Persisitent lumps under armpit

I am 24 yrs old and have been suffering from painful lumps under my armpits for about two years now, I have tried everything from not shaving not using deoderent wearing lose clothes and nothing seems to make them go away sometimes they will get smaller in size but never go away theres alays about 1-3 lumps under them sometimes they pop themselves drain a lil bit but never go away what could this be? And should I be worried?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The symptoms are suggestive of hidradenitis suppurativa. Hidradenitis suppurativa is a skin disease that affects areas bearing apocrine sweat glands and hair follicles; such as the underarms, groin and buttocks esp in women.

Apply warm compresses on the lumps and keep the area clean. Topical antiseptic treatment and topical antibiotics such as mupirocin or neomycin containing ointment is very useful.If still the lumps persist then specific treatment like antibiotics,vit A supplements,corticosteroid injections,isotretinoin,antiandrogens and sometimes excision and drainage ,laser therapy and radiotherapy are found useful.I feel that you should consult a dermatologist and discuss these options with him.
I hope it helps.Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Kind regards.