysts, open sores, and abscesses associated with it can look alarming, especially if you haven't received a diagnosis yet. HS can be a painful, lifelong condition. It's natural to feel dismayed by symptoms. You might experience painful, open sores and scarring. It may be necessary to wear bandages and do regular change-outs. Many people who live with HS also experience mental health impacts such as: depression social isolation sexual dysfunction decreased relationship satisfaction diminished work productivity In some cases, HS may lead to decreased quality of life and suicide ideation. Your outlook when living with HS can vary. In a 22-year cross-sectional study looking at long-term outlook, 39.4% of participants with HS reported remission. Speaking with your healthcare team as soon as possible and making specific lifestyle changes can help improve your outcome. What is hidradenitis suppurativa? Hidradenitis suppurativa is an inflammatory skin condition that may initially look like a type of acne. You might notice it in areas where your skin touches, such as under your armpits, breasts, or between your groin area or inner thighs. Because most people are familiar with pimples, you might not be concerned about a few bumps in a new place. However, as HS goes untreated, the condition will get worse. The lumps that were mistaken for pimples may become larger. They can turn into abscesses or boil-like lesions that break open and drain. It's common to experience scarring from abscesses, but scar tissue won't stop more lumps from forming. Over time, you may develop tunnels under the skin known as sinus tracts. These occur as inflammatory cells infiltrate the soft tissue under a scarred area. The underlying cause of HS is unknown, but certain factors may make you more likely to develop this condition, such as: variants in the NCSTN, PSEN1, or PSENEN gene smoking having excess body weight being female being of African American heritage being between the ages of 30 and 39 having psoriasis There's no cure for HS, but treatment can help manage symptom severity and frequency. While HS isn't necessarily life threatening if properly treated, it can cause severe discomfort and may decrease your quality of life. Treatment options for hidradenitis suppurativa HS can be challenging to cope with, but treatment options exist to help manage your symptoms. Your healthcare team will focus on minimizing discomfort, decreasing the amount of drainage from affected areas, and establishing strategies to limit recurrence. How HS is treated will depend on how advanced your symptoms are, but most strategies involve a regular skin care routine to help reduce irritation and inflammation. Your dermatologist, for example, may recommend gentle deodorants and benzoyl peroxide cleansers. In mild cases of HS, symptoms can be relieved with topical antibiotics and medications that encourage hair follicle health. If your symptoms have progressed, oral medications may be necessary. These prescriptions work systemically, targeting whole-body inflammatory processes and immune responses to improve the symptoms of HS. The following medications have currently been approved specifically for use in HS: adalimumab (Humira) secukinumab (Cosentyx) bimekizumab-bkzx (Bimzelx) Clinical procedures When HS lumps, abscesses, and scarring are causing you significant distress, clinical procedures might be a beneficial part of your treatment plan. Your dermatologist may recommend: laser hair reduction botulinum toxin injection (Botox) deroofing (removing skin above a sinus tract) corticosteroid injection abscess drainage surgical removal of an HS lesion and the underlying tract laser surgery resorcinol peels Both open HS sores and wounds left behind after clinical procedures typically require regular at-home care up to several times a day. Lifestyle changes Smoking cessation and weight management are often part of a successful treatment plan for HS.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I thought I found the answer to my chronic eczema but the 'cure' from doctors gave me an even worse condition
A woman struggling with eczema has lashed out at the doctors who prescribed her strong medications that left her with a worse condition. Lucy McDermott, a 32-year-old dance teacher, has been in a 'constant battle' with her skin due to chronic eczema flare ups. 'Even as a baby, my skin was red, inflamed, and itchy,' she said. 'By the time I reached primary school, it seemed to settle, and we thought I was growing out of it. But during university, it came roaring back. 'I was studying dance full time which was an incredibly high-pressured time, and my eczema started to flare again. First in the usual places, like the inside of my elbows, but it kept getting worse.' While eczema is a physical condition, it can take an emotional toll on patients. Eczema is among Australia's top 10 chronic health conditions affecting 2.8million people, including one in three children under six. Adult sufferers are three times more likely to experience depression with one in five reporting they have contemplated suicide. So, when Ms McDermott was offered a solution to her problems, she jumped at it. What she didn't know at the time was the 'cure' would leave her with an even more debilitating condition - topical steroid withdrawal (TSW). 'My doctor gave me steroid cream and at first, they worked. But what no one told me, what I wish someone had screamed from the rooftops, was how dangerous long-term use could be,' Ms McDermott said. 'Every time I stopped using it, the eczema came back worse, more painful and more debilitating than ever. No one explained you need to wean off steroids slowly. 'My skin would clear, then flare even worse when I stopped.' Ms McDermott described topical steroid use as an 'endless cycle' that continued for several years until she was prescribed oral steroids. 'I lived on them for most of my twenties,' she said. 'At my worst, I couldn't leave the house without relying on strong medication. I was in my 20s - the years you're meant to be enjoying life. Instead, I was trapped by my skin.' During that time, Ms McDermott was 'hospitalised multiple times, smothered in steroid creams and wrapped in wet bandages like a mummy'. 'Then one night, everything changed. I stumbled across a woman on Instagram whose skin looked just like mine - same red, inflamed skin, same desperation in her eyes,' she said. 'She'd tagged something called Topical Steroid Withdrawal. 'That night I went deep into research mode and followed the hashtag #TopicalSteroidWithdrawal. 'Every symptom, every picture, every experience – it was like reading my own story.' Ms McDermott decided to take advantage of the lockdowns during Covid and hid at home as she completely stopped using all her steroid medications. 'The first six months were absolute hell. I was bedridden, covered in raw, weeping skin,' she said. 'The photos from that time are hard to look at. 'I knew if I could just hang on, things would eventually get better as I'd seen others come out the other side stronger.' The one product Ms McDermott continues to use is MooGoo Full Cream Intensive Daily Moisturiser. 'It's the only thing I can tolerate and doesn't sting. It doesn't make things worse,' she said. 'It's the most gentle and effective moisturiser I've found - trust me, I've tried everything.' Melody Livingstone, CEO of MooGoo, said more of her customers are becoming aware of TSW. 'Sufferers say symptoms include redness, itching, flaking and dryness that just won't seem to go away, even when using the topical steroids,' she said. 'They report TSW recovery can be a challenging journey, marked by intense itching, burning, and skin that feels raw and sensitive. 'They tell us it can be frustrating, debilitating and disheartening for those experiencing it, as the symptoms can sometimes be even worse than the eczema itself.' A recent report shows 88.4 per cent of dermatologists agree TSW needs urgent study including Dr Adriene Lee, President of the Australasian College of Dermatologists. 'Looking back, I feel like I lost a decade of my life. My 20s were spent surviving, not living. I relied on medication just to function,' Ms McDermott said. 'None of the doctors I saw warned me about the long-term risks of steroid use. I wasn't told to wean off. I wasn't told what could happen. 'It took over a decade before anyone even hinted that I shouldn't be on them long-term.' Ms McDermott called for dermatologists to begin researching the causes, effects and treatment of TSW as soon as possible. 'We need research and accountability on topical steroid withdrawal and we need to stop handing out steroid creams like they're no big deal,' she said. 'Because for me, and so many others, they were life-changing - and not in a good way.'
