Person choosing comfortable clothing in a bright bedroom.

For partners, family and close friends

Supporting Someone With HS

Practical orientation for the people around someone with HS — plus a private card that lets the person with HS say for themselves what helps.

Understand HS. Ask better questions. Support the person, not just the condition.

When someone tells you “I have HS”

Most information about HS is written for the people who have it. When someone tells you about their diagnosis, though, you are facing different questions: what does this mean, what actually helps, and how do I know whether I am doing too much or too little?

These pages answer exactly those questions — without making you work through clinical material, and without the person with HS having to explain everything themselves.

What would help you today?

Choose the entry point that fits. Neither one depends on the other.

  • Someone I care about has HS

    Understand what HS is, what daily life can involve and how to offer support without making assumptions.

    Open the companion guide

  • I have HS and want to explain what helps me

    Create a private support card you can share with a partner, friend or family member. You choose what to include.

    Create a support card

There is deliberately no share link: nothing you choose here is ever given an address on the internet.

You do not owe anyone an explanation

If you are the person living with HS: you do not have to explain your condition to anybody, and you do not have to create a card. There can be good reasons to keep a diagnosis to yourself. This tool exists only in case explaining would make something easier for you.

What these pages are not for

  • They do not replace medical advice and they do not assess symptoms. When it is unclear whether something needs looking at, the route is the site’s medical-help page — not a judgement made by someone close to the person.
  • They do not teach wound care or treatment, and they name no medicines.
  • They do not tell anyone whether they should disclose their diagnosis.

Questions supporters ask

Is HS contagious?

No. HS itself is not contagious and is not passed on by touch, shared towels, swimming pools or sex.

Is it caused by poor hygiene?

No. HS is not caused by poor hygiene. Washing more often does not prevent flares and can irritate the skin further.

Should I help with wound care?

Only if the person explicitly asks — and then exactly as their healthcare team has explained it. This page does not teach wound care and does not replace instructions from qualified professionals.

Am I entitled to know the medical details?

No. How much someone shares about their own health is their decision, including in a close relationship. This hub helps you ask well; it does not help you find out more.

Do I have to create a support card?

No. You do not owe anyone an explanation of your condition. The card exists only in case it makes something easier for you.

Where are my support-card answers stored?

Only in your own browser while you build the card — no account, nothing sent to a server of this website, and no link anyone could open. Closing the tab clears everything; the “Delete my answers” button removes it immediately.

Evidence and editorial review

Last editorially reviewed: · Next review:

The description of the condition on these pages rests on the same basis as our scientifically researched and editorially reviewed disease overview. That HS is not contagious and is not caused by poor hygiene is well established.

That HS can affect relationships, body image and sexual wellbeing is also described in review articles — how much it does varies considerably between individuals.

On the burden experienced by partners there are so far only a few small cross-sectional studies. They show that such burden can occur. They do not support any statement about how common or how severe it is in general.

An association between greater social support and lower disease burden has been observed. Because those studies are observational, it does not follow that improving support changes the course of the condition.

Editorial policy and review process

What is Acne Inversa? The basics of the condition, scientifically researched, editorially reviewed, and readable without prior knowledge. When to get medical help The one page to fall back on whenever it is unclear whether something needs looking at. Patient stories Accounts from people living with HS — lived experience, not medical evidence. Ask the HS community Moderated questions and answers that keep lived experience and evidence clearly apart. Living with Acne Inversa Daily life, clothing, work, mental health — the overview of the practical pages.

Sources

  1. Hidradenitis suppurativa — overview, including that the condition is not contagious NHS (United Kingdom) · Link checked: 2026-08-03
  2. Hidradenitis suppurativa self-care — why washing and scrubbing do not prevent the condition American Academy of Dermatology · Link checked: 2026-08-03
  3. Hidradenitis suppurativa — how the condition arises from several interacting factors MedlinePlus Genetics, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-08-03
  4. Sexual health in hidradenitis suppurativa — systematic reviews PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-08-03
  5. Quality of life of partners — small cross-sectional studies, not a population estimate PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-08-03
  6. Social support and quality of life in hidradenitis suppurativa — observational studies PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · Link checked: 2026-08-03
  7. Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation — patient organisations and materials, explicitly including relatives and friends HS Foundation · Link checked: 2026-08-03