Does Stress Trigger HS? What Six Months of Building a CIC Did to My Skin
Does stress trigger HS flares? Gaz on six months full-time and unpaid building a CIC, twelve rough weeks of flares, and what he's trying this winter.
Read moreReal talk on living with HS · UK & Ireland
The Blog
Honest chats about living with HS — the messy bits, the wins, and the stuff that actually helps. Fresh posts every Tuesday at 10am. Fancy sharing your take? Please send a guest view our way.
Latest posts
New reads drop every Tuesday at 10am — pull up a brew and dig in.
Getting Through the Night with an HS Flare: Lived Notes for When Pain and Leaks Wreck Sleep
2.47am. Not a dream. The cold patch under my thigh is real, and it’s the dressing I put on at teatime giving up and leaking through to the sheet. My side of the bed is soaked. Half my brain is asking whether I can just ignore it until morning. You can’t. I’ve tried. It’s still […]
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What’s in an HS Bad-Day Kit? Everyday Flare Packing for UK Life (Not Just Holidays)
Tuesday Tesco. Not the airport. That’s the difference. We’ve already done the holiday go-bag — flights, security letters, packing like you’re emigrating with a pharmacy. Useful if you’re actually going somewhere. Most of us, most weeks, aren’t. We’re doing the school gate, the bus, a supermarket run, a waiting room with a hard chair and […]
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What Should I Wear with HS in the UK? Friction, Underwear & Everyday Clothes
It’s not vanity. It’s friction. If you’ve got HS, you already know the quiet arithmetic of getting dressed: will this waistband dig in? Will this seam sit right on a flare? Will I make it to the school run without rearranging myself in a car park like a bloody contortionist? People who don’t live with […]
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How Do I Tell Mates or Family I’ve Got HS? (Especially When You’ve Been Quiet)
You’ve been quiet about the HS. Not because you’re soft. Because it’s awkward to explain a disease that doesn’t look like a tidy “rash,” and because half the time you’re already knackered from the flare itself. Dressings, waiting rooms, clothes like sandpaper — last thing you fancy is a TED Talk for your mates or […]
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HS at Work UK: Reasonable Adjustments & Access to Work
Not medical or legal advice. Lived experience + public guidance only. Ayup. If you’re googling whether you can ask your employer for reasonable adjustments because you’ve got HS — hidradenitis — at work in the UK, you’re probably not after a TED Talk. You’re after something practical before another shift turns into a staff-toilet disaster […]
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Living with HS in the UK: The Ultimate Survival Guide for 2026
Living with HS in the UK: The Ultimate Survival Guide for 2026 I was sat at my kitchen table this morning, staring at a purple hoodie with the words “It’s a bad flare day” printed across the chest. It’s a simple sentence, but if you are living with HS in the UK, you know it’s a […]
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Beyond Resolutions: A Real-World Plan for Your HS in 2026
Beyond Resolutions: A Real-World Plan for Your HS in 2026 Right, it’s the end of January. The gyms are still rammed, the juice cleanses are in full swing, and everyone is talking about their “New Year, New Me” resolutions. For those of us living with Hidradenitis Suppurativa, this time of year can feel like a […]
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Music as the Catalyst: A Journey Back to the Playlist
A personal journey back to the healing power of music, from the nostalgia of "Sunscreen" to the raw honesty of Ren's "Hi Ren." Time to press play on your wellbeing.
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The HS Gender Gap: Men Suffer in a Different Kind of Silence
A deep dive into the HS gender gap. Discover the unique challenges men with Hidradenitis Suppurativa face, from greater severity to the pressure to suffer in silence.
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Intimacy with an Uninvited Guest: Navigating Sex and Relationships with HS (Hidradenitis Suppurativa)
Does HS affect your sex life? You're not alone. A frank guide to HS and intimacy, covering pain, body image, and how to talk to your partner with confidence.
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The DIY Surgery Kit: Why I Was Forced to Do It, and Why You Shouldn’t
Considering home lancing an abscess from HS? Read this first. A brutally honest, cautionary tale about the dangers of DIY surgery and what you should do instead.
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