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Abstract

Hidradenitis suppurativa / acne inversa (HS) is a chronic, multifactorial, debilitating, inflammatory skin appendage condition of the hair follicle. The clinical lesions of HS consist of recurrent painful nodules and abscesses, sinus tracts, hypertrophic scars and pseudocomedones, in the apocrine gland-bearing areas of the body. Management of HS should encompass the education of the patient regarding the nature of the disease, general measures, medical topical or systemic treatment and surgical therapy. According to the European Dermatology Forum guidelines, locally recurrent lesions can be treated by surgery or laser, whereas medical treatment (alone or combined with surgery) is more appropriate for widely spread lesions. Topical clindamycin 1% is the only studied topical antibiotic for HS. Systemic treatments for HS may include antibiotics (clindamycin plus rifampicin, tetracyclines), acitretin and biologic agents (adalimumab, infliximab). The treatment choice will mainly depend on the severity and extent (localized or widespread disease) of HS.

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Correspondence to Clio Dessinioti .

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Dessinioti, C., Zouboulis, C. (2015). Hidradenitis Suppurativa. In: Katsambas, A.D., Lotti, T.M., Dessinioti, C., D’Erme, A.M. (eds) European Handbook of Dermatological Treatments. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45139-7_42

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45139-7_42

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