Clinical conversation for preparing and framing questions.

Diagnosis

Could this be HS? Prepare the pattern for your appointment

Turn recurring skin changes, body locations and previous treatment into a one-page summary for a clinician to review — no account, no diagnosis generated.

Why the pattern over time matters

A single lesion is not the whole picture. HS is diagnosed clinically, and current guidance weighs recurrence — in particular whether similar problems have happened more than once in the last six months — alongside lesion type and typical body locations.

An appointment usually sees only today's skin. This tool helps you record what has happened over months or years — where, how often, what it looked like, what it was called before, and what treatment already happened — so a clinician can see the pattern, not just one moment of it.

Prepare my appointment summary Read how HS is diagnosed first

No account required. Nothing is uploaded, and your answers can stay on this device.

Could This Be HS? Appointment Pack

HS diagnosis rests heavily on the pattern over time

Current European guidance describes HS diagnosis as a clinical judgement resting heavily on the combination of recurrent painful or suppurating lesions, characteristic lesion types, typical body locations and recurrence — in particular at least two episodes within six months.

A single lesion is therefore not the whole story. An appointment usually sees only today; the pattern over months or years lives scattered across memory, photographs, previous prescriptions and scars.

Diagnostic delay is well documented

A German multicentre study reported a mean diagnostic delay of 10.0 ± 9.6 years, during which patients saw more than three physicians on average and received more than three misdiagnoses. A 2024 systematic review across 32 studies found a pooled mean delay of about 7.2 years.

This website cannot fix clinician awareness on its own. It can help make a recurring pattern visible, instead of letting it fall apart into separate, seemingly unrelated events.

This tool does not diagnose

It calculates no probability, shows no traffic-light result, ranks no differential diagnoses and suggests no treatment. There is no field anywhere named “HS likelihood” or “meets diagnostic criteria” — only what you enter yourself, organized for a conversation.

Whether your pattern fits HS or something else can only be judged by a clinical examination. The finished summary explicitly asks for that judgement rather than pre-empting it.

Photos stay with you — nothing is uploaded

Photos of previous flares can contain highly sensitive health information. This tool does not need them and does not accept them. It only asks whether you have any you may want to show a clinician — that is enough to note in the summary.

One page, not a lengthy dossier

The summary is deliberately short and fits on one printed page. It gathers what has happened, where, how often, what previous clinicians have called it, what treatment has already happened, and the question you want answered in this appointment.

Diagnosis Guide

Prepare — then find the right place to go

This summary does not replace an appointment — it prepares one. If you do not yet have a clinician to discuss this pattern with, this site's specialist directory can help you find one.

Find an HS SpecialistHS Symptom Tracker

Ready to prepare your summary?

It takes about three minutes, nothing is required, and you can edit every section before printing.

Prepare my appointment summary

Frequently asked questions

Does this tool tell me whether I have HS?

No. It never diagnoses HS, never calculates a probability, and never shows a result like “HS likely”. It only organizes what you enter yourself into a summary for a conversation with a clinician.

I am not sure how to describe my skin — can I still use this tool?

Yes. Almost every question includes an option like “not sure” or “I am not sure how to describe it”. There is no wrong answer here.

Do I need to give exact dates?

No. Approximate entries like “around 2021” or “teenage years” are completely fine.

Are my photos uploaded?

No, never. The tool only asks whether you have photos you may want to bring yourself. There is no way to upload an image here.

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 print the summary or save it as a PDF?

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

I already have an HS diagnosis — is this tool still for me?

This tool is built for people who do not yet have a diagnosis and want to organize a recurring pattern for a first conversation. With a confirmed HS diagnosis, this site's Symptom Tracker, Flare Plan or Care Card fit better.

Evidence & review

Last reviewed: · Next review due:

This hub reflects current European HS diagnostic guidance, which frames diagnosis as a clinical judgement built on recurrent lesions, typical locations and recurrence over time — and published evidence on how long HS diagnosis is typically delayed.

The interactive tool itself contains no medical claims to review: it only stores the reader's own selections and free text, and echoes them back.

Read our editorial policy

Diagnosis Guide What actually counts toward an HS diagnosis, and how it's told apart from other conditions. Symptoms of Acne Inversa Lesion types, typical body locations and the less visible symptoms this pack draws on. What HS Can Look Like A visual guide across skin tones and presentations — images alone cannot diagnose HS either. Find an HS Specialist Search this site's specialist directory for someone to bring this summary to. HS Symptom Tracker Once a pattern is being investigated or confirmed, a 30-second daily log for what comes next.

Sources

  1. S2k guideline on the diagnosis of hidradenitis suppurativa / acne inversa AWMF guideline register (Germany) · Checked: 2026-08-31
  2. Delayed diagnosis of hidradenitis suppurativa — the published literature PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Checked: 2026-08-31
  3. Diagnostic delay in hidradenitis suppurativa — systematic review Australasian Journal of Dermatology · Checked: 2026-08-31
  4. Hidradenitis suppurativa: Diagnosis and treatment Mayo Clinic · Checked: 2026-08-31