Does hidradenitis surgery treat hidradenitis suppurativa?

Surgery may be considered for persistent nodules, draining tunnels, or scarred areas that keep causing pain, discharge, or restricted movement. The procedure can range from opening a tunnel to removing a wider area of affected skin, depending on the lesion and its depth. It targets tissue that is already diseased; it does not change the underlying tendency for hidradenitis suppurativa to develop elsewhere. A dermatologist and surgeon may coordinate treatment, because medication, wound care, and trigger management can still matter before or after an operation.

Ask the treating team which area would be operated on, whether the wound would be closed or allowed to heal gradually, and how dressings and activity would be managed afterward. Share your flare history, medicines, allergies, smoking status, previous procedures, and any problems with wound healing. Do not pick or squeeze active lesions while waiting for assessment. Arrange practical help if the planned wound care makes washing, dressing, or arm movement difficult.

Before surgery, seek assessment for rapidly worsening swelling, spreading redness, fever, severe pain, or feeling unwell. After a procedure, follow the surgeon's specific instructions and report increasing pain, bleeding that does not settle with the advised pressure, pus, worsening redness, wound separation, or fever. Emergency help is needed for heavy bleeding, breathing difficulty, faintness, or severe deterioration.

Ask whether [Hidradenitis Surgery](/treatments/surgical-dermatology/hidradenitis-surgery/) is suitable for your lesion, what result is realistic, how recurrence elsewhere will be managed, and what recovery and wound care involve. Review the diagnosis and overall plan for [Hidradenitis Suppurativa](/conditions/hidradenitis-suppurativa/) before consenting.