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Posted on April 1, 2006 by Adrian Holz | Posted under Acne
Acne Inversa Experience
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They told me I was typical of the people that got acne inversa. I didn't feel typical. I felt depressed. This disease used to be called hidradenitis suppurativa, pyodermia fistulans sinifica or acne tetrade. I did not like my diagnosis. My diagnosis of acne inversa set off a lot of research on my part. I don't really understand why I got this. Acne inversa is a recurrent disease that manifests itself with abscesses, fistulas, and scarring. I was told that acne inversa used to be considered to be a disease of the apocrine glands. It is now believed to be a defect of follicular epithelium. Usual disease factors such as obesity, smoking and chemical irritants turn out to not be consistently associated with the acne inversa. I had some issues with bacterial infections. I found out that a bacterium is not the cause of acne inversa, but only secondary to the disease process. There are so many potential complications to acne inversa. One of the complications of acne inversa is dermal contraction. Dermal contraction is local or systemic infection due to the spread of microorganisms. I read more about dermal contraction that talked about systemic amyloidosis, arthropathy, and squamous cell carcinoma. I didn't understand most of what I was reading about acne inversa. I was sure that there was no cure. I knew that I was going to suffer. I felt like a freak. I wanted spontaneous resolution to this crisis in my life. I wasn't going to get spontaneous resolution. Acne inversa is progressive. I was given the option of surgical intervention. I was told that surgery was advisable. My doctor wanted to perform a wide local excision. The wide local excision was supposed to heal by secondary intention. I wanted medication to help prevent the progression of my acne inversa. I did not want surgery. I just wanted the doctor to tell me that his diagnosis was wrong. My doctor told me that the drugs I wanted to try were not going to prevent the progression of acne inversa. I was almost despondent. The more I learned, the more I knew that I was going to have to have surgery. I was hoping for a conservative treatment, incision or surgical removal of the abscesses I was getting. My doctor told me that the abscesses from my acne inversa could be surgically removed, but that it really was a futile way of dealing with my problem. My doctor's method of choice was the early complete surgical excision of the involved skin. This would extend into my normal tissue both laterally and at the base. This was the only option my doctor wanted to talk about. After my diagnosis with acne inversa I became extremely depressed. I really started to think about nothing else but my disease. I did not know at the time that acne inversa has the potential to cause serious psychiatric and psychological complications. Acne inversa was starting to negatively affect my quality of life. Not everyone experiences this complication. There was apparently more to my acne inversa than just the dermatological care. I had not counted on this disease increasing my shyness. I think I'm too young to have acne inversa, but everything I read says that the onset is right around age 22. I was 25 when I was diagnosed. I just don't want to have acne inversa. My social circle is not going to accept me. I feel like I will be a social outcast with this acne inversa. I will have to assure people that I'm not contagious. I wish that my dermatologist had given me the name of a support group or a psychiatrist when he diagnosed me. Acne inversa is actually rare. That doesn't make me feel a whole lot better. I'm still growing and changing and finding out who I am. I don't want the acne inversa to define me. I feel like most people will judge me lacking in personal hygiene. I don't want to have to tell everyone I meet about acne inversa. I will be a walking public service announcement for my rare disease. Everywhere I go; so much emphasis is placed on personal appearance. I don't think I'll fit in. I found a support group for people with skin conditions. There was no group specifically for acne inversa. The group I'm in covers everything from my acne inversa to another lady's burn scars. Depression about acne inversa needs to be taken seriously. Although suicide is rare in dermatological patients, it can happen. There are other factors to consider. I'm glad that I've found a group that is able to understand how profoundly affected I am by my diagnosis. I have my surgery scheduled soon and I hope that some of my group buddies will visit me during my recovery. The people that I've met at my support group have helped me so much. I have come to terms with acne inversa. I don't want to say that I'm better for having gotten it, but my circle of real friends increased. Acne inversa is not going to decide how I live my life. I plan to continue attending my support group. I may even start some volunteer work with burn victims at the local hospital. I can't wait to show them that their faces don't define who they are. About The Author: Adrian Holz is skin specialist and been writing about acne problems for last 15 years. He has developed a website where he discuss about different acne and skinproblems. If you have concerns about acne, you can benefit from Adrian's work from his website at http://www.skinclearpro.com |
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