HS for Teens · Next step

Taking over your HS care

At some point, looking after your HS starts to become more your own responsibility. A private checklist so nothing gets lost along the way.

At some point, managing HS may start to become more your responsibility. That does not have to happen all at once — and it does not necessarily happen on your 18th birthday. This private guide helps you work out what you already know about your care, what information you may want to get from a parent or clinic, and what to take into your next appointment.

Nothing you enter here is sent to your clinic, your parents or AcneInversa.life.

Start my handover check See what I’ll need

What actually changes?

Adult care is not just the same appointment without a parent. Over time, you may become the person who books appointments, knows which treatment you use, requests prescriptions, explains your history and decides who you want involved.

You do not need to become good at all of that overnight. The useful goal is simpler: make sure the important information about your HS moves with you.

  • My history

    What has happened with your HS so far?

  • My treatment

    What are you using now, and what have you already tried?

  • My care team

    Who currently helps with your HS, and who should you contact next?

  • My questions

    What do you still need somebody to explain?

Prepare my HS handover

Five short steps, about five to eight minutes if you fill in everything. Every step can be skipped, and nothing is required.

Step 1 of 5

My current care

Who currently helps with your HS?
Do you know who you should contact for your next HS appointment?

That is worth finding out before your current care changes. You can ask: “Who should manage my HS next, and do I need a referral or a new appointment?”

Step 2 of 5

My HS history

You do not need to enter anything here. This list only shows what you may want to be able to explain to a new doctor.

Which of these could you explain to a new doctor?

Step 3 of 5

My treatment history

Could you name your current HS treatment?
Do you know which treatments you have already tried?

You do not need to remember everything from memory. Ask your current clinic, or the adult who has helped manage your care, for a medication or treatment list. Useful information includes what you tried, approximately when, and why it was changed or stopped if that is known.

Step 4 of 5

Practical responsibility

Which of these do you already know how to do?

This is not a test. There is no score and no age by which you should be doing all of these yourself. The list simply shows what may be useful to practise before responsibility changes.

Step 5 of 5

What do I still need to ask?

Which questions do you want answered?

Write your question somewhere you control — for example in your phone notes — and bring it with you.

Your care may not change exactly at 18

Some young people already see adult services before 18. Others remain with paediatric or specialist services beyond a birthday. Some never receive care through a paediatric service at all.

The useful question is not “What happens automatically when I turn 18?”

It is: “Who is responsible for my HS care next, and is anything needed to make that handover happen?”

Can I ask to speak to the clinician on my own?

You can ask. What can remain confidential from a parent or carer depends on your age, maturity, healthcare setting and local rules. Ask the clinician what applies before sharing something you are worried about.

Moving into university or training too?

Make sure your HS healthcare moves with you too — and plan for what may become difficult there.

Open Studying With HS

Evidence and editorial review

Last editorially reviewed: · Next review:

That HS often begins during adolescence, usually after puberty starts, is described in reviews and in patient information from national health bodies. That it is not contagious and not caused by poor hygiene is well established.

That the condition is often recognised late in young people has been described repeatedly. The reported delays differ substantially between studies, because they use different data sources and definitions.

Quality-of-life research in younger patients consists mostly of small cross-sectional studies. They show that substantial burden can occur even when the skin looks relatively unaffected. They do not support any statement about how often that is the case overall.

A higher rate of new-onset depression among young people with HS has been reported in large retrospective cohorts. That says nothing about any individual — which is why these pages run no test and make no assessment.

Treatment recommendations for adults cannot be transferred to adolescents unexamined. The evidence base in younger patients is more limited, which is why these pages name no medicines and give no age-based treatment recommendations.

On handing HS care from paediatric to adult services, the only HS-specific guidance we found is a short, clinician-facing visit guide, not trial evidence. Large studies show that young people with HS often pass through several kinds of services before diagnosis — paediatricians, family doctors, emergency departments and dermatologists. A 2026 US study of treatment records for 6,659 children with HS found that most stayed on their first treatment for about a year before it was changed. None of this shows that a handover checklist improves outcomes; it explains why an accurately carried-forward history is worth having, which is all the handover page claims.

Editorial policy and review process

What is Acne Inversa? The basics of the condition, scientifically researched, editorially reviewed, and readable without prior knowledge. What HS can look like An illustrated, non-diagnostic guide to affected body areas and skin changes. When to get medical help The page to turn to when it is unclear whether something needs looking at quickly. HS, Shame & Stigma Why shame is so common with this condition — and how to prepare a conversation. Hair removal with HS Shaving, trimming, waxing and laser hair reduction compared — a common question in the teen years. Find a specialist A directory of practices and clinics with experience in treating HS. Patient stories Accounts from people living with HS — lived experience, not evidence. Taking Over Your HS Care A private checklist for keeping your treatment history, appointments and questions together when your care starts becoming more your responsibility. Studying With HS For later: a private planner for university, training and exams.

Sources

  1. Hidradenitis suppurativa — overview, including onset often after puberty and that the condition is not contagious NHS (United Kingdom) · Link checked: 2026-08-07
  2. Hidradenitis suppurativa self-care — why washing and scrubbing do not prevent the condition American Academy of Dermatology · Link checked: 2026-08-07
  3. Hidradenitis suppurativa — onset usually after puberty, arising from several interacting factors MedlinePlus Genetics, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-08-07
  4. Diagnostic delay in paediatric and adolescent hidradenitis suppurativa — reviews and cohort studies PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-08-07
  5. Quality of life in younger patients — predominantly small cross-sectional studies PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-08-07
  6. New-onset depression among children and adolescents with hidradenitis suppurativa — retrospective cohort studies PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-08-07
  7. Guideline work on special patient populations, including paediatric patients PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-08-07
  8. Toledo et al., “A visit guide for adolescent hidradenitis suppurativa: Bridging the divide between pediatric and adult care” (JAAD International, 2022) — the clinician-facing visit guide behind the handover page PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-09-29
  9. Hallock et al., “Differences Between Children and Adults With Hidradenitis Suppurativa” (JAMA Dermatology, 2021) — 1,094 paediatric vs 7,633 adult patients; contact with paediatricians, family doctors, emergency departments and dermatology before diagnosis PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-09-29
  10. Aflatooni et al., “Treatment Patterns in Pediatric Hidradenitis Suppurativa” (Pediatric Dermatology, 2026) — 6,659 children with HS; a mean of 386 days on the first treatment before switching PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-09-29
  11. Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation — patient organisations and materials, explicitly including families HS Foundation · Link checked: 2026-08-07