12 Ways to Control Hidradenitis, Cystic Acne and Chronic Boils
With tears in my eyes, I recall the time I walked into a local dollar store and bought 20 boxes of Curad bandages so that I'd never run out of supplies to patch the leaky boils under my arms. With a profound sense of regret, I look back on all the sunny days I avoided the beach because I didn't want anyone to see my scars. I remember sleepless nights and painful days when walking across the floor seemed like an impossible feat. This was my life for 30 years, but it doesn't have to be your life. Because of my painful history, I'm exited to share that controlling this chronic skin disease is so much easier than you might think.
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You Don't Have to Go Full Atkins, Full Keto or Full Paleo for Results
About 25 years ago, I accidentally discovered that the Atkins diet seemed to be a magic bullet for clearing underarm boils quickly. My only goal was weight loss, but I ended up with shockingly clear skin! Sadly, I wasn't strong enough to maintain a super low carb lifestyle for more than a few months at a time. Slowly but surely, the carbs (and the boils...) crept back into my life. As the years wore on, more and more people began to embrace low carb lifestyles to control a wide variety of skin disorders, including hidradenitis. Diets with names like "South Beach," "Paleo" and "Keto" came into favor, and the standard list of trigger foods grew to a point where I knew I couldn't avoid every single one of them. I was just about to give up on dieting when I learned that common trigger foods like rice and potatoes can be prepared in such a way to diminish the toxins that harm us. I'll show you how to do this, but first a quick review of foods that trigger cystic acne and boils.
The Special Trigger Foods that Cause Boils are Now Widely Recognized
Don't let the list scare you. I didn't have to give up all of these foods. By keeping a food journal and recording the severity of breakouts connected to specific meals, I learned that a random piece of bread isn't going to set me off. It's the overall daily carb intake that matters most.
- Sugar feeds all types of bacterial infections. It also feeds tumors, cycts, cancer cells and fungal infections.
- Milk contains a protein called casein that stimulates hormones and aggravates hidradenitis. For this reason, folks who suffer from hidradenitis or cystic acne are often encouraged to choose almond or coconut milk. On the bright side, butter and cream contain very little casein, which makes them much less likely to aggravate the condition.
- Solanine is a poisonous compound found in vegetables from the nightshade family. Nightshade vegetables include potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Solanine helps vegetables grow in shady areas, and some believe it helps boils grow as well.
- Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins that plants use to defend themselves against animals. Insects are sensitive to these toxins, and so are humans. Foods rich in lectins include wheat, bread, pasta, beans, legumes, tomatoes, rice, potatoes and corn. These low grade toxins stick to the intestinal lining, causing various digestive problems and promoting a condition known as leaky gut syndrome. Gut permeability is a big issue among victims of hidradenitis, as food toxins can end up in our bloodstream and cause breakouts.
1. Pressure Cook Starchy Foods to Destroy Lectins
There was a time when I couldn't even look at a potato without developing a boil. When I learned that pressure cooking makes grains, potatoes and beans more digestible by reducing phytic acid and lectins, I thought this information was too good to be true. It turns out that I really CAN enjoy foods like potatoes and rice if I prepare them properly. Note that lectins are reduced far more by pressure cooking than by boiling.
This wonderful machine resolved my fear of operating old school pressure cookers like the scary contraptions our parents and grandparents used. It can be used as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, saute/browner, steamer and more. That means you can brown a roast and then pressure cook it in the same pot. Cooking a wide variety of foods makes me feel more alive and less like a person living with a painful disorder. I'm particularly fond of pot roast with potatoes and carrots, corned beef with cabbage, chicken vegetable soup with rice and organic sausage with sauerkraut. Comfort meals like this are the key to long term happiness and success. Realistically, not many of us are strong enough to embrace a strict Paleo or Keto lifestyle for years on end. Giving up everything you love is a sure-fire formula for failure.
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2. Practice Laser Hair Removal to Reduce the Number of Infected Hair Follicles
Obviously, folks with chronic underarm acne should not use ordinary razors which are notorious for chafing sensitive skin and causing bumps or infected hair follicles. Such bumps can often start out small and grow into angry boils. Today's home laser hair removal systems are quite effective in removing underarm hair without excessive irritation. Best of all, you'll see a sharp decrease in infected hair follicles. I can't say enough about this easy-to-use home machine. I'd be completely lost without it.
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3. Apply a Paste of Bentonite Clay to Problem Areas
The mere mention of this product nearly moves me to tears because it played such a profound role in helping the painful cystic acne problem that affected my underarms for more than 35 years. There's a good reason why more than 18,000 people with various skin problems delivered emotional reviews about bentonite clay. When hydrated, bentonite clay acts like a porous sponge. Throughout history, it has been purported to pull toxins from skin like a magnet. Mix this healing clay with equal parts of apple cider vinegar or water and let sit for 5-20 minutes to pull the dirt from pores. This is my secret for drawing pus out of active boils and maintaining clear skin when boils aren't present.
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4. Use Activated Charcoal Masks to Fade Scars
Like bentonite clay, charcoal has long been proven to absorb toxins from skin, but it's also strongly associated with fading acne scars. When I don't have time or patience to mix my own skin masks from bentonite clay, it's nice to have a quick and luxurious product that's already blended for me. When shopping for the perfect charcoal mask, be sure to read ingredients. Many organic products use more cheap potato starch than charcoal. (Remember that potatoes are well known to aggravate hidradenitis.) I favor the brand at left because the list of ingredients reads like a dream: Dead sea mud, organic shea butter, activated charcoal, organic sunflower oil, organic aloe leaf juice, organic glycerin, organic jojoba seed oil, hickory bark extract, calendula flower oil, water and xanthan gum.
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5. Choose a Surgical Soap with Residual Germ Killing Effects
Without a proper antibacterial soap, drainage from boils can spread across the surface of skin and infect neighboring hair follicles, leaving you with a cluster of bumps instead of just one. Hibiclens soap is preferred among surgeons worldwide because it bonds to skin, providing 6 hours of continuous germ killing action and 24 hours of residual action. It's proven to kill viruses, fungi and resilient staph bacteria. Using Hibiclens before contact with contaminated surfaces helps eliminate the risk of transfer. Money Saving Tip: The pump version of this product prevents waste by turning a little liquid into a whole lot of foam. Foaming Hibiclens is hard to find in stores, but it's available online.
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6. Consume Organic Antibiotics like Grapefruit Seed Extract
Grapefruit seed extract is prized as an emergency water purifying agent, but it's also known to fight acne, flu bugs, respiratory infections, yeast infections, antibiotic resistant UTIs and chronic ear infections that don't respond to traditional treatments. All over the world, GSE is used for killing salmonella, E.Coli, staph, strep, parasites, viruses and fungi (including Candida). Backpacking enthusiasts often carry grapefruit seed extract to purify water from lakes and streams.
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7. Take High Quality Probiotics
Just like traditional antibiotics from the doctor's office, organic antibiotics can kill off good bacteria along with the bad. For this reason, it's important to put good bacteria back into your system. Refrigerated probiotics from health food stores are generally superior because the micro-organisms within the capsule are less likely to die off. When choosing a non refrigerated brand, look for a potency guarantee on the bottle.
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8. Keep a Food Journal to Identify Your Personal Triggers
I'll never forget the Thanksgiving of 2012. After a glorious buffet involving potatoes, stuffing, fresh bread and decadent dessert choices, I took a long nap. A few hours later, I woke up with hard, painful lumps inside my armpits, breasts and groin. This horrible, life changing incident taught me that the body responds to food triggers more quickly than I'd ever imagined. This knowledge made it easier for me to document specific food combinations that push me over the edge.
The next time boils seem to attack you out of nowhere, write down the date and the foods you consumed that day. Better yet, take all of the carbs out of your diet until your skin clears. Slowly add specific foods back into your diet, and document how your skin responds. It can be a very telling experience. It turns out that I was avoiding certain foods that don't trigger reactions at all, like sweet potatoes. If your diet is overly strict, you could be giving up foods that don't aggravate your condition!
Here are some things that I learned from keeping a food journal
The next time boils seem to attack you out of nowhere, write down the date and the foods you consumed that day. Better yet, take all of the carbs out of your diet until your skin clears. Slowly add specific foods back into your diet, and document how your skin responds. It can be a very telling experience. It turns out that I was avoiding certain foods that don't trigger reactions at all, like sweet potatoes. If your diet is overly strict, you could be giving up foods that don't aggravate your condition!
Here are some things that I learned from keeping a food journal
- I find that I can enjoy tomato slices on my salads, but I can't tolerate concentrated tomato sauces or tomato pastes. I used to slice an entire tomato for one salad! I now enjoy abut four tomato slices on top of each salad. I've learned to peel the skin from my tomatoes because the nightshade compounds are most concentrated there.
- I find that I can't tolerate rice or white potatoes unless they're made in a pressure cooker. Sweet potatoes don't bother me, as they aren't from the nightshade family. Interestingly, research indicates that the lectins in sweet potatoes are very unlikely to cause food sensitivity reactions.
- I find that I can't tolerate bread, pasta, stuffing, baked goods or anything that contains gluten or yeast! This is why I have such a hard time at Thanksgiving. I adore stuffing, pie and freshly baked rolls, but I've learned not to eat all of those things in one sitting. A single roll is unlikely to cause a breakout. A roll plus stuffing plus potatoes plus corn will catapult me into misery. Overeating increases the toxic load and brings on symptoms like gangbusters. A little self control goes a long way!
- I find that I can tolerate fruit in moderation. In general, I try not to exceed two pieces a day because the body processes fructose (fruit sugar) just like table sugar. I'm particularly fond of watermelon, apples and strawberries. I avoid grapes because the sugar content is off the charts!
- I find that I'm not sensitive to chicken, fish, meat or pork. Interestingly, I can eat any type of meat I like, including prime rib and pot roast. I used to spend a ton of money on organic beef raised without hormones and antibiotics, but realistically, I can't always afford to drop $50 an an organic pot roast from a specialty butcher. Non organic meat doesn't cause me to break out, but I'm not about to try eating it every single day. In my family, pot roast is Sunday food and prime rib is holiday food. A nice hamburger patty is fine for lunch, but not on a daily basis. Don't get so caught up in the old school Atkins mentality that you're allowing yourself to eat high fat meat all the time.
- I adore low starch vegetables from the "safe" list. I eat plenty of romaine lettuce, spinach leaves, cucumber, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, water chestnuts and more. Salads are my best friend at lunchtime. I generally top them with chicken or wild caught salmon.
- I don't hesitate to use real butter or cream when making sauces for broccoli and asparagus. It never breaks me out.
- Some folks with hidrdadenitis are sensitive to cheese. Thankfully, I am not. A salad without feta is a salad I won't really enjoy. The casein in cow’s milk is often considered more dangerous than the casein in milk of sheep or goats because most cows have far more A1-beta caseins in their milk.
9. Use a Fan to Control Sweat while Exercising
On one hand, exercise increases the flow of oxygen to the bloodstream, which contributes to healthy skin. On the other hand, hidradenitis is a disorder of the sweat glands. You may have already noticed that acne and boil problems tend to become worse in the summertime or during periods of heavy aerobic activity. I find that when I engage in heavy exercise, it causes immediate lumps under the skin, specifically in the armpit area. For me, the solution is to walk steadily upon my home treadmill with a fan blowing straight at me. Swimming is another great way to get great exercise without sweating. As long as I keep my body cool during physical activity, my sweat glands won't kick into overdrive. If the thought of displaying your body at the beach fills you with anxiety, try an indoor water aerobics class. These types of classes are often populated with senior citizens and heavy people dressed in long t-shirts. You'll feel more comfortable among folks who aren't physically perfect.
10. Cut Nicotine Intake
I know I promised you easy solutions, and this one is extraordinarily difficult. I was once a heavy smoker, but when I learned that tobacco is a nightshade plant, I cut my nicotine intake in half. It helped quite a bit. Hidradenitis is a confusing disorder with many different triggers. The toxins we take into our bodies are expelled through the skin, so any positive lifestyle change can help. Avoiding toxic overload is the key. Remember my story about eating one roll instead of two rolls plus stuffing plus pie.
11. Identify a "Safe" Order at All of Your Favorite Restaurants
It's simply not realistic to avoid restaurants all the time. Here's what I do when I'm out with friends and family:
- Mexican: I generally order chicken or steak fajitas with grilled onions instead of peppers, as peppers are from the nightshade family. I don't eat the tortillas that come on the side. Instead of chips and salsa, I ask for a side salad with sliced avocado. I've grown to love that side salad even better than a basket of chips.
- Italian: At places like the Olive Garden, I generally order grilled chicken or steak with a large side of broccoli covered in Alfredo sauce. There's a small upcharge for ordering broccoli instead of pasta Alfredo, but the benefits are well worth the cost. I sometimes sneak a bread stick with my salad, and it doesn't bother me. Again, control is key. There was a time when I routinely ate three bread sticks with salad followed by a plate of pasta with marinara sauce. It was a sure fire recipe for disaster. Some of my worst breakouts in life have occurred after eating at Italian restaurants.
- Chinese: I generally order the beef broccoli platter or chicken with stir fried vegetables. Instead of rice, I ask ask for bean sprouts. Some worry about the soy in Asian style sauces, but food journaling has taught me it's not a personal trigger for me. I'm particularly careful to stay away from sweet and sour sauces. Such sauces are so loaded with sugar that a candy bar would be less of a glycemic burden. By the time you add rice and a soft drink, there's enough sugar in that meal to send a diabetic to the hospital.
- KFC: I still eat original recipe chicken with breading. That's right! A little breading here and there isn't a trigger for me. Disaster only strikes when I push the envelope too far. There was a time when my favorite family order at KFC involved a bucket of chicken with macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and biscuits, a disastrous combination that sent me straight over the edge. Times have changed for the better. If I'm visiting KFC for the family, I generally bring home a bucket of chicken and make my own glorious salad on the side. If I'm visiting KFC for a single lunch box, I generally order a chicken breast with a side of green beans. I've learned to throw away the biscuit on the side. Again, it's not carb intake but carb abuse that matters most.
12. Control Your Blood Sugar with Sweeteners Made of Monk Fruit or Erythritol
It has long been noted that diabetic people have boil problems. In fact, a doctor once insisted on testing my blood sugar the moment he saw the scars under my arms. I was not diagnosed with diabetes that day, but that's probably because my diet was under control at the time, and only my scars remained to tell the tale of my suffering. From my doctor, I learned that blood sugar spikes can cause breakouts. This could be the reason why I experienced such a traumatic breakout on Thanksgiving, 2012. Make no mistake. Even non diabetic people experience blood sugar spikes after meals. The only difference is that a non diabetic person's blood sugar will stabilize much more quickly.
Research has shown that monk fruit sweeteners do not raise blood sugar levels in humans and a recent consensus statement by experts in nutrition, medicine, physical activity and public health concluded that the use of low-calorie sweeteners in diabetes management may contribute to better glycemic control. Source: https://foodinsight.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-monk-fruit-sweeteners/
Research has shown that monk fruit sweeteners do not raise blood sugar levels in humans and a recent consensus statement by experts in nutrition, medicine, physical activity and public health concluded that the use of low-calorie sweeteners in diabetes management may contribute to better glycemic control. Source: https://foodinsight.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-monk-fruit-sweeteners/
The Best Tasting Sweetener Made with Monk Fruit and Erythritol
The Best Tasting Chocolate Sweetened with Monk Fruit