Bough udder: photos, causes, folk remedies. Bough udder (hydradenitis) - what kind of disease is it, causes, treatment

Hydradenitis (bough udder ) is a purulent inflammation of the sweat glands (apocrine glands) caused by staphylococci. Bough udder most often occurs with anemia, endocrine diseases, including diabetes, as a result of nervous and physical overload. A bitch udder develops more often in the armpits, less often around the pectoral nipples, genitals (in women), on the skin of the scrotum (in men), and anus. It occurs in the same proportion in both women and men. Bough udder begins with inflammation of the sweat gland, which is joined by inflammation of the surrounding subcutaneous fat. The weakening of the body, excessive sweating, diaper rash, uncleanliness predispose to the disease.

The reasons

Bacteria (staphylococcus streptococcus), reduced immunity, micro trauma, violation of hygiene rules, diabetes mellitus, .

Symptoms

The appearance of an itching sensation at the site of inflammation, in the thickness of the skin and subcutaneous tissue - a small, but gradually increasing dense, painful nodule ranging in size from a few millimeters to 1-2 centimeters. Gradually, the size of the swelling and pain increase, the temperature rises, headache, weakness. The skin above it becomes purple-red. The center of the swelling gradually softens, opens, and creamy pus begins to stand out through the hole formed. After 10–15 days (the development cycle of one infiltrate), healing occurs, which ends with the formation of a scar .

Treatment with folk remedies

- Mix in equal proportions butter, sour cream and cottage cheese (you can take a little more), mix well and apply the mixture in the form of a compress to the sore spot, fix it. Apply the mixture until the painful seals completely disappear.

- Take 1 part of combustible sulfur (rosin), 1 part of beeswax (wax candle) and 1.5 parts of sunflower oil. Melt everything in an enamel saucepan over low heat. Strain and store in the refrigerator (the ointment can be stored for a long time without losing its qualities). Lubricate the affected areas of the skin with the resulting ointment 3-4 times a day until the inflammatory process stops.

- All take 50g. Mix rosin, natural wax, unsalted lard (melted lard), laundry soap and vegetable oil (sunflower). Grind all components and boil. When the mass cools down a little, add chopped onion, aloe and garlic. Put on the stove, let it boil and leave, wrapped, for 2 hours. Strain and lubricate sore spots, before use, heat the ointment in a water bath .

- Grate 50g of onion and 50g of laundry soap. Melt 150 g of interior pork fat, add soap and onion there, quickly stirring to cool. Apply the resulting ointment to the affected area. Store in a cool place.

- Take 1 liter of vegetable oil, 30 ml of fresh juice of one whole stem of celandine and 100 ml of purified kerosene. Mix all components thoroughly and insist in a dark, cool place for 7 days, shaking occasionally. Soak a sterile napkin with the resulting mixture and apply to the sore spot. Change the bandage 2 times a day for 2 weeks. Shake the mixture constantly before each use.

- Take equal amounts of beeswax, mutton fat, spruce resin, honey and finely chopped garlic. Mix all the ingredients, put in a pan and, stirring constantly, melt over low heat. Apply a sterile gauze napkin soaked in this mixture to the surface of a boil, abscess or purulent wound. Such « plaster "quickly hardens, draws out pus well, cleans and disinfects wounds.

- Take in equal proportions of sulfur from spruce, creamy unsalted ghee, beeswax. Put everything in an enamel pan and put on fire. Allow to boil until foamy and immediately strain through 2 layers of gauze. Store the ointment in the refrigerator.

- Grind 100 g of baby soap on a fine grater, add 80 g of ichthyol ointment, 1.5 g of camphor powder, 50 g of glycerin, 1 tbsp each - honey and interior lard and aloe juice squeezed from 3-4 flower leaves. Mix everything, and simmer in a water bath for 5-7 minutes, then add a pinch of flour, stirring and remove from heat. Add honey, stir and the ointment is ready.

— « Balm of the Balynins«. Put 100 g of oil, 40 n beeswax and 1/3 teaspoon of granulated sugar into an enamel bowl and heat over low heat, stirring, until smooth, so that all components are dissolved. Then remove from heat, cool and you can use. Store the ointment in a glass container in a cool place for a year. Spruce is a wood oil composed of 5 components: myrrh (a fragrant resin derived from the myrrh tree), fragrant cinnamon (the bark of brown branches), fragrant cinnamon, fragrant cassia (thin bark from the bay tree) and olive oil. If spruce cannot be obtained, then high-quality olive oil can be used.

- Peel 3-4 cloves of garlic and pour 3 cups of apple cider vinegar, leave in a dark place for 2 weeks. Moisten a sterile napkin in this composition, wring out and apply to the sore spot, secure with a compress bandage and leave overnight, and apply a new compress in the morning .

- Pound pumpkin seeds (without peel), take wax from a marigold and the same amount of laundry soap. Boil all this over low heat in 1 tablespoon of unrefined vegetable oil for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. At the end of cooking, add chopped onion, the size of a walnut, mix and remove from heat. Store the ointment in the refrigerator.

- Take fresh chicken (10-15-20 pieces), depending on the volume of wounds and boil them hard. Peel, put the yolks in a duck bowl and put in the oven to languish for 3-4 hours until the yolks become a homogeneous mass, similar to ointment. This ointment and lubricate the wounds. After such treatment, scars do not remain.

- Sift 0.5 kg of birch ash and pour 5 liters of boiling water. Insist, wrapped, until the infusion becomes warm. Lower the sore leg into this lye for 30 minutes or make a compress from the lye on the sore spot 2 times a day for 2 hours. The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks. The lye will draw out all the pus and cleanse the wound. But each time after using the lye, the wound must be washed with tincture of calendula, you can use pharmacy - 40 drops per 1 glass of cold boiled water.

— Miracle ointment . Pour 1 glass of lean (sunflower) or olive oil into an enameled bowl, dip in natural wax (church candles will not work) the size of a matchbox. Put on a small fire to melt the wax. Take half of the yolk from a hard-boiled egg, grind it and send it in small pieces to the boiling mixture. The oil immediately begins to foam, so you need to be careful, quickly remove the pan from the heat - let it rage to the side, but at the same time you need to stir constantly. Put on the stove and send another piece of yolk to the brew, and so on, until the whole half of the yolk runs out. Then strain the mixture through a nylon cloth. Store the ointment in the refrigerator, warm it up a little before use.

- Cut a fresh pod of hot pepper and put the inside on the sore spot, fix with adhesive plaster or bandage. Make dressings 2 times a day and keep for 40 minutes. Carry out the procedures until the abscess opens.

- Knead honey with flour so that the resulting cake does not crumble, but is viscous and add a little - a little bird fat (goose, chicken, duck). Store the cake in cellophane, not in the refrigerator. Wash the sore spots with warm water and laundry soap, then put the cake, kneading it, directly on the body or clean crumpled paper like a blotter. Tie with a clean cloth and insulate on top. If purulent open, then change the cake 3 times a day. Apply the cake until the sore heals.

- 0.5 l of vegetable oil and 0.5 g of beeswax put on fire. As it boils, remove, throw 1 large onion coarsely chopped there and put on fire. As soon as the hat rises, remove from heat, then put it back on and so on 3 times. It is necessary to ensure that the onion does not burn, if thick (try on a plate), then add oil, if liquid, then wax. When removed from heat, add 1 tbsp of honey and 2 tbsp of 96% alcohol. Mix everything thoroughly and store in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Apply the ointment to the bandage and apply to the treated wound.

Bough udder is hydradenitis, a very painful abscess in the axillary region. It includes the axillary fossa, inguinal and anal zone, areola area. This pathology is especially relevant in the summer. Many patients face this common unpleasant systemic ailment.

In women, this microbial pathology often occurs under the breast, in the inguinal folds. In the representatives of the stronger sex - in the perineum. Hidradenitis is an acute systemic purulent inflammation that affects the sweat glands of the skin and hair follicles. Sometimes the sebaceous glands located almost on the entire surface of the skin are drawn into the inflammatory process.

1 Etiology and mechanism of pathology development

Apocrine sweat glands are located on the eyelids, in the anogenital region, on the wings of the nose, in the armpits. This type of gland in the human body performs important functions. There are many of these tubular sweat glands in the armpit. Under the influence of a nerve impulse, they secrete a secret that comes to the surface. Small droplets of sweat appear here. Such a natural process every second happens to every person with varying degrees of intensity. This is a natural defense mechanism.

But sometimes for various reasons it is violated:

Reduced local immunity, obesity, constant scratching of the skin, general weakening of the body, frequent colds, high alkaline sweat reaction, excessive sweating are common causes of acute hydradenitis. A round painful formation appears in the armpit area.
Endocrine disease. Most often, diabetes mellitus is a provoking factor.
Scratches, abrasions, other damage to the skin resulting from an injury. Usually, acute hydradenitis develops as a result of microtraumas received during shaving of the hairline in the axillary fossa.
The use of the usual roll-on deodorant is a dangerous risk factor for the development of hidradenitis. In most cases, antiperspirants clog the excretory ducts of the sweat glands. These glands cease to secrete a biological secret. There is dryness of the skin. Then there is suppuration in the axillary zone, since infection is always present in this area. The pathological process develops in the sweat gland. There are a lot of small active pustules here.
In case of non-compliance with personal hygiene, the functions of the apocrine sweat glands are disrupted: drainage, outflow of sweat and sebaceous secretion, which accumulate in the tissues. The infection penetrates into the affected cells of the axillary regions.
The most common infectious agent is streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus. They constantly live on the skin or are brought into the tissues from the outside through the lymphatic vessels, through the excretory ducts of the glands. Pathogenic bacteria actively multiply.
Only with the onset of puberty do the apocrine sweat glands begin to function. Their number decreases with age. Therefore, in senile and childhood hydradenitis does not develop. This is a disease of middle age. Sweat gland disease can be either acute or chronic.

2 Symptoms of the disease

It is very difficult not to notice the signs of acute inflammation that develops in the dermis:

A dense rounded formation occurs on the skin in the axillary zone. The axillary fossa is the most common localization of the pathology. At an early stage of the disease, patients most often complain of a feeling of irritation, pain in the armpit.
At first, the size of small nodules is 2-3 cm in diameter. Nodules that are hard to the touch are soldered to the skin. There is no purulent core in this disease.
Over time, the disease passes into the next stage of development. Painful formations soon increase and become large. Inflamed ulcers in the thickness of the dermis become purple. These nodes are connected, an extensive affected area is formed.
Intoxication develops. Severe swelling occurs in the affected area. The disease is often accompanied by headache, fever up to 39.0°C. Very often there are chills, trembling and weakness. Since the pain syndrome is very pronounced, loss of consciousness is often noted.
In the lymph nodes, an accumulation of inflammatory elements occurs, therefore, an increase in such formations in the connective tissue is noted. Purulent discharge becomes a vivid manifestation of the disease if the patient with hydradenitis does nothing.
In the stage of suppuration, the swelling softens. In the axillary region, a symptom of fluctuation occurs. Pus accumulates under the skin. During palpation of the affected area, the doctor feels the fluctuation of the purulent fluid under the elastic walls of the closed cavity.

Inflammatory phenomena are exacerbated after each shave in the armpit area.
An extensive and very painful infiltrate is formed when the infection spreads to neighboring sweat glands. The skin becomes bumpy. Purulent elements merge into one large focus.
Then the abscess is opened. A creamy purulent content with streaks of blood is released from its center. The healing process can take a long time.

3 Complications of hidradenitis

In advanced cases, as a result of the development of pathology, coarse keloid scars remain. This leads not only to cosmetic defects, but also to functional disorders in the axillary region. The axillary region is very intensively supplied with blood. Therefore, infection of the whole organism as a whole is possible if the infection enters the bloodstream.

If adequate treatment of hidradenitis is not carried out, a new manifestation of the female udder develops. Kidneys and liver suffer. The infection often spreads throughout the body. There are sepsis, phlegmon, abscess, lymphadenitis. Sometimes these serious illnesses lead to death.

4 Treatment activities

It is carried out strictly individually:

It is very difficult to treat hydradenitis in the axillary and inguinal regions, since the external manifestations of the disease disappear quickly enough, and patients, subjectively feeling completely healthy, often stop treatment. But the infection continues to exist. As a result of the mechanical action of linen, the influence of temperature factors, the infection spreads again and goes deeper and deeper. As a result, phlegmon of the lower or upper extremities develops.
The diagnosis is established after a visual examination, palpation, laboratory examination of the contents of pustular rashes, a blood test for sugar. Consultations of the endocrinologist, the surgeon are necessary.
It is possible to treat a bough udder without punctures and incisions by conservative methods. Based on the results of the diagnosis, the dermatologist decides how to treat the inflammation of the gland. The tactics of treatment depends on the stage of development of hidradenitis in the patient.

5 Conservative topical therapy

The spread of infection at this stage of the development of the disease is often facilitated by the erroneous actions of patients who dilate the vessels in the axillary region, applying heat to painful formations. How to treat hydradenitis at the initial stage?

If the infiltrate has just begun to form, the dermatologist usually recommends:

Ointments with antibiotics. Stay under the sun. Carrying out physiotherapy. The death of bacteria causes ultraviolet radiation.
You can not squeeze out the abscess. The affected surface is regularly treated with a special antiseptic. A 10% solution of camphor spirit, brilliant green is used. Alcoholic applications are effective.
A large infiltrate is chipped with a solution of novocaine, an antibiotic.

6 Systemic antibacterial method

Such therapy is prescribed if the seal has already spread in the subcutaneous tissue, but the process has not passed into the purulent stage.

The doctor can prescribe a full therapeutic treatment:

Inside, antibiotics are prescribed that affect anaerobes and gram-positive bacteria: staphylococcus aureus or streptococcus. The area of inflammation is forbidden to wet during the active stage of the pathological process.
Patients with hidradenitis should adhere to a special diet, which is aimed at increasing the immunogenicity of the body. Berries, nuts, multivitamins are needed. Abstinence from alcohol is important. Spicy, sweet foods should be excluded from the diet.
All provoking factors must be eliminated after the illness.

7 Surgical care for illness

If the therapeutic methods of treating hidradenitis did not stop the pathological process, a ripe abscess appeared, one has to resort to surgical intervention. The symptom of fluctuation is a direct indication for the removal of purulent hydradenitis. If a bough udder develops, treatment by a surgeon should begin immediately. Sometimes it is necessary to perform up to 10 openings in one axillary region.

The specialist does anesthesia. On an outpatient basis, a wide surgical incision is performed. The doctor, using a traditional scalpel, opens the abscess, excising the inflamed tissue, since the focus of infection must be drained. The affected tissue is completely removed. There is an outflow of purulent exudate. Excruciating pain instantly disappears, body temperature drops. Then, in order to protect the wound from contamination, an aseptic dressing is applied. Proper care of the operated area is important. As a rule, the condition of such a patient does not require hospitalization. He is being treated on an outpatient basis.

Innovative laser technologies:

This is the safest method of effective painless surgical treatment of the bough udder. The modern laser device has many serious advantages. It is significantly superior to a surgical knife in various indicators.
Laser surgery is more aesthetic. After it, almost imperceptible scars remain.
The procedure is almost painless. Laser technology does not require special preparation.
A modern surgical laser device cuts tissue bloodlessly much more accurately than a scalpel. Coagulation is a very valuable property of the laser, since it allows you to seal small vessels and stop bleeding instantly. The penetration into the wound of the infection is excluded.
Recovery times are significantly reduced. After 2 days, the patient can return to the usual rhythm of life.

Prevention of hidradenitis and its complications:

It is advisable to take a shower regularly, use shaving cream and hair removal.
You should not wear clothes that constrain the chest, armpits, buttocks, inguinal folds, as this injures the skin.
Often, hydradenitis occurs after the use of certain types of deodorants. Such cosmetics need to be replaced.
If inflammation of the apocrine sweat gland develops in a woman taking contraceptives, the pill should be discontinued.

Hydradenitis is a serious disease. However, many patients misunderstand their health. They mistakenly believe that over time, small purulent skin formations disappear on their own, so the bitch udder under the arm does not need special treatment. To avoid serious complications, prevention of a serious illness is necessary.

In no case should you delay the treatment of the disease.

If symptoms of hydradenitis appear, you do not need to use folk remedies. You should immediately contact a specialist. Dangerous chronic deep purulent foci on the skin in the axillary region, which are accompanied by soreness, swelling, itching. However, the process rarely comes to a surgical operation if the patient consults a dermatologist in a timely manner. Complete healing from the bitch udder is really possible.

And some secrets.

Have you ever had problems with Itching and irritation? Judging by the fact that you are reading this article, you have a lot of experience. And of course, you know firsthand what it is:

scratch annoyance
wake up in the morning with another itchy plaque in a new place
persistent unbearable itching
severe dietary restrictions
inflamed, bumpy skin, spots.

Now answer the question: Are you satisfied with this? Is it possible to endure? And how much money have you already “leaked” for ineffective treatment? That's right - it's time to end them! Do you agree? That is why we decided to publish an interview with Elena Malysheva, in which she reveals in detail the secret why itchy skin and how to deal with it. Read article.

Hidradenitis (bough udder) - is a purulent inflammation of the apocrine sweat gland, located in the armpit and is usually diagnosed only on one side. It is also localized in the region of the inguinal fold, sometimes appears near the nipple, on the labia majora, scrotum or anus. Below is a photo of a clinical case of a female udder.

What is this disease and why does it have such a name

Regardless of the cause that led to the development of the bough udder, infectious pathogens will always be staphylococci and streptococci. They penetrate the sweat channels, and then occupy the fat cells. After that, inflammation develops. Therefore, treatment in most cases is not aimed at eliminating the symptoms and abscess, but at fighting bacterial agents.

The disease received the popular version of the name because of the obvious similarity of the pendulous abscess that appeared in the armpit and the nipples on the breast of a lactating bitch. Outwardly, the abscess is also limited to the areola, has a base and ends in a spherical or teardrop-shaped “nipple”.

Causes and symptoms

The root cause is a weakening of the immune system, which, against the background of increased sweating and alkalization of sweat in the armpits, inguinal folds, genitals and anus, leads to the formation of an inflammatory focus.

At the first stage of the disease, the doctor, when probing, will determine dense formations that ripen one by one and are small in size. Usually, a bough udder begins to grow from dermal and hypodermal cells. Characteristic symptoms appear, the patient feels itching and periodic pain. Inflammation of the sweat glands passes into an acute stage, the formations grow rapidly, solder with the upper layers of the skin, become pear-shaped and swell on the surface in the form of a nipple. The photo of seals in the first stage shows almost intact skin.

By this time, the skin becomes cyanotic, swelling and a local increase in body temperature are observed at the site of the lesion. The pains are getting stronger. It often happens that initially isolated foci begin to merge, after which the formation becomes soft, begins to sag, and then spontaneously opens, releasing thick pus mixed with blood. The bitch udder does not form a necrotic core, but in some cases an extensive and dense purulent infiltrate forms under the skin, which can be mistaken for phlegmon.

Symptoms become pronounced: itching, pain that worries a person even at rest, and becomes very strong when moving. When hidradenitis matures, the patient suffers from chills or fever, general malaise, fever, constant pain. After the ripened abscess opens, the manifestations of the disease subside, tension and pain gradually disappear. After a few days, open ulcers will begin to scar. But if there is a purulent infiltrate, then healing will take much longer.

Chronic hidradenitis is characterized by constant relapses, due to which the healing process becomes protracted. Hydradenitis under the arm usually develops unilaterally. But when the disease becomes chronic, patients often suffer from bilateral inflammation. Bough udder passes through 15-20 days. But if you postpone treatment, then the purulent focus and symptoms of inflammation may return again. This is especially dangerous for overweight patients, as well as for those who suffer from hyperhidrosis, diabetes or neglect body hygiene.

Photo of chronic hidradenitis with multiple inflammations:

Where is the bitch udder: who is more likely to have this disease

It usually appears in those who neglect personal hygiene as a result of maceration, after microtrauma, at the site of razor cuts, or scratching in the area of itchy dermatosis. The disease is also typical for people with diagnosed endocrine diseases, for example, with diabetes, which provokes dysfunction of the apocrine glands, as well as for patients with immunodeficiency, with a decrease in local resistance. Women have more apocrine glands than men, but during the aging of the body they lose their function, this justifies the fact that hydradenitis under the arm does not occur in elderly people. The bitch udder also has a gender predisposition, in women such inflammation occurs often, in men - less often.

Which doctor deals with this problem: diagnostic methods of examination

An experienced doctor will establish hidradenitis without much difficulty during the initial examination. It is necessary to contact the surgeon, who, if necessary, redirects the patient to an endocrinologist or therapist. The bitch udder has a characteristic localization and is distinguished by a constant clinical picture. To distinguish it from a boil, it is enough to find a necrotic rod in the latter.

Hidradenitis must be differentiated from scrofuloderma, which is characterized by a protracted course, damage to regional lymph nodes, the absence of pain and the appearance of extensive erosions on the skin surface. A purulent abscess without a rod during healing does not form a bridge-like scar and fistulas, and the reasons for its appearance do not lie in tuberculosis. Photos from medical sources clearly show the differences between the bitch udder and scrofuloderma.

How to treat hydradenitis

The treatment of the female udder is based on the use of antibiotics, the dose and frequency of which are determined by the attending physician. Potent nitrofurans and sulfonamides can be added to these drugs, the principle of action of which is similar to antibiotics. In the chronic form, the patient is shown immunotherapy and taking general strengthening drugs. To speed up the maturation process, a compress of ichthyol ointment is applied to the inflamed area.

And after opening the abscess, the compress must be changed twice a day. In addition, physiotherapy treatments are prescribed, such as dry heat, UHF and ultraviolet radiation. External treatment allows you to treat the wound with pharmaceutical ointments, as well as alcohol tincture of sophora. A compress from a decoction of St. John's wort, Kalanchoe juice, with sea buckthorn and eucalyptus oil helps. What ichthyol ointment looks like can be found in a photo from the Internet.

Surgical treatment is permissible only after the maturation of the abscess. It can be opened with a small incision and the pus drained. For healing, it is recommended to use homeopathic methods. To close wounds and prevent infection, a bandage is not applied, since during movement they contribute to the spread of pus over the surface of the armpit. When dressing, the doctor wets the wounds with antiseptics and uses bactericidal stickers.

An abscess can be treated at home, but it is best to do this after consulting a surgeon and agreeing on the chosen methods.

In the first few days, when the inflammatory focus is just beginning to swell, you can warm the affected area several times a day with dry heat.
If the inflammation began in the summer, then solar radiation can also be used for warming up. One sunbathing session should not last more than 10 minutes.
In the chronic form of hidradenitis, the doctor may recommend treatment with the so-called blue lamp. Such warm-ups are done for 5 minutes twice a day. The lamp itself is held 20 cm from the skin.

Visual photo of the device

The doctor categorically forbids taking hot baths, the patient should wash only in the shower, while the swollen area of \u200b\u200bthe skin is tightly sealed with adhesive tape. Water can spread the infection throughout the body, which can cause a purulent focus to appear in the groin or on the folds of the neck. To prevent possible spread, it is recommended to wipe the body with an antibacterial tonic after a shower. Boric or salicylic alcohol can be applied around the bitch udder to prevent nearby apocrine glands from becoming inflamed. In addition, all hairs surrounding the inflammation should be shaved off.

The surface of the skin in the armpits should look like in the photo below.

Prevention

Clothing should always be clean, made from natural fabrics and appropriate for the season. It is better to give up tight things made from synthetic materials. With this combination, the body sweats much more intensely, but the secret is not absorbed into the tissue, but remains on the surface of the skin.

It is necessary to normalize weight and balance nutrition. Exclude from use irritating cosmetics and antiperspirants that block the channels of the sweat glands. Armpits should be washed twice a day, and in summer - more often and always with soap.

Hydradenitis during pregnancy

In pregnant women, hydradenitis under the arm appears due to increased sweating, hormonal imbalance, and metabolic disorders. In place of microtraumas and cracks that appeared as a result of improper care of the breasts and nipples, seals appear, which later develop to the stage of an abscess. Antibiotics during pregnancy are highly discouraged, so the abscess is opened surgically, after which the wound heals with the help of herbal medicines. In pregnant women, inflammation is often accompanied by irritation, itching and flaking, which can be clearly seen in this photo:

A woman is necessarily in a hospital, because her condition must be constantly monitored by a doctor. The drained wound is treated with antiseptics several times per bitch. In addition, they change the nutrition system of a pregnant woman. Treatment also consists of taking complex multivitamins. With positive dynamics, the pregnant woman is discharged and then observed on an outpatient basis, continuing to use ointments for external use.

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Hydradenitis(popularly, the disease "bitch's udder" or "wolf's udder") is an acute purulent inflammation of the sweat glands. The cause of the disease is staphylococcus aureus. Most often, this inflammation occurs under the arm, less often around the nipples, navel and in the perineum.

Causes of hydradenitis:
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)
8) smoking
9) overweight

How to treat hydradenitis at home?

Medicines against hidradenitis (bitch's udder).
As soon as you feel painful discomfort, wipe 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 arm, apply ointment to the skin: ichthyol, Vishnevsky or levomekol. Ointment should not be spared: apply it liberally on a napkin with a slide and apply to the abscess. Secure the napkin with a bandage or plaster. If the inflammation is strong, 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, during the day, lubricate abscesses with iodine or brilliant green. Exclude water procedures.
For 3-5 days of such treatment, the bitch udder completely disappears.

How to treat a bitch udder under the arm with folk remedies?

Treatment of hydradenitis with folk remedies is very effective. These remedies allow you to draw out pus and relieve inflammation under the armpit very quickly. Below are reviews of how it was possible to cure hydradenitis (“bitch udder”) and avoid surgery. The recipes of the cured are taken from the newspaper "Bulletin of Healthy Lifestyle".

If the pharmacy is far away, and the disease caught you in the field, then folk remedies for hydradenitis will help: attach the leaves of plantain, blackberry, lilac, aloe, Kalanchoe, cabbage to the inflamed area. A baked onion or a compress with grated potatoes helps well. Inside it is useful to take an infusion of calendula flowers. (Folk remedies from the newspaper "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" from healthy lifestyle 2013, No. 13, pp. 12-13)

Treatment of hydradenitis (bough udder) at home with a curd compress.
The woman developed hydradenitis under her arm, she was offered an operation, but the disease was cured with folk remedies. A familiar grandmother helped her, who cured her daughter's bitch udder with the same method.
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 fix it tightly. Prepare the mixture fresh every evening. By morning it dries up. The bumps that had already begun to burrow were getting smaller every day. The woman did compresses until the painful seals completely disappeared. The operation was not needed. (Review from the newspaper "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" 2001, No. 3, pp. 18-19).

It helps to cure hydradenitis and simple cottage cheese, 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 "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" 2007, No. 4, p. 33).

Honey cake helped get rid of hydradenitis. An effective remedy against inflammation of the sweat glands.
A woman had an abscess under her arm, unbearable pains began, she turned to a surgeon. The boil was cut, and she lost consciousness from the pain. After a while, hidradenitis returned again, but the woman was afraid to go to the hospital. In addition, a friend told her how to treat a bitch udder with folk remedies.
1 st. l. heat honey in a water bath, mix with flour, knead the cake and apply at night to the abscess under the arm in the form of a compress, covered with polyethylene. Make fresh bread every night. Hidradenitis was cured without surgery, the disease never returned. (Folk method from the newspaper "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" 2003, No. 3, p. 19)

Onion is an effective folk remedy for the treatment of bough udders.

Treatment of hydradenitis (bough udder) at home with onion ointment.
50 g of laundry soap, grated on a fine grater, 50 g of grated onion, 150 g of melted interior pork fat. Combine everything and heat slightly, rubbing to get a homogeneous mass. Cool down. Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Apply an ointment 2-3 cm thick on a small piece of gauze, apply to the abscess under the arm. Top polyethylene and plaster. Change 2 times a day, but if the pus comes out intensively, then change every 2 hours. Inflammation under the arm quickly passes, the bitch udder heals without a trace. (Home treatment from the newspaper "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" 2004, No. 2, p. 25-26)

Alternative treatment of hydradenitis (bough udder) with a bulb.
A 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, attach the cut to the abscess under the arm. (Recipe from the newspaper "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" 2006, No. 2, p. 11)

How to treat bitch udder (hydradenitis) with herbs. Review.

A woman has a furuncle under her arm. Despite the treatment, hidradenitis progressed, there were more and more abscesses. The surgeon was far away, so the woman decided to treat the bitch 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, mix. Insist in the dark for 40 days, strain.
Ointment preparation. 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's ointment and 1 part of ichthyol ointment to the herbal slurry. Dilute this whole mixture with calendula oil prepared in advance to get 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 in a day: abscesses under the arm increased, white heads appeared. On the 3-4th day, all the pus began to come out. (Review from the newspaper "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" 2006, No. 18, p. 31)

Alternative treatment of hydradenitis with a wax compress.
The girl was in the hospital with a fracture of the spine, and in addition, she developed hydradenitis. The neighbors in the ward advised such a folk remedy: take rosin, beeswax and butter in equal proportions. Melt everything in an enamel bowl and stir well, but do not boil. Get a homogeneous mass. When it cools down, fold the bandage in several layers, apply this ointment on it and attach it to the abscess under the arm, securing it with adhesive tape. As the pus is drawn out, change the compresses until everything passes. (Review from the newspaper "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" 2006, No. 24, p. 33)

Purification of blood with hydradenitis.
To cure the disease "bitch's udder", it is necessary to clean the blood with nettles - 1 tbsp. l. dry herbs pour 1 cup boiling water, insist and drink throughout the day. do this for 2-3 weeks. (Recipe from the newspaper "Bulletin of Healthy Lifestyle" 2006, No. 24, p. 4)

How to quickly cure a bitch udder with a golden mustache.
The girl had an abscess under her arm. At night, she applied 2 leaves of a golden mustache plant to it. Did the same on the second night. And that's it, on the third night nothing began to heal, and a week later there was no trace of hydradenitis. (Review from the newspaper "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" 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, "bitch's udder". Here is the prescription:
Mix 50 g of grated laundry soap, 50 g 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 attach to the abscess, secure with adhesive tape. Change the bandage with ointment daily. Initially, painful sensations are not ruled out. Complete 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 hydradenitis in succession.
An 8-year-old girl had inflammation under her armpit, an abscess formed, red, painful, the size of a walnut. The doctor prescribed an operation, but the biology teacher gave such a popular recipe for hydradenitis: make a strong infusion of string, moisten a rag in a hot infusion and apply to the abscess. Apply a warm wet compress 6-8 times a day. For 2 days, the child's bough udder was completely removed. (Review from the newspaper "Bulletin of healthy lifestyle" 2010, No. 7, p. 3)

It is not in vain that they say that "the people will say how they will tie up." The name of hydradenitis, one of the most common purulent diseases, is a confirmation of this. Being named with the light hand of the sick "bitch's udder", it really resembles the nipples of a bitch during the feeding period. This is where the similarity ends.

Hidradenitis is a purulent inflammatory process affecting the apocrine sweat glands. Brief educational program:apocrine glands are those glands in which parts of the cells “fall off” when the secretion is produced; sweat glands belong to the "family" of such glands.

Usually, hidradenitis develops in the axillary region, less often in the inguinal region. There were cases when the area around the nipples, the labia majora in women, the scrotum in men, and even the skin around the anus were strewn with abscesses of sweat origin.

Hidradenitis: causes of development

All purulent pathologies existing in the world are similar to each other in that they are caused by an infection. Basically, hydradenitis can be provoked and. Once on the skin and gradually spreading through it, a cluster of bacteria stumbles upon the hair follicle, through its mouth (anatomical passage) is introduced into the excretory duct of the sweat glands (less often it penetrates here with the blood stream or from neighboring tissues).

In the closed space of the sweat gland, bacteria enter conditions that are ideal for the life of most living organisms: warm, dark, humid, "quiet" (not in terms of sound insulation, but meaning chemical and physical "silence" - that is, stability environment without "cataclysm" and changes). Almost immediately, under such conditions, bacteria begin to multiply intensively, their number is growing rapidly.

This process causes a natural response of the body - the accumulation of cells of the immune system in a place of high concentration of foreign agents (which are bacteria). The resulting pus is the dead bacteria and white blood cells involved in the fight against them. Due to the fact that the sweat gland has a limited space, and pus continues to accumulate - it swells, its cavity is bursting with purulent contents, the walls of the cavity become thinner, the skin in the projection of the gland also becomes thinner, bulging with pus, becomes shiny - this gives the abscess the appearance of dog nipples during feeding.

Predisposition to the disease, factors provoking its onset

We all do not live in a sterile environment, but not all suffer from hydradenitis. To him more predisposed patients who have:

Directly the occurrence of hydradenitis is provoked by:

non-observance of elementary hygiene rules (armpits, anus, inguinal folds are conditionally closed areas, so ideal conditions are created here for the survival of a pathogenic agent);
maceration (corrosion of the skin in conditions of high humidity - for example, due to rubbing with tight jeans worn in the heat);
microtrauma (combing and, as a result, microdamage of the skin with itching (in patients with itching), cuts with inept or inaccurate shaving).

Interestingly, adults suffer from hidradenitis - because the apocrine sweat glands develop quite late, during puberty. Girls start to get sick earlier and suffer more often than boys.

Another interesting fact: during the period of withering of the body (in the elderly and the elderly), the function of the apocrine glands also fades, therefore, starting from 55-57 years and older, hydradenitis is not detected. Clinical cases have been described more than once, when people who regularly suffer from "bitch's udder" during their puberty, in old age, even against the background of a weakened immune system, a complete spontaneous (without any therapeutic measures) recovery occurred. At the same time, until the end of their lives, they did not have a single relapse, although earlier these people suffered almost all their lives due to recurrent hidradenitis.

Clinical manifestations

It is not difficult to diagnose hidradenitis on the basis of clinical manifestations (complaints and examination data). According to clinical manifestations, the following stages of hydradenitis are distinguished:

infiltration;
suppuration and rejection of pus;
scarring.

At the stage of infiltration, patients feel a slight soreness at the site of the lesion, which, if therapeutic measures have not been taken, quickly increases. Increased pain is provoked by compression of the nerve roots by inflamed swollen tissues, and later by pus. Nodules of medium density and soreness are felt, which lie shallow.

After 1-2 days from the onset of the disease, swelling of the tissues already visible to the eye is distinguished, they are hot to the touch - pus forms, the stage of suppuration starts (and after 24-36 hours - and rejection of pus). With the progression of the purulent process, the tissues begin to swell in the form of nipples (the tops of individual abscesses), the skin around these foci become hot to the touch, red, closer to the focus - with a bluish tint.

When the abscess is ready to self-open, the skin in this place becomes thinner and acquires a specific whitish color and luster. With generalization (spread), individual abscesses merge into a single whole. When the pus no longer fits in the cavity, the thinned skin breaks through, the purulent focus self-opens, the patient feels a sharp subsidence of pain, subjective relief occurs. Pus is secreted, similar to thick sour cream, with an admixture of blood. There is no necrotic core - purulent masses are homogeneous.

After the cavity is cleansed of pus (with medical assistance and much less often spontaneous), the stage of scarring begins - the cavity is filled with connective tissue, which fills it from the inside out and "crowns" with a scar. In cases without complications, it may take 8-12 days from the onset of the disease to complete scarring.

Differential (distinctive) diagnosis

Hidradenitis outwardly and according to the subjective sensations of the patient is similar to (an abscess of the hair follicle), but, unlike a boil, this disease does not form a necrotic core.

Sometimes hidradenitis can be confused with collicative tuberculosis of the skin, in which tissue thickening in the form of nodules also first appears and subsequent suppuration. But collicative tuberculosis is characterized by a longer duration, as well as a more gradual development of the process into which the lymph nodes are drawn in and which ends with the formation of multiple ulcers, fistulas and characteristic bridge-like scars. Collicative tuberculosis is confirmed by the detection of Koch's bacillus.

It is difficult to confuse with hydradenitis, because the content of atheroma is cheesy, and not creamy, it is larger in size, it sticks out of healthy tissues in the form of one bump, and not several small nipples, as a rule, it is not characterized by signs of inflammation.

Options for the course of hydradenitis

In some cases, hydradenitis does not pass from the stage of infiltration to the purulent stage. Due to the timely immune response, the process in the tissues stops, and then completely develops in the opposite direction: redness, pain, and tissue swelling disappear. A seal remains at the site of the lesion, which disappears over time. With repeated action of provocative factors, the process can be started again, in this case it often develops faster, ending with the formation of a full-fledged abscess and rejection of its contents.

There is another variant of the course of hydradenitis, when purulent changes migrate from the sweat glands to the surrounding tissues. Those become similar to - there is a dense (to the touch, like a wooden board) swelling of the tissues without clearly formed individual abscesses, with severe soreness. Due to the generalization (spread) of the infectious process on the tissues, the general condition of patients with such signs as:

increased body temperature (up to 38-38.5 degrees Celsius and above);
dry mouth;
general weakness and malaise.

If the immune system is weakened, then after the treatment of hydradenitis, its relapses (repetitions) are possible - in most cases in the same place where hydradenitis was observed for the first time. By the presence of relapses, violations from the side can be suspected and the patient can be referred for a more detailed examination, continuing to treat the local process.

Conservative treatment of hidradenitis

At the stage of infiltration, if there are no symptoms of pus formation, hydradenitis is treated with conservative methods. In this case, apply:

At this stage, if nothing indicates its transition to the stage of suppuration, therapy can be received on an outpatient basis - you should visit the clinic only to take some procedures, the rest of the time you can stay at home. In this case, the correct process of hygiene procedures should be established - first of all, do not wet the affected area.

With relapses (not necessarily frequent and protracted), a correction of the immune system is shown - but not only medication. In the fight against relapses, general health promotion methods that should not be ignored will also successfully help:

fortified food;
hardening (but not at the time of relapse - dousing, winter swimming and other methods of hardening are contraindicated not only at the stage of suppuration, but also at the stage of infiltration);
physical activity;
expulsion of chronic sluggish infectious diseases that significantly weaken the immune system.

Surgical treatment of hidradenitis

At the stage of suppuration, immediate surgical treatment is indicated. In surgery, a reinforced concrete rule is cultivated: "If there is pus, it must be removed." If you ignore this postulate and rely on conservative methods of treatment, pus (and not just the pathogen) can “scatter” throughout the body.

The patient undergoes an operation to open the abscess. With the spread of pus deep into the tissues, as well as in the presence of a process in a sensitive area (for example, around the nipples, anus, in the scrotum) and the patient's personal hypersensitivity, an abscess can be opened under anesthesia (intravenous). The operation scheme is as follows:

layer-by-layer dissection of the wall of the abscess;
thorough sanitation (cleaning) of the abscess cavity to remove purulent accumulations with maximum cleaning of the most secluded corners (pockets) of the cavity;
treatment of the cavity with antiseptics;
drying with sterile material;
drainage (immersion in the abscess cavity of tubes or rubber strips, through which the remains of antiseptics and pus will flow from the postoperative wound, which can still be produced according to the “residual principle”);
applying an aseptic dressing.

The operation is simple, it can be performed in a purulent dressing room of both a polyclinic surgical room and a surgical hospital.

After opening the abscess, a dressing is done daily - sanitation of the postoperative wound with antiseptics and a change of dressing. If the process was extensive, with a large amount of pus, accompanied by general symptoms, then in the first 2-3 days, dressings can be done twice a day. They are carried out until the cavity is filled with connective tissue. Also, in parallel, a thorough toilet of the surrounding tissues is carried out.

After opening relatively small abscesses, the patient can return home on the same day and visit the clinic (hospital) for dressings and other procedures. With large ulcers, accompanied by a deterioration in the general condition, it is better to stay in hospital for at least 1 week after surgery.

In the surgical treatment of hidradenitis, conservative methods are not ignored, but they are already used as auxiliary ones:

antibacterial drugs - prescribed to prevent the pathogen from spreading to surrounding tissues and causing complications;
desensitizing agents;
vitamin therapy - injections of vitamins, primarily of group B, to accelerate the healing of a postoperative wound.

In the presence of an abscess, physiotherapy (UHF, microwave, and so on) is categorically contraindicated. But there is a borderline between the stages of infiltration and suppuration, which cannot be caught either by examination or based on the patient's complaints. In such cases, 1-2 physiotherapy procedures are prescribed: the process of suppuration is somehow inevitable, and the physical procedure will only “push” it, actually shortening the time of illness. But such "tricks" can only be used by surgeons under their vigilant supervision. If, after physiotherapy sessions, symptoms of suppuration are clearly observed, the patient immediately undergoes an operation to open the abscess.

Treatment with folk remedies

Traditional medicine has many ways of conservative treatment of hydradenitis - in particular, its moderate "warming up" in various ways (the effect is equivalent to the effect of physiotherapy procedures). Such methods can be used in the initial stages of hidradenitis, when mild symptoms are observed: slight tissue hardening, slight redness, slight soreness.

Let's repeat the most important postulate of purulent surgery: if pus appears, then it must be immediately removed from the body. Contrary to the assurances of people who are “versed” in folk methods, the only method that remains effective is surgical. Do not practice applying lozenges that contain different ingredients (including crushed food). Some folk remedies, due to the difference in osmotic pressure, can “pull out” the liquid - but if the pus is hidden in the thickness of the tissues, then this possibility is very doubtful. In addition, without medical knowledge, you will not be able to assess the magnitude of a purulent lesion.

At the first signs of the appearance of pus, it is strictly forbidden to “warm up” or squeeze out the abscess - you should immediately seek help from a surgeon. The use of antibiotics without surgical intervention (and even more so without systemic pharmacological knowledge) will not only not help, but also harm. Do not self-medicate!

Even if there was a spontaneous opening of the abscess - still do not hesitate to contact the surgeon. The cavity of the abscess will not be cleansed of pus on its own; one cannot do without deep sanitation with the use of antiseptics.

Possible complications of hidradenitis

If hydradenitis is left to chance, hoping for self-healing, or treated inappropriately (including pseudo-methods “from a neighbor”), it can cause a number of complications.First of all it is:

Disease prevention

In fact, it is much easier to prevent hidradenitis than to treat it later.You just need to eliminate the causes that lead to it:

prevent weakening of the general condition of the body;
eliminate the causes of excessive sweating;
monitor the state of the immune system;
observe hygiene rules, keep areas that are problematic in terms of the occurrence of hydradenitis (armpits, groin, nipples, labia majora, scrotum, anus) in proper cleanliness;
avoid rubbing and irritation of the skin in conditions of high humidity - for this purpose, wear comfortable clothing made from natural fabrics;
avoid microtrauma (do not comb the skin in case of dermatosis and diabetes, shave hair in problem areas as carefully as possible, if the process does not work out and there is absolutely no desire to refuse to shave annoying hair, entrust depilation to specialists in beauty salons).