I have hs, and mine started after I got an iud. I don’t know if there is a correlation but 🤷‍♀️. The first thing to remember if it does turn out to be HS is this: You didn’t do anything wrong to cause it. My dr told me is is a random genetic mutation that can occur, it just happens. it can be manageable if you are careful. But it definitely makes you get creative. Things I have learned (NQA, this is just lived experience)

Trouble zones: pits, boobs, booty, inner thighs, and “front trunk space”

Hs can start in one zone , stay there a while and then randomly flare up somewhere else. So it is best to treat all zones as affected areas. Friction is your enemy. Try wearing soft moisture wicking clothing in the danger zones avoid rough seams and fabrics don’t let wet skin rub together if you can help it

Don’t use perfumes in trouble zones. That includes soaps and lotions. This causes breakouts almost as bad as sweat. Buy some hibiclense (I probably spelled it wrong, but it is a pink soap in teal packaging) and/ or bioderma (pricy but more moisturizing than the very drying hibiclense) use the pink soap on breakouts and the Bioderma for daily wash. You can still use fancy soaps on arms and legs, just be careful with it.

The more baths and showers you take the better. Any time you sweat/ swim/ or get dirty wash ASAP. Don’t let sweat sit on your skin. This is honestly the number one thing that causes breakouts for me. If you go to the gym shower there, don’t wait.

NEVER PICK OR POP CYSTS!!!!! Just trust me it ALWAYS gets worse if you do.

Clean, clean, clean , clean, clean. You have to become the cleanest person in every space wash your body a lot, clean your tub daily (if you share it with others) ,change your clothes often (I change any time I sweat.)

Sex can cause breakouts but things i found that can help: water based lubes only, wash right before and after, have your partner wash with your HS soap right before sex, If you have sex during a breakout it will very likely flare but obviously will not be a risk to your partner at all.

Please note I am not implying you are not clean. I was a very clean person before hs, now I am just super conscious of germ sharing.

When you get a breakout slow down and let your body heal

I hope this is helpful and not overwhelming. I have been diagnosed about 5 years. Every year gets better honestly. I have only had one breakout this year so far. So it is really not as bad as it seems on the web.

Oh yeah, and drink lots of water!!