Hidradenitis Surgery Specialist

What is hidradenitis?

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a painful, chronic skin condition where lesions develop in your armpits, groin, breast, and/or anal area. It occurs when blocked hair follicles develop a secondary infection and inflammation arises in the apocrine (sweat) glands.

When you have hidradenitis, pus-filled abscesses appear that turn into hard lumps, followed by deep, painful, inflamed groups of lesions that weep fluid. When the lesions heal, progressive scar tissue (fibrosis) develops.

In severe cases, sinus tracts (unnatural channels) form and sometimes interconnect, leading to sweat and bacteria becoming trapped in the surrounding tissue. This process triggers fresh rounds of inflammation and infection.

Why might I need hidradenitis surgery?

You might need hidradenitis surgery if your condition is too severe to manage with medication alone.

Patients with hidradenitis might require a combination of medications, which, depending on their symptoms, may include:

• Topical antibiotics (liquid or gel)
• Oral antibiotics like doxycycline, rifampin, and clindamycin
• Steroid injections to reduce swelling and inflammation
• Estrogen hormonal therapy
• Biologics like adalimumab and infliximab
• Oral retinoids
• Pain medication

Carbon dioxide laser therapy can be useful for treating hidradenitis sores. In the earlier stages, laser hair removal might be helpful to stop the condition from getting worse.

Combining medical and surgical treatments is typically best for those with sinus tracts (tunnels) and abscesses.

What kind of hidradenitis surgery might I need?

The type of hidradenitis surgery that Dr. Sambandam recommends depends on the symptoms you’re experiencing and the stage of your disease. Possible hidradenitis surgeries include:

Unroofing

Unroofing hidradenitis surgery involves removing tissue to uncover the tunnels beneath your skin. Dr. Sambandam performs unroofing for patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis and rarely needs to repeat the process. Limited unroofing or punch debridement is the removal of a single inflamed lump.

Surgical removal

If your hidradenitis is severe or persistent, Dr. Sambandam can remove all the skin and tissue affected by the disease. He might need to use a skin graft to repair the wound.

Incision and drainage

Surgical drainage isn’t the best solution for getting rid of hidradenitis, but it may be useful for short-term relief of severe pain.

Hidradenitis that progresses to an advanced stage can be particularly painful and challenging. For those with a compromised immune system, the bacterial infection might spread around the body and could become life-threatening, although this is rare. Nevertheless, if you have hidradenitis, prompt treatment could stop the disease from reaching such a serious stage.

To find out how expert hidradenitis surgery could help you, call North Tarrant Health Providers today or book an appointment online.