Acne Inversa Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Introduction

Acne inversa is a serious chronic inflammatory skin condition, which occurs after puberty.  Acne inversa is also known as hidradenitis suppurativa.  If we see the pattern in which the acne inversa occurs is that it occurs in areas, which have a close skin contact, which include armpits, the inner thighs, the groin and areas under the breast.  It can also occur in areas where sweat and sebaceous glands are present.  Acne inversa can couple with infection and this then cause the formation of pus.

Stages Of Acne Inversa

Introduction:  In the following paragraphs, we will discuss on the various stages of acne inversa.

Stage 1: In this stage there is involvement of multiple areas with development of inflammation and pus, but there is no development of sinus tracts or scar formation.

Stage 2: This stage involves the formation of pus in multiple areas and can progress at a very rapid rate to involve widespread areas of the body and there is also formation of sinus tracts and formation of scarring.

Stage 3: Along with the pus formation and scarring in multiple areas, there is development of sinus tracts and this then results in connection of the abscesses, which were previously separate entities.

Cause Of Acne Inversa

The exact cause of acne inversa is not known, but the theoretical presentation explains that it develops when the sweat glands become clogged due to incomplete perspiration or either there is developmental problems that results in incomplete draining of the glands.  The fluids are then trapped and then are being pushed to the surrounding tissues, which cause the process of inflammation and then infection to initiate.

Africans At Great Risk Of Developing Acne Inversa

The Africans who have tightly curled hair are at increased risk of developing acne inversa, as the ingrown hair is a big factor of predisposing an individual to develop acne inversa.

Conditions That Can Aggravate Acne Inversa

There are some conditions that do not cause acne inversa but can make it worse.  These conditions include obesity, stress, onset of menstrual periods, extreme heat, extreme perspiration etc.

Why Acne Inversa Not Diagnosed Early

Acne inversa is diagnosed at later stages because it is often considered as boils, carbuncles and other skin infections in its early stages because the symptom complex looks very much the same with those conditions.  The problem of acne inversa is very painful and it can cause disabling of an individual.  This disease process is rarely fatal but it can be fatal if an individual is immunocompromised or has an overwhelming systemic infection.

Symptoms Of Acne Inversa

Introduction:  In the following paragraphs we are going to discuss the various symptoms of acne inversa so that you could understand as to how the disease presents itself and then further progresses into a full blown disease.

1. There are single or multiple areas of inflammation or pus, which are similar in appearance to acne.

2.One can feel the non-inflamed and hardened lumps under the skin, which are very painful to the touch and these lumps can persist for years.  These lumps that are present under the skin have the potential to become inflamed and these lumps can get as large as a size of a baseball in some people.

3.These painful lumps are deep rooted and inflamed and they are very very slow to heal or they might not heal at all and this just ends up giving scarring to the skin.  These lumps can seep fluid chronically and thus in the longer run results in the formation of sinus tracts. which become connected under the skin.  This then just worsens the condition and leads to further inflammation of the lumps under the skin.  If this situation is not dealt appropriately, this can result in a possible bacterial infection.

How The Symptoms Can Be Lessened Of Acne Inversa

Since there is no known cure yet for acne inversa, the symptoms can be lessened with the help of various measures as well as with various treatments.  There are a lot of things that have been found helpful and can relieve the symptoms of acne inversa.  We will be discussing on the different aspects in the point form below.

1.You can reduce the presence of bacteria with the application of topical antibiotics, antiseptics or acne preparations.

2.You can lessen the aggravation caused by the pain by wearing loose fitting clothes, which will help prevent the skin irritation.

3.Obesity does not cause acne, but it can affect the acne problem adversely, so it is recommended that you lose weight, especially in those areas where there is a much more skin to skin contact.

4.Your physician can prescribe you oral antibiotics such as flucloxacillin, dicloxacillin, clindamycin or rifampacin, as these medicines can reduce the bacterial infection to a great extent.  Other medications that can be used to lessen the bacterial growth are tetracycline or metronidazole, which are prescribed to reduce the inflammation.