My name is Jaap, and I am a biomedical scientist that also used to live with severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa, the kind that takes over your life. Today, I am completely asymptomatic because I learned how to heal Hidradenitis Suppurativa from within. More importantly, I’ve had the privilege of helping many other individuals with HS get their lives back too.
Does HS Shorten Your Life? The Unspoken Truth and How to Fight Back
Did you know that having Hidradenitis Suppurativa could shorten your life by up to 15 years?
It’s a shocking statement, and honestly, it’s a heavy topic to talk about. But a major scientific study revealed a truth that every single person with HS needs to hear. Not to scare you, but to empower you. Because understanding what’s really going on inside your body is the first step in knowing how to treat Hidradenitis Suppurativa on a much deeper level. Realizing that this disease, when left unmanaged at a deep level, often leads to a future of surgeries and suffering should serve as a powerful wake-up call. It’s time to open your mind to the new, effective, and natural methods for managing Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
A Proven natural Roadmap to Manage HS
Get the support and natural strategies you need for lasting relief and join a community that understands.
So, let’s dive into the science, break down what it really means, and most importantly, talk about how we can even the score.
The scary truth Everyone with HS Needs to Know About
In 2019, a study published in the prestigious British Journal of Dermatology uncovered something startling. Researchers in Finland used nationwide health registries to look at the life expectancy of people with HS.
What they found was: the average age of death for people with HS was just 60.5 years.
To put that in perspective, they compared this to two other groups: people with psoriasis and people with common, non-cancerous moles. Their average ages of death were 71 and 75, respectively. The data is clear: people with HS are dying significantly younger.
The big question is… why? How can a condition that shows up on our skin have such a profound impact on how long we live?
It’s More Than Skin Deep: The Role of Systemic Inflammation
The answer is systemic inflammation.
This is one of the most critical concepts we teach in the HS Armor community. HS isn’t just a skin disease. It’s a disease of chronic, body-wide inflammation.
Think of it like this: the same inflammatory fire that causes painful flares and lesions on your skin is also burning quietly inside your body. When that fire smolders for years, or even decades, it starts to damage other systems and contributes to the development of very serious diseases. A focus on the natural treatment of HS is about putting out that internal fire.
A Proven natural Roadmap to Manage HS
Get the support and natural strategies you need for lasting relief and join a community that understands.
The Two Biggest Culprits: Heart Health and Cancer Risk
The Finnish study highlighted two major reasons for the increased mortality risk in people with HS.
First up is diseases of the circulatory system, we’re talking about heart attacks and strokes. Chronic inflammation is a well-known driver of atherosclerosis, which is the hardening and narrowing of your arteries. Over time, this systemic inflammation damages your blood vessels, which dramatically increases your risk for a major cardiovascular event.
Second, the study found a significantly higher risk of death from neoplasms, or cancer. Specifically, the risk of respiratory tract cancers was highly elevated. Now, the paper notes that smoking is unfortunately very common in the HS community, and that’s a huge factor. But the underlying inflammation itself also creates an environment in the body where cancer is more likely to develop and grow.
The Hidden Toll: How HS Affects Mental and Emotional Health
The data also tells a deeper, more human story. The researchers found that deaths related to alcohol were considerably higher in the HS group. This points directly to the immense psychological toll of living with this disease. It’s not hard to connect the dots between the high rates of depression and anxiety in HS patients and the potential to turn to substances to cope with the relentless physical and emotional pain.
A Proven natural Roadmap to Manage HS
Get the support and natural strategies you need for lasting relief and join a community that understands.
Tragically, the evidence goes even deeper. The Finnish study is sadly in line with earlier research showing that people with HS face a heavy psychiatric burden. Multiple studies have found that individuals with HS are over twice as likely to die by suicide and nearly three times more likely to struggle with substance abuse compared to the general population.
These numbers are heartbreaking and underscore just how isolating this condition can be. This is why finding a supportive community is so vital. In HS Armor, we see firsthand how sharing the journey brings this research to life and helps people feel less alone.
If you are in a bad place, please hear me: you do not have to go through this alone. Please talk to your doctor or a mental health professional if you are struggling. It’s a courageous first step. In our HS Armor community, you will also find emotional support from me and other members on the same path. We offer scientific lectures on how to manage stress effectively, all based on solid scientific evidence to help you heal both naturally and emotionally.
How to Treat HS Naturally and Even the Score
Okay, that was a lot of heavy information. But the key takeaway here is not to be scared, but to be informed and empowered. This data proves that HS is not a condition you can afford to just ‘manage’ on the surface. You must address the root cause by taking action. Committing to the necessary changes can unlock incredible results, making even total remission possible.
And the good news? You absolutely can.
A Proven natural Roadmap to Manage HS
Get the support and natural strategies you need for lasting relief and join a community that understands.
Moreover, science has clearly shown that we have so much power to improve our longevity. For instance, some studies have shown that regular tennis players live, on average, nearly 10 years longer than sedentary people! We know that a proper diet, managing stress, and maintaining strong social connections have a profound impact on lifespan.
As someone with HS, I like to think of it like this: we can even the score. By actively working to lower that systemic inflammation to reach a point where you don’t have any symptomatic and by strategically adding these other science-backed longevity strategies into our lives, I truly believe we can neutralize the statistical risk. It is absolutely possible to live a full, long, and healthy life when you manage this disease effectively from the inside out.
Beyond Lifespan: The Quest for a Long Healthspan
Living a long life isn’t the only goal, right? You also want a long healthspan, a life where you are mobile, energetic, free from pain, and able to do the things you love.
This is the central struggle with HS. So many people, some as young as 30, are already suffering so much they can’t work or pursue their dreams. They’re trapped in a cycle of medications and surgeries that don’t stop the disease from coming back.
The ultimate goal is to live a healthy, happy life. To do that, you have to do everything in your power to push HS into a state where you are totally asymptomatic. That is how you secure a long healthspan and truly heal.
A Proven natural Roadmap to Manage HS
Get the support and natural strategies you need for lasting relief and join a community that understands.
Key Takeaways
- HS is a Systemic Disease: Hidradenitis Suppurativa isn’t just a skin condition; it’s driven by chronic, body-wide inflammation that affects your long-term health.
- Serious Health Risks: The Finnish study showed that this inflammation is linked to a shorter lifespan, primarily due to an increased risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
- Mental Health Matters: The emotional and psychological burden of HS is significant, leading to higher rates of alcohol-related issues and suicide. Addressing this is a key part of healing.
- You Have Power: This research is not a life sentence. By focusing on a natural treatment of HS that lowers inflammation through diet and lifestyle, you can actively work to reclaim your health and live a long, vibrant life.
Treating HS: The Patient’s Fight for Diagnosis and Mental Health
Beyond the statistics lies the daily battle that many people with HS face, and we see glimpses of this reality in online forums where their unfiltered stories of sadness and suffering are shared.
One of the most common themes is the crushing impact on mental health. As one person powerfully put it, It wrecks my mental health. I don’t feel clean. This sentiment captures a deep sense of shame and frustration that has nothing to do with hygiene. It can lead to a draining cycle of anxiety and constant showering, all in an effort to escape a feeling that comes from within. For those already managing their mental well-being, the relentless pain can make everything feel heavier.
On top of that, the journey to even get a name for this struggle is often demoralizing. Many describe being dismissed by doctor after doctor for years. Imagine having to see seven different physicians before someone finally gives you a correct diagnosis. This fight is made harder by the nature of HS, it’s often embarrassing to show, and symptoms can be easily downplayed by a skeptical doctor. The constant need to advocate for yourself, push for answers, and find someone who will simply listen is an exhausting, full-time job on top of the illness itself.
Conclusion
The science is clear: HS is a serious condition with impacts that go far beyond the surface of your skin. But instead of being a source of fear, this knowledge should be a fire that motivates you. It’s a call to action to stop managing inflammation and flares and start truly healing your body from the inside out.
A Proven natural Roadmap to Manage HS
Get the support and natural strategies you need for lasting relief and join a community that understands.
Important Medical Disclaimer
1. Not Medical Advice: All content and information on this website is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment, or consultation with a qualified healthcare provider.
2. My Role and Qualifications: I am a biomedical scientist and PhD candidate and share information from that perspective, combined with my personal experience as a patient with Hidradenitis Suppurativa. However, I am not a medical doctor, physician, or registered healthcare professional. Do not consider our relationship a doctor-patient relationship.
3. Consult Your Doctor: Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or another qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If you suspect you are experiencing a medical emergency, or a severe infection, do not rely on this website or the HS Armor community, please call your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
4. A Critical Warning on Medication: Pharmaceutical drugs are a crucial tool in managing Hidradenitis Suppurativa for many people. Under absolutely no circumstances should you ever alter, reduce, or stop taking your prescribed medication without the explicit direction of the doctor who prescribed it. Doing so can be dangerous. Always consult with your doctor before doing anything related to your treatment plan.
5. No Liability: Your use of this website and reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk.
6. Individual Results May Vary: Every patient’s biological baseline, genetics, and adherence to the protocol is different. Therefore, I cannot guarantee specific results, cures, or timelines for your Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
7. Scientific and Expressive Freedom: The articles published on this blog are distinct from formal peer-reviewed academic literature. They serve as an independent platform for my personal viewpoints, scientific hypotheses, and philosophical reflections as an independent scientist and HS patient. While grounded in biomedical research, I exercise a degree of expressive freedom to translate rigid academic data into insights from a patient perspective. These writings are my personal meditations on the science of HS and should be read as my individual perspective, not as universally accepted clinical consensus or formal peer-reviewed literature.
