What is Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)?

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that causes painful lumps that many people describe as boils, cysts, or abscesses. These areas most often develop in places where skin rubs together, such as the underarms, groin, under the breasts, or buttocks.

HS is sometimes mistaken for recurrent boils, ingrown hairs, or infections, but it is a long‑term inflammatory condition involving the immune system. Because HS lesions can look like boils, many people experience delays in diagnosis. Learning the difference can help people seek appropriate care sooner.

HS is NOT:

❌ Contagious
❌ An STI
❌ An infection
❌ Caused by poor hygiene

HS is NOT contagious
You can’t spread HS from one place to another on your body. You also can’t spread it from one person to another (for example it isn’t spread by sharing a washcloth or towel, from touching the drainage, or touching the lesions).

HS is NOT a sexually transmitted infection (STI)
 Because HS lesions can happen on the genitals and buttocks, people may mistake it for an STI. But we know HS isn’t an infection, it’s not contagious, you didn’t catch it from someone, and you can’t give it to anyone else.

HS is NOT an infection
HS lesions can hold bacteria, but this doesn’t mean it’s an infection. Bacteria live on our skin all the time. When an HS lesion pops up, the bacteria take advantage of the situation and move in, causing more inflammation.  

HS is NOT caused by poor hygiene
HS is not caused by how well you wash or what products you use to wash yourself or your clothing.

Is HS an autoimmune disease?
HS is better described as an autoinflammatory disease, not an autoimmune disease. This means the immune system is overactive and causes inflammation, but it does not attack healthy tissue the same way autoimmune diseases do.

Who Gets HS?

• Sex: Women are 3x more likely to get HS than men.
• Race: People who are Black or biracial are more likely to have HS than Caucasian people.
• Genetics: HS can run in families. About 30% of people with HS have a family member who also has the disease.
• Age: HS often starts after puberty - when you’re a teen or in your early 20’s - but it can also develop later in life in your 40’s or 50’s.