Ok... Some People Are Going To Find This Post DISGUSTING But I Have To Talk About It...

Ok so this thread is about BOILS.

My best friend and I are both "big girls" and for a major part of our lives we have gotten red painful boils on our inner thighs (and she sometimes gets them under her breasts because she has large breasts).  I KNOW we are not alone in this... I have read HUNDREDS of posts on medical websites about these but I wanted to ask if anyone else has or had these and what they have tried that doesnt work or what they have tried that does work.....

My friend and I pretty much think its from us being larger women and our thighs rubbing together etc....

I talked to my gyno before and she told me to soak in a hot bathtub at LEAST once a week which does help but I havent found anything to get rid of them completely.....

Some people might find this post/admission disgusting but I figure if it helps at least one person who doesnt have the courage to bring it up and be open about it then its a good thing....

She's right about the hot bath, but I add a cup of Epsom Salt.  It's great for your skin and your nails, and it even helps prevent ingrown toenails and ingrown hairs.

I have never had a problem with boils, and I think that maybe it is because I take a bath once a week with Epsom Salt in it.  Also, my girlfriend (who is 300+) had really bad boils after her pregnancy on her hoo-ha, and nothing worked... not even the meds her gyno prescribed her.  But she took a hot bath in Epsom salt, and they shrunk up and went away!

 LOL Thanks for the tip!  I will have to try that.  Its weird because I had never heard anyone else talking about it and I just brought it up to my friend one day and she said she had the same problem.

So me being the "google queen" i checked it out and its actually very common.

Most people say they dont talk about it because they are worried people will think they are "not clean" but their personal hygene actually has nothing to do with it.  I saw doctors response saying that on a message board.

So I at least wanted to post about it so it could get out there....

oh honey - I have some good news and some bad news.

There is a name for this Hidradenitis suppurtiva ....(go googling)

It is commonly seen in women with PCOS (polycycstic ovarian symdrome) and even if you have never been diagnosed with that, it's common when you have insulin/androgen hormonal issues....that can lead to obesity and may have never been diagnosed.

OK, the bad news - there is no cure.  None.  My GYN has never heard of this condition - most haven't and I haven't been to a dermitoligist about it yet.  It has NOTHING to do with hygiene.  AND, it has not gotten better since all my weight is lost either.  It's a "condition" that most Docs are clueless about.  I have considered going to an endochrine doc to get help but I dunno.

I do feel your pain.  I get them on my thighs and butt cheeks.  Hope this post helps.  If you ever find a cure, let ME know!  lol

Also adding - baths help with epsom salts - but getting boils in not prevented by bathing.  It's a hormonal issue and is tied to the glands.  I had boils on my hoohaa that left permanent scars when I was pregnant.  Yes, I have PCOS - increase in male hormone DHEA.

here is a definition

What is Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)?
HS is a common, painful, debilitating, and chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 1% of the global population, primarily occurring in inverse areas of the skin, e.g. axillae and groin. HS variably presents clinically with painful and chronically recurring, deep-seated follicular nodules, papules, pustules and abscesses, leading to suppuration, fibrosis, distortion, degradation and hypertrophic scarring of the skin. The etiology/pathogenesis/cause of HS is not known. HS remains a distinct and separate disease. In the past, direct comparisons of HS to sweat gland and acne diseases have delayed the planning and development of focused HS research which could discover the actual cause. The following published articles and medical perspectives provide general information which further defines and describes HS.

omg! i think i have this!  usually i can never manage to make a doc's appointment coincide with when i have one of these bumps, but when i have, no doctor has ever been able to tell me what they are. they HURT and they are almost always on the line where the elastic in my underwear would go.  they are under the skin and you can't see them from the outside (except eventually after a few weeks they surface), but you can feel them -- they're like little tiny perfect marbles seated deep under the skin.

for a short period i was put on antibiotics for skin problems on my face, and while the antibiotics did nothing for that problem, it completely cleared up these painful marble things -- or maybe it was just a coincidence that i didn't have any at all during that period  -- not sure.  i'm SO happy to hear someone else talk about something similar though.

let me know if my description matches what you've experienced -- it sounds very much like what you've posted to me....

s

 Grrreeeeaaaatt.... LOL!  Im gonna try the epsom salt bath and i will let you know.  I have seen EVERYTHING from tea tree oil, to witch hazel, to alcohol, to aloe vera ETC.... 

that only treats the current - will not prevent them from reocurring....:(

Well we should come up with the cure then..... !!

Being a part of US culture sometimes means being hyper-sensitive to normal bodily functions, oders, and even conversations. I think it's root is body shame and I think it's sad. . .  I used to have "it" too. A friend of mine challenged me to embrace my BOD and get over it. . .

I think I've gone the other way. . . Nothing can really gross me out these days. Our bodies are miraculous. This post is far from disgusting honey. Take care of thyself and will those boils to speak their piece and let go.

Cindy