Hands writing in a symptom journal beside a calendar and water.

Flares & Pain

Build your HS flare plan before you need it

Record the instructions your treatment team has already given you for a difficult flare, and turn anything still unclear into questions for your next appointment — no account required.

Why prepare a plan in advance

HS flares can become painful and disruptive quickly. During a difficult flare it can be hard to remember exactly what your treatment team told you to do, whom to call, or when the plan should change.

This tool helps you record those instructions in one place, while you are not in the middle of a flare. It does not decide which medicine, wound-care step or contact threshold is right for you — those come from your own clinician. Anything you have not discussed yet becomes a question for your next appointment instead of a guess.

Start my plan Read about flares and pain first

No account required. Your plan can stay on this device, and it is never given a shareable link.

My HS Flare Plan

This tool does not invent a pain or treatment plan

Current European guidance names pain as a central HS symptom and pain relief as its own treatment objective — while also noting the limited HS-specific evidence for analgesic treatment. A single, one-size-fits-all recommendation would not be defensible.

A widely used patient guide explicitly recommends building an individualized pain plan together with the treatment team — including medication names, safe doses and how long they should be used. Those specifics come from your treatment team, never from this site.

Why planning in advance can make a difference

Qualitative research on HS pain has reported that, during severe episodes without clear guidance, some people tried their own strategies — including high doses of over-the-counter analgesics or medicines prescribed for something else. The researchers see an advance, agreed plan as one way to reduce that risk.

A flare is also a poor moment to try to recall what a clinician suggested weeks earlier. A plan prepared on a calm day removes the need to do that from memory.

Three kinds of information, kept visibly separate

The finished plan keeps three things apart that must never blur together: what you entered yourself (your own plan, agreed with your treatment team), general information from this site, and official 116117/112 information. Every line in the plan is labelled accordingly.

Wound care is its own planning item

Wound care during a flare often differs from care of quiet skin. This tool only asks whether that is already agreed — the concrete routine stays the job of your treatment team and the site's own detailed wound-care guide.

HS Wound Care & Dressing Guide

This tool does not diagnose and does not assess an emergency

Whether a wound is infected, or whether a flare needs medical attention, cannot be reliably assessed online. That judgement stays with exactly one place on this site — the care-escalation page — and this tool routes there rather than keeping a second, separate list of warning signs.

When Should I Seek Medical Help?

What this tool cannot establish

It does not decide which medicine, dose or measure is right for you, it calculates no dose, and it does not predict whether a flare will become severe. It only stores what you enter yourself, and turns anything unresolved into a short list of questions for your next appointment.

My HS Care TeamHS Symptom Tracker

Ready to build your plan?

It takes a few minutes, nothing is required, and you can update it again after your next appointment.

Build my flare plan

Frequently asked questions

Does this tool tell me what medicine to take during a flare?

No. It only records what you mark as already agreed with your own treatment team. It never suggests a medicine, a dose or a measure.

I do not have a pain plan yet — can I still use this tool?

Yes. Choose “No” or “I am not sure”. The tool does not judge that — it turns it into a concrete question for your next appointment.

Where are my answers stored?

Only in your own browser on this device, and only once you explicitly choose “Save on this device”. Without that step everything stays in the memory of the open tab. Nothing is sent to a server of this website, and there is no link anyone else could open.

Can I update the plan after an appointment?

Yes. Reopen your saved plan, change the relevant answers and save again — items that were previously open will then show as agreed.

Does my personal plan replace the general 116117/112 guidance?

No. Your personal plan is for your own usual flare pattern. If something is clearly different from that pattern, or a real emergency, the site's general guidance and the official emergency numbers still apply.

Can I print the plan or save it as a PDF?

Yes. Both are generated directly in your browser; nothing is uploaded to do it.

Evidence & review

Last reviewed: · Next review due:

This hub reflects current European HS treatment guidance and a widely used patient pain-management guide, both of which recommend an individualized plan built with a treatment team rather than a universal one.

The interactive planner itself contains no medical claims to review: it only stores the reader's own selections and free text.

Read our editorial policy

My HS Home See this plan alongside every other tool you've saved, in one dashboard — no account needed. Flares & Pain The category hub this tool assumes you have already read: what a flare can involve, and why a personal threshold matters. When Should I Seek Medical Help? The site's one page for routine review, prompt assessment and emergency care — this tool never duplicates it. HS Symptom Tracker A 30-second, account-free way to log how today compares with your usual pattern. HS Wound Care & Dressing Guide Scenario-based education on drainage, dressing changes and daily wound care. My HS Care Team Where pain medicine and other specialties fit into ongoing HS care. HS and Pain A private tool for describing pain in your own words before an appointment.

Sources

  1. S2k guideline on the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa / acne inversa AWMF guideline register (Germany) · Checked: 2026-08-27
  2. Pain Control Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patient Guide · Checked: 2026-08-27
  3. Hidradenitis suppurativa: Diagnosis and treatment American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) · Checked: 2026-08-27
  4. Pain management in hidradenitis suppurativa — the published literature PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Checked: 2026-08-27