I've been trying to identify some dietary triggers. I haven't really found anything definitive yet. Dairy, nightshades, caffeine, bread, sugar, and carbs in general are suspected triggers. I'm going to do more research and I'll let you all know if I find anything.

Lola2023, good for you on the elimination of dairy .. I do not yet have the guts to try, but for me, just changing to non-orange cheese seems to have made a perceivable difference. ALSO, my dermatologist put me on Spironolactone 100mg several years ago, and what a huge difference it has made!

HS is an inflammatory skin condition, so it makes sense to reduce inflammation causing foods in your diet if you’re not taking a biologic (Humira, etc). From what I’ve read, limited studies have shown that eliminating dairy, refined sugar and Brewer’s yeast (good luck getting a definitive definition of that other than “Beer and Bread”) have been effective for HS. I experienced my first lesion in December 2022, but wasn’t diagnosed until this past November and I immediately instituted changes. I’m lactose-intolerant so eliminating dairy has been long overdue. I eliminated about 90-95% of the rest but that was tough over the holidays so I couldn’t get to 100%. I also started taking Spironolactone and added supplements (see my story for details) at the same time. So, it’s hard to say exactly what made a difference but something really worked. I’m not in remission (yet), but flares are so small and there is hardly any pain or drainage. Sometimes, there is no drainage and the lesion resolves on its own. So, something or everything worked!

My kiddo doesn't even eat anything dairy. I wish helping her was something as easy as dietary changes. Do others find dietary changes helpful? 🤔

It depends on your body as to what may trigger you more where food is concerned. For me dairy, creams especially, sugars, white flour, and processed foods are a trigger and since I've cut back on them and introduced fresh garlic along with coconut oil to my diet it's gotten more manageable. Also raspberry tea has helped a lot. I still flare but heal faster and doesn't burst or drain as much now along with strict hygeine care. Breathable and minimal clothing. This is what's working for me. There are a lot of different things people are doing so you have many options and things you can try and see what works with you.