Person choosing comfortable clothing in a bright bedroom.

For people living with HS

Create my support card

Say once what helps you, instead of explaining it every time. You choose every sentence and can edit all of it.

Create my support card

Everyone experiences HS differently. Choose only the statements that fit you. You can edit everything before you share anything.

You do not owe anyone an explanation of your condition. This tool exists only in case sharing would make things easier for you.

Step 1 / 5

What would you like them to understand?

Choose only the statements that fit you. Nothing here is preselected.

What would you like them to understand?

Optional. Do not write anything you would not want the other person to see.

What helps →

Step 2 / 5

What usually helps?

Again: only what is true for you. You can edit any wording afterwards.

What usually helps?

Optional. For example something very specific from your own daily life.

← Understand What doesn’t help →

Step 3 / 5

What doesn’t help?

This section is entirely optional. You can leave it out completely.

What doesn’t help?

Optional. Please without naming other people.

← What helps Sharing →

Step 4 / 5

What else may appear on the card?

All of this is optional. With nothing selected, the card carries only your own statements.

What else may appear on the card?

Nothing is imported from any other part of this site: no symptom-tracker entries, no medical history, no treatments or medicines, no clinical-trial information and no photographs.

← What doesn’t help me Preview →

Step 5 / 5

Preview

This is your card. You can copy it, print it or download it as a PDF.

As soon as you select something, your card appears here.

Sharing the card

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

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