Smoking And Hidradenitis Suppurativa HS

Does smoking have an impact on your HS?

Smoking doesn’t directly cause HS, but it can make symptoms worse. And is widely accepted as being unhealthy for multiple reasons. It also negatively impacts wound healing, especially following surgical procedures. Affects blood circulation, and is linked to chronic inflammation. This is something you should bear in mind regarding HS.

Lets Look At A Few Important Science Facts:

In a large study consisting of 101,977 patients with HS and 194,921 controls without HS. The nicotine present in tobacco has been found to promote colonization of Staphylococcus aureus in intertriginous areas, chemotaxis of inflammatory mediators, and hyperplasia of the funnel shaped epidermis, which can lead to the disease process. A recent US-based large retrospective cohort study reported smoking as a risk factor of HS and showed a 2-fold increased incidence of HS in smokers.
Tobacco smoke consists of more than 4000 chemical compounds and approximately 60 known carcinogens, including nicotine.
Nicotine leads to the narrowing of your arteries. It can also lead to spasms in your arteries. In this scenario, your wound is deprived of the oxygen and nutrients that your blood carries.
Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, including the heart, blood vessels, lungs, eyes, mouth, reproductive organs, bones, bladder, and digestive organs. Nicotine can also affect dermatological diseases such as psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, chronic dermatoses, alopecia, lupus erythematosus, polymorphous light eruption, skin cancer and tobacco-associated oral lesions.
Smoking is believed by many smokers to reduce stress and anxiety because nicotine can provide instant relaxation. Despite this, in studies conducted with large cohorts, giving up smoking was found to have a positive impact on anxiety and depression levels among both individuals with and without psychiatric disorders.

Additionally, tobacco and nicotine are nightshades. HS symptoms can worsen for those who are sensitive to nightshades. Therefore, smoking has the potential to be a personal trigger for them.

In HS support groups, it is observed that quitting smoking may not initially improve HS and could potentially make it worse. The hypothesis proposes that the lack of improvement or worsening is a result of stress caused by not smoking. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t keep smoking for that reason, instead, seek out healthier ways to manage stress.

So does smoking have an impact on your HS? Indeed, it certainly CAN.

_{Special Note:}_{Researched, compiled, and written by}_{Denise Fixsen}_{. This information is backed by my 46 years of living with Hidradenitis Suppurativa, 10 years of dealing with multiple chronic illnesses, 36 years of advocacy, and continuous education. And to ensure accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness, I incorporate peer-reviewed studies and other high-quality sources into my articles and material. I also wanted to inform you that I’ve chosen to end my collaboration with editors on my articles. Although there may be grammar errors due to brain illnesses (mostly), with this said, my content remains reliable, factual, and solid. With genuine TLC.}

_{Medical Disclaimer:}_{This content is solely for information, education, and support. The purpose is not to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatments.}

_Sources_:_{10.1016/j.jaad.2019.10.044, PMCID:PMC4241583, doi:10.1021/jf990089w, doi.org/10.1016/j.neuint.2019.02.006, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1700073114, PMCID:PMC6402150, doi:10.1159/000018126, doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16111, doi:10.5114/ada.2021.103000, doi:10.1177/0022034511421200, Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine.6th edition ID: NBK13173, https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/smokin, decades of behavioral data from HS support groups}

_{Article posted on 09-16-2024}