If you’re living with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), then one of the issues you probably deal with is the lesions that can form. These lesions are usually painful and can form in any area where your skin rubs together. While they may drain on their own, it’s common for them to release pus that can have an embarrassing odor. That’s why some people with HS opt to drain their lesions at home, where they have some control over what’s happening. Is that the right course of action for you? Here’s what you need to know.
How to Know if it’s Safe to Drain Your Lesions at Home
The main factor that influences whether or not you should drain your lesions at home is the state of the lesions. While they usually come with pain and inflammation, it’s also easy for lesions to become infected depending on where they are. If you see signs of infection, it’s possible that you need antibiotics or other forms of medical intervention to take care of it. In that case, trying to drain them on your own may only make things worse.
You can usually tell that there’s an infection if there are lumps that are inflamed, tender to the touch, severely painful, and draining pus. Seeing a doctor is essential because it’s not just about getting medication to treat the infection. HS can make wound healing complicated, so you need a personalized healing plan that will ensure the infection doesn’t worsen.
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However, if there’s no infection, you may be able to alleviate your discomfort on your own.
How to Do It
Though it sounds like draining your lesions should entail piercing or squeezing the skin, you should never do that. You also shouldn’t pick any bumps, cysts, or lesions that you have. The reason for this is that you can introduce an infection anywhere you cut the skin. Since HS often means you have tunnels under your skin, it’s easy for an initial infection to spread to other areas and become severe. Worse yet, any wounds you develop may take a long time to heal and increase the likelihood of scarring.
Instead, you should use methods that encourage the lesions to drain. One option is to place a warm compress on the area. The warmth can ease some of the pain while causing the lesions to drain naturally. You may also see some of the swelling go down.
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Another option is to apply some black tea to the area. Black tea contains tannins, which have astringent and anti-inflammatory properties. That combination can reduce the swelling while cleaning and soothing the skin. It can help the lesions drain as well.
Finally, with your doctor’s guidance, you can use a combination of over-the-counter products to help the lesions drain. Your recommended products may vary, but this can include gentle cleansers, anti-inflammatory products, and skin care products that encourage skin to shed.
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What Medical Drainage Entails
If your lesions are infected, the better option is to see your doctor about medical drainage. Before deciding on a treatment, your doctor will likely assess your symptoms and the location of the lesions. How you may have responded to previous treatment will also factor into their decision. The most common way to drain HS lesions is to make an incision in the affected area and drain any abscesses that are present. The surgeon may also remove any infected material or scarred tissue that surrounds the lesion.
Depending on the state of your HS, your doctor may suggest other surgical procedures to alleviate your symptoms. One is surgical deroofing, in which the surgeon creates an opening over a tract or abscess to encourage wound healing and reduce the likelihood of a recurrence. Another option is a wide local excision, where all the tissue in the affected area is removed. In laser surgery, your surgeon will use a laser to remove all the affected tissue in a specific area.
Regardless of what your doctor chooses, you’ll need a prescribed wound care program to ensure that you heal properly. It’s imperative that you stick to it so you don’t have to deal with prolonged healing.
Additionally, medical drainage may be more successful at managing your symptoms and preventing the recurrence of the lesions in the affected area. You should note, though, that this success can vary from one person to another.
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How to Avoid Making Your Lesions Worse
While there are options for treating lesions and alleviating their symptoms, doctors encourage you to take measures to manage your HS instead. Some of the things you can do to prevent the condition from getting worse include wearing loose clothing and avoiding sweating as much as possible. That’s because tight clothing and overheating generally increase the friction on your skin, which in turn, leads to flare-ups in your HS. There’s also some evidence that losing weight can help you manage your HS symptoms, as there is likely to be less friction.
Doctors also recommend that you avoid smoking as it can worsen your HS symptoms. Additionally, proper hygiene can help to keep lesions from getting infected. You should clean the area with a mild cleanser and pat the area dry. Though you may be concerned about hair in the area, especially if it tends to become ingrown, you should never shave. Shaving can cut the skin and cause an infection from a cut that won’t heal.
Since you’re dealing with inflamed skin that can get infected easily, you may also be tempted to use a few common at-home remedies. However, they can make things worse instead of better. For example, tea tree oil may have great anti-inflammatory properties, but oils can clog your pores and lead to a buildup of sebum, which can encourage an infection.
Aloe vera may help to moisturize your skin, but it won’t help wounds or cuts heal. Rubbing alcohol will dry out your skin and can make your symptoms worse because overly dry skin can lead to bursting cysts. Bleach baths also won’t help to manage an infection or the presence of microorganisms in your lesions, bumps, or cysts. That’s because they are usually too far under your skin for the bleach to reach.
The drainage that’s associated with HS can be painful and embarrassin,g so it’s not surprising that you may want to drain them yourselves. However, you should never attempt to drain your lesions if there’s any evidence of an infection. The best thing to do is to consult with your doctor and work with their recommendations.
