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Lumps & Bumps all over body but Mainly in the folds of the skin

I'm currently having issues with bumps that occur all over my body and head.  They often occur in the folds of my skin but have also appeared on my stomach and inner thighs but not frequently.  The first time I noticed one was when I 17 (35 now) and it appeared on the top of my head.  It itched like crazy and cause some of the hair in that area to fade.  I went to a doctor and had it lanced culture and sensitivity and all seemed to be well for a few years.  However when I turned 22 it reappeared except this time it was bigger and on the back of my head.  This instance took longer to manage but eventually went away with an unknown medication.  Currently I've had occurrences of similar instances all over my body from my under arms, neck, head, inner thighs, waist, buttocks and stomach.  Always starting off as a hard lump then gradually starts eating away at the dermis and eventually opening up and oozing a clear pasty fluid that dries white but sometimes green.  The ones that occur topically go away but the ones in the folds of my skin have remained and even if they do go away the area remains bumpy but without discharge or any real irritation and they often return to the same location.  I've been to a dermatologist several times and was left unresolved.  I am currently diabetic and overweight and I don't always practice a healthy diet.  I don't know if diabetes is the cause of this considering when I initially had the first occurrence was 6 years prior and I was an athlete.  I believe although not diagnosed I have acid reflux due to heavy drinking and a love for spicy and salty foods.  I just really want an answer to this question that I have spent thousands of dollars and hours wandering and worrying about over the last 18 years so I can figure out a resolve and move on with my life.  Any assistance would be valued and greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance!
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Avatar universal
First off I just want to thank you guys for both your answers.  Jemma you have a great deal of insight into health and personal hygiene and I want to thank you for sharing that information.  As far as your advice goes I am currently taking steps to improve my diet and have been executing a daily exercise regime and am monitoring my diabetes well with little to no assistance.  In reference to other methods you suggested I've seen a dermatologist on several occasions and was given anti-fungal treatment but to no avail.  Also the fluid discharge was tested and nothing uncommon was found so I "think" I'm all set there.  However after reading and researching maatson's answer hidradenitis-suppurativa (HS) seems to be spot on. Every symptom is concurrent with what I have been experiencing over the past few years and ironically enough it is said to often go misdiagnosed.  This is both a sad and joyous day for me as I may have found the answer to a medical issue I've been experiencing almost half my life but to find there is no known cure causes some alarm for me. In closing I will take this information to my PCM to hopefully develop a plan for treatment and continuing treatment of diabetes and exercise as well as watching those fizzy drinks.  Thank you both!
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Avatar universal
Surely the advice is sound and would be worthwhile putting it into practice.It is good to see healthy day to day life could truly bring changes in peoples lives.Appreciate the good work, Jemma.
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4851940 tn?1515694593
When these start to appear, you should make an appointment straight away to see the doctor for treatment.

If it is confirmed that you do have hidradenitis-suppurativa, I have read that a high dose of oral steroids to reduce inflammation may be needed and oestrogen can also be beneficial.

As far as I know diabetes is not the cause, but is certainly does not help.

To help yourself, you must follow a good hygiene regime using non perfumed soaps, soaps that have the same pH level as our skin, baby washes may be fine.  Your doctor may prescribe an antimicrobial solution like Dermol 600 to put into your bath water.

You may find bathing every night with a mugful of Epsom Salts in the bath water with a little baby oil (Epsom Salts is very drying on its own), may help.  Epsom Salts contain magnesium that is absorbed through the skin (which is good thing).

It is crucial to follow a healthy diet - and more so as you are a diabetic.  Cut out the junk, sugary and processed foods and fizzy drinks.  Change the way you cook, by boiling or grilling in stead of frying and remove excess fat.  If you like your alcohol, that is fine, just limit how much you drink.  It is also very important that you drink lots of fluids, especially water - water contains no calories and will not affect your blood sugars.  2 litres of water a day is usually recommended, but more if you sweat a lot.

Eat more fruit and vegetables, chicken, fish - but watch your portion sizes.
Have your main meals (not large portions) and a healthy snack in between. This will help to stop any sugar drops that could cause hypoglaecemia.

Going for walks and doing exercise will also help with weight loss.  If you are overweight, you will no doubt have lots of sweating in the folds of your skin and although you may have hidradenitis-suppurativa as mentioned by maatson, it is highly likely that you also may have a fungal infection.

Fungal infections are very common with people who have diabetes and also can happen when taking antibiotics and an unhealthy diet.

Ask your doctor to take a swab of your problem areas to find out if there is any fungal problem as well as the condition that you have.    If so, you may need to be treated long term (for a few months) before the issue is resolved.

If you are having difficulty with your food and controlling your sugar diabetes, ask your doctor for a referral to a diabetic nurse or diabetic dietician to help you.

Make sure that you get your sugar levels checked at least once a year or more if your doctor advises - the blood test for this is the HBA1C test.  This gives the average blood reading over a period of 9-12 weeks.  If you have a home monitor, that only gives you a sugar reading at the time of you taking the reading only.  This would show the doctor how well you are managing your diabetes and whether your medication needs to be adjusted.

Hope you improve very soon.

Best wishes.
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