Hidradenitis suppurativa

I’m sorry to hear that you suffer from this. Your FH obviously loves you for who you are so wear whatever makes you happy and don’t worry about anyone else. I’m sure you will be a beautiful bride no matter what.

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Thanks Cyndy! I appreciate your kind words. Fortunately for me, the lumps are rarely visible (only when close to the surface) and he doesn't seem to mind the surgical scars. They aren't hideous but definitely noticeable. When I wear a corset of any sort, you can't see them at all, so that's a good thing!

Have you looked into the body foundation Kim Kardashian came out with? I haven't personally used it, but I have a friend with some scarring that really liked it. I would just try on a large array of dresses and pick the one you feel most beautiful in regardless if scars are showing or not.

I have seen this condition before, does boosting your immune system decrease the incidence of it happening?

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Interesting! I may look into this, thanks! I have minimal scaring, but it bothers me to not have al the options I want and feel completely confident in it. Regardless, I know there's a perfect gown out there for me and it won't be an issue.

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Actually the opposite. From what I understand, it's like an autoimmune response gone overboard. Lowering my immune response would reduce flair ups. Meds like Humira are recommended for the more severe cases, but my case isn't severe enough to warrant Humira. It is, however, severe enough to warrant surgical intervention (basically, just removing masses as they occur). My surgeon once told me as long as I have skin, I will continue to have flair ups. It is what it is.

I have learned that as my weight increased, so did my frequency of flair ups. When I was most fit, I rarely had any!

View Quoted Comment Do certain foods affect it, have you noticed?

View Quoted Comment That’s a good question. I haven’t noticed. I do know certain deodorants do...and friction.

I'm so sorry you have this condition. I don't know that I have it, but I did have to switch to natural deodorant because regular brands would give me big, painful lumps under my pits.

I, too, have some visible scars and discoloration I try to hide regularly. I have scarring between my breasts too, but from old, ill-fitting bras/underwire from when I was younger.

There are so many beautiful dresses with plunging necklines that have a little white lace or nylon modesty panel in the middle that might cover discoloration. Some are even beaded. Something like these maybe. And you can always have one put in after alterations!:

I hope that helps. And of course, there are plenty of dresses that don't have V-necks. Whatever dress you pick, pick one that you will feel confident in. You will be beautiful in it and your FH will be stunned when he sees you.

View Quoted Comment Oh I love that first one. It's so pretty!! Thanks Cherry for your beautiful words of encouragement. My FH has psoriasis and understands how a skin condition can cause someone to feel guarded.

What types of natural deodorants work well for you? I'm looking into trying Lum. I've read a lot of great reviews from women with HS.

Tammy, I've tried a few different ones like Crystal deodorants (both the hard crystal and the liquid), and Tom's, Schmidt's and a couple others, I can't remember which. The most recent crystal deodorant I use is called Naturally Fresh and they sell it at Wal-mart. It's a roll on. It didn't do a darn thing for me over the summer, though!! I was a funky monkey! I kept my arms down and refrained from hugging people LOL!

Schmidt's smells AMAZING, they have a few different scents. They didn't give me hard lumps BUT they gave me a RASH like none other so I had to stop using them - I think it was the essential oils they use.

I've also heard good things about Native, but it's pretty pricey. Maybe I'll try Lume instead!! Thanks for the suggestion!

View Quoted Comment I know the feeling! My surgeon advised me not to use deodorants at all, so unless I’m expected to be someplace of significance (training, court appearances, etc), I go without. I always feel like I’m funky even when I’m not. To make matters worse, I lost my sense of smell years ago, so I can’t actually tell if I’m smelly *yikes*. Bless my FH, I’ve asked him to bluntly let me know if I ever need to freshen up. There have only been a couple of times that he had to do so and he felt so bad for having to tell me lol.

I’m going to try Lume soon. I hope it works as well as the reviews claim. Thanks for sharing your reviews on the other brands!!

That is one of my fears too is trying on wedding dresses or wearing a wedding dress in the future when i get married. I too suffer from HS and I know the feeling. As you said Ive worked out in the past and notice wayyy less flare ups when dieting and exercise and felt way better then before. Their is a ointment called Emuaid. I use EmuaidMAX and it works really well for HS. Less painful so try that too if you like. Hope things work out for you hun.

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Thanks so much of your response, Namiah. HS is tough and seems to be a never ending battle. I'll ask my doc about Emuaid and see if it might be an option for me to try based on my medical history. I'm interested in learning more about it soon!

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Sure thing love keep me posted.