Appearing unexpectedly in the form of slight redness on the skin, hidradenitis develops quickly and causes a lot of discomfort. If measures are not taken in time, the “bitch udder” will turn into a huge lump filled with pus, which, after opening, can relapse.
Hidradenitis is an inflammation of the sweat glands. Externally it appears as a pink or red lump on the skin. Gradually developing, the compaction increases in size, changes color to lilac-purple and causes severe pain. The popular name for the disease is “bitch udder”, hidradenitis received due to the shape of the abscess that forms.
IMPORTANT: The difficulty of treating hidradenitis is that, unlike a boil, the abscess does not have a core, but affects and fills multiple tortuous sweat glands.
Causes of hidradenitis: what causes hidradenitis?
Hidradenitis does not occur out of the blue. The appearance and development of inflammation of the sweat glands is facilitated by factors such as:
- Staphylococcus aureus infection
- decline in immunity
- thyroid diseases
- diabetes
- insufficient hygiene of the affected area
- abuse of deodorants or other cosmetics
- increased sweating (often as a result of being overweight)
- skin prone to rashes
- hormonal imbalance
- decreased skin barrier function
IMPORTANT: Hidradenitis never occurs in older people or young children. This disease most often affects women and men aged 18 to 50 years.
What are the symptoms of hidradenitis?
Hidradenitis is easy to recognize even at the very beginning of development (in the infiltration stage). A small round lump appears on the skin of the affected area, which can be easily felt when pressed and causes discomfort.
After a few days, the lump increases in size and changes color to dark pink. The pain noticeably intensifies.
By days 4–6, the color of the purulent lump darkens and its size increases. One or more purulent heads form on the surface, from which a small amount of pus can be released when pressed. It seems that the abscess is already ripe, but this is not so. The process of pus formation continues in the subcutaneous layers. If you try to remove an immature hidradenitis abscess yourself, you will not be able to do it completely.
By 9–12 days, the cone ripens and bursts. Its contents consist of a large amount of pus, which may contain an admixture of blood. Sometimes it is possible to independently remove the yellow-green jelly-like mucous mass from under the skin. After its removal, an emptiness is felt under the skin, which disappears after a few days.
After complete healing of the wound, an uneven scar or scar remains on the skin, sometimes with dense inclusions of a dark color.
IMPORTANT: The closer the abscess is to maturity, the less pain it causes. Redness, swelling and inflammation around the lesion disappear or significantly decrease. At the time of opening the abscess, it is necessary to wash and wipe the skin around the wound with alcohol as often as possible to avoid infection of neighboring sweat glands.
Hidradenitis can take chronic forms, spreading to neighboring areas. If left untreated, the disease is often complicated by the appearance of many purulent formations in various stages of development. This situation is dangerous due to the high probability of infection entering the blood.
Symptoms and causes of the disease
Hidradenitis is a common disease. But more often it occurs in women in the armpit area, as they pay more attention to hair removal. In men, hidradenitis appears mainly in the groin area.
The disease very rarely affects children and the elderly. This is due to the fact that in early and old age apocrine sweat glands do not function. Most often the disease is diagnosed in adolescents and young adults.
There is a hereditary tendency to hidradenitis. The structural features of the sweat glands are passed on from parents to children. Hereditary hidradenitis is often accompanied by epithelial coccygeal tract and acne abscesses.
The pathology develops gradually. In the first days, a small painful nodule the size of a pea appears on the affected area. After a week, it increases greatly and takes on the shape of a pear. The resulting formation is similar in appearance to a nipple, which is why hidradenitis is popularly called “bitch udder.”
Staphylococcus aureus is the main causative agent of the disease. But sometimes hidradenitis is caused by E. coli or streptococcus. Pathogenic microorganisms enter the gland through ducts in the skin. But sometimes bacteria are introduced along with lymph from another source of inflammation.
The main causes of hidradenitis:
- failure to comply with hygiene rules;
- damage to the skin (cuts, scratches, scratching);
- decreased immunity, diaper rash;
- abuse of antiperspirants;
- diseases of the endocrine system;
- overweight;
- washing too often;
- gynecological diseases;
- otitis and tonsillitis;
- depilatory means.
In the initial stage of hidradenitis, upon palpation, small dense nodules can be detected in the affected area. They are painful, but do not cause severe discomfort to the patient. But the disease progresses quickly, the nodules grow and become pear-shaped.
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The skin becomes purple with a bluish tint, and the surrounding tissues swell. The entire affected area becomes very painful. Sometimes inflamed nodes merge into one large common inflammation node. After some time, under the influence of pressure, the nodes randomly rupture, releasing a certain amount of pus with blood impurities.
The nodes do not have a necrotic core, unlike a boil. Sometimes a dense infiltrate forms in the affected areas. In such cases, pain haunts the patient not only during movement, but also at rest.
The maturation of inflammation is accompanied by general malaise and fever. After opening the nodes, the pain gradually disappears, and the state of health improves.
Axillary hidradenitis: causes and symptoms
- In addition to the general causes, axillary hidradenitis can be caused by inaccurate shaving, which results in cuts and wounds on the skin.
- Wearing tight clothing, using deodorants, shaving products, lotions can also provoke the occurrence of purulent inflammation of the sweat glands in the armpits.
- The disease begins with a slight feeling of discomfort in the armpit area. The patient begins to palpate the affected area and discovers a small subcutaneous nodule, the size of a pea.
IMPORTANT: If at this stage you use applications from Vishnevsky or ichthyol ointment, further development of the disease may be avoided.
- Subsequently, the size of the nodule increases, the pain intensifies, and the appearance of the abscess becomes frightening. On days 4-6, the pain becomes unbearable and the patient usually seeks help from a surgeon, who opens the abscess and removes its contents
- Often several purulent nodes ripen simultaneously in the armpits. Treatment of multiple formations is carried out in the surgical department. It is very dangerous to neglect the disease or self-medicate in such cases.
What does hidradenitis look like: symptoms and photos
Stages of development:
- infiltration stage;
- stage of suppuration;
- the abscess has formed and may rupture.
Symptoms of hidradenitis (see photo) are usually pronounced. At the beginning of the progression of the pathological process, when palpating an area of skin, the presence of dense nodular formations can be determined. They are localized in the thick layer of the dermis or in the subcutaneous fat.
Gradually, the formations develop, and the following signs begin to appear:
- painful sensations increase significantly;
- formations increase in size;
- the inflammatory formation adheres to the skin and takes on a pear-shaped shape;
- the nodules rise above the skin in the form of papillae, which resemble the mammary glands of dogs. It was this symptom that became the reason that the disease began to be called “bitch udder”;
- the skin acquires a bluish tint;
- Edema appears around the formations.
Nodular formations tend to merge. After this, they gradually soften and can spontaneously open. Purulent exudate mixed with blood is released. Opening the formations relieves skin tension. As a result, the pain decreases and the ulcer that formed begins to heal.
If the formation is fully mature and ready for opening, then the indicated clinical picture is supplemented by the following symptoms:
- increased body temperature;
- increased pain. Now it is noted not only when pressing on the formation, but also in a state of complete rest;
- weakness;
- nausea;
- malaise.
In some cases, instead of the characteristic nodules, an infiltrate may form, which will look like a disc. Its structure is dense. This formation resolves over a long period of time.
Hidradenitis inguinalis: causes and symptoms
Inguinal hidradenitis, as well as axillary hidradenitis, develops quite often due to the location of many sweat glands in the designated area. Purulent cones of hidradenitis ripen in the groin according to the same scenario as in the armpits. The reasons for the appearance are usually:
- poor hygiene
- heavy sweating
- sloppy shaving
- ingrown hairs
- hormonal imbalances
- wearing tight synthetic panties
IMPORTANT: Hidradenitis inguinalis often takes on chronic, recurrent forms. Due to the “intimacy” of the disease, not everyone goes to the doctor, wasting precious time and contributing to the further development and spread of hidradenitis.
Hidradenitis inguinalis is one of the most painful. It is very difficult to independently carry out proper treatment and skin care in this delicate area. In most cases, the only way to get rid of hidradenitis inguinalis is through surgery.
How to treat hidradenitis? Methods for treating hidradenitis
Hidradenitis can be treated either independently or through surgery. If the disease is in the initial stages of development, even self-medication can give good results. To do this, you can use folk remedies or medications. Treatment should begin immediately after detection of a lump.
If attempts to get rid of hidradenitis are unsuccessful, and a huge painful lump has already formed in place of a small nodule, only a surgeon can provide the necessary assistance. He will open the abscess, remove the contents and place drainage in the wound. After removing the lump, you will have to go back several times to bandage and treat the wound.
IMPORTANT: The surgeon will be able not only to remove the painful abscess, but also to notice new formations in neighboring areas in time, as well as assess the general condition of the skin and subcutaneous layers around the wound.
If the disease continues to remind itself from time to time, the patient is prescribed a course of autohemotherapy (blood transfusion), vitamin therapy, and immunostimulating drugs.
Folk technique
Quite a lot of recipes have already been developed that allow you to gradually get rid of this disease. This includes some of the most effective techniques. For example, such as:
- Aloe treatment. For the procedures, you should definitely select leaves from a plant that has been growing for a long time. After washing, the plant is trimmed of thorns. Next, you can either cut the sheet, or make a paste and apply it to the affected area through gauze. By the way, if in the first case the aloe dries out quickly, then in the second the need to change the pulp will appear less frequently. Try to apply fresh aloe several times - the plant disinfects and accelerates the course of the disease.
- The medicine can be made at home using lard, yolks, honey and flour. Everything is mixed and a dough is obtained. You should apply it for at least 12 hours, and then replace the piece with a fresh one.
- Cabbage can be used very simply - just place it inside on the hidradenitis.
- Plantain compress can be called one of the effective methods due to its wound healing and disinfectant properties. First, of course, the plant is washed, and after kneading with your hand until the juice appears, it is applied to the skin. It is recommended to repeat this procedure twice a day.
- Laundry soap is planed first, and then combined with butter, sugar and rye flour. Treatment with the resulting mixture is carried out after boiling all the ingredients in a glass of water. After boiling, it is recommended to add a certain amount of planed church candle. A bandage is soaked in the resulting solution and applied to the skin as a compress.
- Propolis and honey individually have very serious qualities that make it possible to successfully treat a problem such as hidradenitis. They should be combined in a water bath. The medicine will disinfect the lump, relieve pain and inflammation.
- Celery also helps with “bitch udders.” To do this, simply apply the leaves of the plant to the affected area.
- Onions, pre-baked and cut, can be considered virtually a classic of home healing. It should be baked in the oven, and then the cut side of the head should be applied to the pine cone.
- A good compress is obtained by mixing homemade sour cream, which has the highest fat content, and rye flour. A thick cake is made from them, and then applied to the place.
- Before opening the purulent box, you can use salt compresses. For them, it is enough to moisten gauze in a solution of sea salt and apply it to the skin for a while.
“Hidradenitis should be treated at home from the first signs of its manifestation. In this way it is possible to achieve maximum effect. At first, by the way, the use of dry heat is welcome, but later it is better to avoid warming up.”
Herbal remedies for self-therapy of this problem are used very widely, and they should not be ignored, because such drugs are very effective. So, based on decoctions, you can make baths and compresses, and some can even be taken orally to support a weakened body. This will help get rid of not only the spread of hidradenitis at the moment, but also prevent its possible return.
The most useful are calendula marigolds, burdock, sweet clover, chamomile, eucalyptus, elderberry, plantain, and St. John's wort. Each herb can be combined with each other, creating your own collection. The preparation of the decoction is always the same - everything is taken in equal proportions, and then boiled. You can steep it for a while to make the liquid more concentrated. The drink should be taken daily; you can dilute it with honey. For compresses, a new decoction should be prepared daily.
How to treat hidradenitis at home?
The following ointments can help you quickly get rid of hidradenitis at home:
Elon is one of the best modern natural remedies in the fight against hidradenitis. Promotes the dissolution of pus in the lump or the rapid maturation and opening of the abscess. Relieves pain and inflammation, prevents the spread of the disease and infection of neighboring sweat glands. At the very beginning of the development of the disease, the source of inflammation is completely extinguished. The ointment is translucent, light green in color, and has a pleasant pine smell. The only drawback of the drug is the high price compared to its analogues
Ichthyol ointment is an antiseptic that has an anti-inflammatory effect. Relieves or significantly alleviates pain in the inflamed area. Apply twice a day, directly to the seal, in a thin layer. The ointment is black in color and has an unpleasant odor.
Vishnevsky ointment (Vishnevsky liniment) - penetrates deep into the affected area. It has an antimicrobial and drying effect, forms a protective film on the surface of the wound, and relieves pain. Promotes rapid release of pus and tissue regeneration. Apply to the wound twice a day. The ointment is brown in color with a pungent odor and is affordable.
Levomekol is an antibacterial immunostimulating agent, has an antimicrobial anti-inflammatory effect, and promotes rapid tissue regeneration. It is applied to gauze napkins, which are used to cover the wound after opening and complete or partial release of purulent contents from it. Wipes should be changed once a day.
In the initial stage of the disease, warming the seals with dry heat helps a lot. To do this, several times a day you need to apply a diaper heated with an iron, folded several times, to the inflamed area.
IMPORTANT: During treatment of hidradenitis, it is necessary to exclude spicy and sweet foods, alcohol, seasonings and carbonated drinks from the diet.
For those who trust the healing properties of plants and herbs, traditional medicine recipes are suitable:
Recipe No. 1. Make a cake from honey, garlic and crushed laundry soap (1:1:1). Apply the flatbread to the seal and prepare a fresh one twice a day.
Recipe No. 2. Mix a tablespoon of homemade sour cream with chopped garlic (1 tsp). Apply the resulting slurry to the affected areas.
Recipe No. 3. Cut the peeled onion in half and bake in a preheated oven. Wrap one half of the hot onion with a bandage to the sore spot overnight.
Recipe No. 4. Fry the chopped onion in butter. Add laundry soap (1 tsp), grated on a coarse grater, to the “frying”. Apply the mixture to the purulent lump and secure with a fixing bandage.
Recipe No. 5. Alternately apply clean chopped cabbage and plantain leaves to the wound. Such “compresses” will help the abscess to quickly break through.
Recipe No. 6. Let a dog who has already had puppies lick the wound. According to popular belief, the “bitch’s udder” will never make itself known again after this.
IMPORTANT: To prevent infection of neighboring sweat glands, the hair around the wound is carefully cut off, and the skin is treated with alcohol or brilliant green three times a day.
Hidradenitis (bitch udder under the arm) - treatment with folk remedies
What is hidradenitis (bitch udder under the arm disease)?
Hidradenitis (popularly the disease “bitch udder” or “wolf udder”) is an acute purulent inflammation of the sweat glands. The cause of the disease is staphylococcus. Most often this inflammation occurs under the armpit, less often around the nipples, navel and in the perineum.
Causes of hidradenitis: 1) synthetic tight clothing;
2) increased sweating; 3) decreased immunity; 4) injury to the armpit during shaving 5) allergic skin reaction to deodorants. 6) heredity 7) hormonal imbalance (or rather, increased sensitivity of skin cells to androgens) smoking 9) excess weight
How to treat hidradenitis at home?
Medicines against hidradenitis (bitch udder). As soon as you feel painful discomfort, wipe the problem areas with antiseptics - salicylic or boric alcohol, chlorhexidine, octenisept, alcohol tincture of calendula, diluted with boiled water 1:1. After treating inflammation under the armpit, apply ointment to the skin: ichthyol, Vishnevsky or levomekol. You should not skimp on the ointment: apply it generously onto a napkin in a heap and apply it to the abscess. Secure the napkin with a bandage or plaster. If the inflammation is severe, then it is better to wear this bandage on the abscess for several days without removing it, only changing it. In mild cases, apply at night and lubricate the abscesses with iodine or brilliant green during the day. Avoid water treatments. Within 3-5 days of this treatment, the udder will disappear completely.
How to treat a knotted udder under the arm using folk remedies?
Treatment of hidradenitis with folk remedies is very effective. These remedies allow you to draw out the pus and relieve inflammation under the armpit very quickly. Below are reviews of how we managed to cure hidradenitis (“bitch udder”) and avoid surgery. Recipes for those who were cured were taken from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH”.
If the pharmacy is far away, and the disease caught you in the field, then folk remedies for hidradenitis will help: apply the leaves of plantain, blackberry, lilac, aloe, Kalanchoe, cabbage to the inflamed area. Baked onions or a compress with grated potatoes help a lot. It is useful to take an infusion of calendula flowers internally. (Folk remedies from the newspaper “Bulletin of Healthy Lifestyle” from Healthy Lifestyle 2013, No. 13, pp. 12-13)
Treatment of hidradenitis (bitch udder) at home with a curd compress. The woman developed hidradenitis under her arm, she was offered surgery, but the disease was cured with folk remedies. She was helped by a grandmother she knew, who used the same method to cure her daughter’s bitch udder. Mix 1 part sour cream, 1 part butter and 1 part cottage cheese. Apply this mixture in the form of a compress to the inflammation under the armpit and secure tightly. Prepare the mixture fresh every evening. By morning it dries out. The cones that had already begun to appear became smaller every day. The woman applied compresses until the painful lumps completely disappeared. No surgery was needed. (Review from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” 2001, No. 3, pp. 18-19).
Simple cottage cheese also helps to cure hidradenitis; it must be mixed with hot water so that the cottage cheese warms up, squeezed out and applied on gauze to the abscess under the arm. (Folk method from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” 2007, No. 4, p. 33).
Honey cake helped get rid of hidradenitis. An effective remedy against inflammation of the sweat glands. The woman developed an abscess under her arm, unbearable pain began, and she turned to the surgeon. The boil was cut, and she lost consciousness from the pain. After some time, hidradenitis returned again, but the woman was afraid to go to the hospital. In addition, a friend told her how to treat a bitch's udder with folk remedies. 1 tbsp. l. Heat honey in a water bath, mix with flour, knead into a flat cake and apply to the abscess under the arm as a compress overnight, covering with plastic. Make a fresh tortilla every night. Hidradenitis was cured without surgery, and the disease never returned. (Folk method from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” 2003, No. 3, p. 19)
Onion is an effective folk remedy for treating bitch udders.
Treatment of hidradenitis (bitch udder) at home with onion ointment. 50 grams of laundry soap, grated on a fine grater, 50 grams of grated onion, 150 grams of melted interior pork fat. Combine everything and heat slightly, rubbing to form a homogeneous mass. Cool. Store in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days. Apply 2-3 cm thick ointment to a small piece of gauze and apply to the abscess under the armpit. On top there is polyethylene and adhesive tape. Change 2 times a day, but if the pus comes out intensely, then change every 2 hours. The inflammation under the armpit quickly passes, the udder heals without a trace. (Home treatment from the newspaper “Bulletin of Healthy Lifestyle” 2004, No. 2, p. 25-26)
Folk treatment of hidradenitis (bitch udder) with an onion. Baked onion is the simplest and most effective folk remedy for “bitch udders,” boils and any abscesses. Bake the onion, cut off the bottom, and, without cooling, apply the cut to the abscess under the arm. (Recipe from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” 2006, No. 2, p. 11)
How to treat knotted udders (hidradenitis) with herbs. Review.
The woman developed a boil under her arm. Despite treatment, hidradenitis progressed, and the number of abscesses became more and more numerous. It was a long way from a surgeon, so the woman decided to treat the bitch's udder with herbal ointment. First you need to prepare calendula oil: pour 1.5 cups of calendula flowers with a glass of vegetable oil at a temperature of 80-100 degrees, stir. Leave in the dark for 40 days, strain. Preparation of ointment. Fresh calendula flowers - 2 parts, yarrow - 2 parts, sweet clover - 1 part, dandelion roots - 2 parts, horse sorrel roots - 1 part, tansy inflorescences - 1 part. Wash all these herbs and pass through a meat grinder. Add 1 part of Vishnevsky ointment and 1 part of ichthyol ointment to the herbal gruel. Dilute this entire mixture with calendula oil prepared in advance to form a homogeneous elastic mass. When treating a bitch udder, a woman wiped the affected area with an alcohol solution (or herbal tincture, or cologne, or alcohol). Then she applied the ointment for the whole day, and repeated the procedure in the evening. The result was visible within a day: the abscesses under the armpit increased in size and white heads appeared. On the 3-4th day all the pus began to come out. (Review from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” 2006, No. 18, p. 31)
Traditional treatment of hidradenitis with a wax compress. The girl was in the hospital with a spinal fracture, and in addition she developed hidradenitis. My roommates recommended this folk remedy: take equal parts of rosin, beeswax and butter. Melt everything in an enamel bowl and stir well, but do not boil. You will get a homogeneous mass. When it cools down, fold the bandage in several layers, apply this ointment to it and apply it to the abscess under the arm, securing it with an adhesive plaster. As the pus is drawn out, change the compresses until everything goes away. (Review from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” 2006, No. 24, p. 33)
Blood purification for hidradenitis. To cure the disease “bitch udder”, you need to cleanse the blood with nettle - 1 tbsp. l. dry herbs, pour 1 glass of boiling water, leave and drink throughout the day. do this for 2-3 weeks. (Recipe from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” 2006, No. 24, p. 4)
How to quickly cure a bitched udder with a golden mustache. The girl developed an abscess under her arm. At night she put 2 leaves of the golden mustache plant on it. The second night I did the same. And that’s it, on the third night nothing began to heal, and a week later there was no trace of hidradenitis left. (Review from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” 2006, No. 4, p. 31).
Tibetan black patch for abscesses and inflammation under the armpit. This folk remedy will allow you to quickly remove any abscesses, boils, or “bitch udders.” Here is the recipe: Mix 50 grams of grated laundry soap, 50 grams of rye flour, 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil and 1 tbsp. l. honey Dilute all this with 150 grams of boiling water, cook for 2-3 minutes, add 1 church candle without a wick. Stir, the ointment is ready. Apply this ointment to a napkin and apply it to the abscess, secure with an adhesive plaster. Change the bandage with ointment daily. At first, painful sensations are possible. Full recovery occurs after 2 weeks. (Folk method from the newspaper “Bulletin of Healthy Lifestyle” 2007, No. 7, p. 30, 2013, No. 1, p. 27)
How to get rid of hidradenitis in succession. An 8-year-old girl developed inflammation under her armpit, and an abscess formed, red and painful, the size of a walnut. The doctor prescribed an operation, but the biology teacher gave the following folk recipe for hidradenitis: make a strong infusion of string, soak a cloth in the hot infusion and apply it to the abscess. Apply a warm, damp compress 6-8 times a day. In 2 days, the child’s udder was completely removed. (Review from the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” 2010, No. 7, p. 3)
What should be done to prevent hidradenitis?
Hidradenitis is easier to prevent than to treat. Those who are already familiar with purulent inflammation of the sweat glands and its consequences should be especially careful. The main preventive measures for the disease are:
- maintaining personal hygiene
- careful selection of cosmetics or complete refusal of cosmetics
- control blood sugar levels, exclude staphylococcal infection
- careful hair removal in “risk areas”: armpits, groin, stomach and chest
- treating the armpits with alcohol during periods of heavy sweating
- preventing dust and dirt from coming into contact with sweaty skin
