Gel Antiperspirants May Help Clear the Skin Boils of Hidradenitis Suppurativa

DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, July 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a condition that causes painful lumps under the skin, usually in sweat prone areas where your skin rubs together, like the armpits, groin, buttocks, and under the breasts. These lumps can turn into boils or abscesses and drain pus or blood. They often heal slowly and leave behind scars or tunnels under the skin. Even though HS is linked to sweat prone areas, it's not clear how deodorants or antiperspirants affect the condition. Many people with HS avoid using them because they're worried these products might irritate their skin. Currently, there are no guidelines or recommendations on deodorant or antiperspirant use in patients with HS.

In this new study in SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine^®, Ciaran Smythe, DO, and his coauthors present a study following the outcomes of seven HS patients who used aluminum-based gel antiperspirants in their armpit. The authors reported that all seven patients, who had mild symptoms, had their armpit lesions completely go away after using gel-antiperspirants. The study also includes comments on a TikTok video discussing the use of gel antiperspirants in HS management, documenting real-world experiences with gel-antiperspirants for HS. Out of 16 people who shared their experiences on TikTok, 94% said their HS got better or cleared up when they used gel or spray antiperspirants. Only one person (6%) said their symptoms got worse from using them.

Even though it's not fully understood how antiperspirants affect HS, the type and ingredients of the product seem to make a difference. Solid stick products and certain active ingredients may make symptoms worse. This study preliminarily investigated the use of aluminum-based gel antiperspirants for HS in a small group of patients. They found that all patients had cleared and did not have recurrence of mild armpit HS symptoms after starting gel-based antiperspirants. This is an important step to developing hygiene guidelines for patients struggling with HS.

SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine^® is a peer-reviewed online medical journal that is the official journal of The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine. The mission of SKIN is to provide an enhanced and accelerated route to disseminate new dermatologic knowledge for all aspects of cutaneous disease.

For more details, please visit www.jofskin.org or contact jofskin@gmail.com.

Ciaran Smythe, DO
Lake Granbury Medical Center
ciaransmythe@yahoo.com
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