For more than a decade, Lisa Miller, MD, has been helping patients experiencing a painful skin disease get their lives back.
Hidradenitis suppurativa, also known as acne inversa or HS, is a disease that causes small, painful lumps to form under the skin, typically in areas where skin rubs together, including the armpits, groin, and under their breasts. Affected individuals experience inflammation, boils, and draining wounds in these areas, often which can be quite painful.
“It really affects every part of their life,” said Dr. Miller, board-certified surgeon and associate professor in the Department of Surgical Sciences at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed). “They have these flares. When you're having flares, you start to drain pus. So, from a financial perspective, you have to go buy dressings to catch your drainage. It ruins your clothing. You may call out of work because you're having so much pain that you don't want to go to work, or the drainage is too much to manage while you're at work. From a social perspective, even if you do go to work, you may not want to go out and see friends. You may not want to go on a date or become intimate with someone due to pain or embarrassment.”
At WMed Health’s Oakland Drive Campus, Dr. Miller is ready and willing to work with patients experiencing these painful symptoms, offering consultation and, when necessary, performing surgery to remove inflamed portions of the skin.
“What's great here is that our residents know what hidradenitis is and can identify it and know to send these patients my way,” Dr. Miller said. “Whether or not someone affected by this condition needs surgery, at least they are able to receive the proper diagnosis. I can get them to the place where they to be, whether they need to be managed medically or by dermatology or if they need surgery. If they come to my office, I can point them in the right direction. Not every place in the U.S. has this environment where it’s diagnosed rapidly by the ER and the family physicians.”
Often initially thought to be acne, key markers of hidradenitis include its location – usually the armpits, groin and abdominal wall – and that the disease tracks between the cysts, so patients will see tunneling under the skin from one spot to another, according to Dr. Miller.
She encourages anyone uncertain about whether they are experiencing hidradenitis to make an appointment at WMed Health, as “all information is good information.”
Having treated the disease for more than a decade, Dr. Miller is proud to know she’s played a role in helping patients return to a normal life, including a local teenager who nearly left school due to the excruciating pain caused by hidradenitis.
“I ran into his mom in a random store, and she came and gave me a hug, and she was so grateful,” Dr. Miller said. “She told me he's now back in school, has a job, and is going to live a productive life in his twenties because we went through this whole long process when he was 19 or 20 to get his disease taken care of and get him back in school. There are a lot of great success stories.”
For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call 269.337.4600 or email gsclinic@wmed.edu.