A woman in California was given the evil nickname “Freddy Krueger” by bullies because she had a painful skin condition that caused her face to break out in boils.
Kira Archuleta, now 24, of Manteca, suffers from Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), an acne-like condition that causes painful lesions all over her body.
After appearing on her armpit, the boils quickly spread to her face, groin and even under her breasts. If they were to tear, they would create hand-sized painful wounds that could take weeks to heal.
It hurt so much that she was bedridden for ten months and had to be homeschooled. Doctors initially told her she just needed to “clean up better”, but after three years they diagnosed her with HS and took her to hospital.
Ms Archuleta is now more confident about her future, but says the disease can still flare up. She was given medication and manages the condition through dietary changes – avoiding red meat, dairy and pork – taking lukewarm showers daily and rubbing witch hazel and moisturizer on her skin. It comes after another patient, 25, from Dorset in the UK, revealed the open sores felt like they were being burned with a hot iron.
Kira Archuleta, now 24, of Manteca, said the condition started when she was 14. She is pictured above with scars on her face, armpits and under her breasts caused by the condition
HS is a painful condition in which small, boiling nodules form under the skin. It usually appears in areas where it rubs together, such as the armpits, groin, buttocks and breasts.
It is caused by clogged hair follicles, which cause the immune system to cause inflammation in the affected area – and cause boils.
This can cause tearing and sores that can take weeks to heal. In some cases, tunnels can also form between boils.
Patients are at risk of the wounds in the arms, legs and genitals becoming infected and swelling. Those left untreated also have a higher risk of skin cancer.
Woman with skin problem reveals she feels like she’s being burned with a hot iron
Elise Axon, 25, from Dorset, will appear on Discovery show The Bad Skin Clinic next week to seek a treatment for hidradenitis suppurativa – a rare genetic skin condition that affects just one per cent of the UK population.
It is not clear what causes the blockage of the hair follicles, but it is thought to be related to genetics or hormones. Studies have also shown that obese people and smokers are at increased risk for the disease.
HS used to be thought to be rare, but it’s estimated that up to four in 100 Americans now have the condition—that’s 13 million people.
Doctors now believe more people suffer from this disease, as they include milder cases where isolated sores appear on the skin but do not form tunnels.
In a tearful video posted on TikTok this month, Ms Archuleta showed viewers the scars on her body caused by the condition.
With the scars on her face, under her armpit, she lifted her top to reveal the scars around her breasts.
She broke down in tears during filming and wrote: “I felt disgusted for years. I just want to be normal!
“I’m not looking for sympathy or pity for myself, but I couldn’t hold back my tears.”
She added: “HS is not contagious! Yet people are so quick to judge.’
Mrs. Archuleta first suffered from this disease when she was 14 years old and ulcers appeared in her armpit.
However, the boils quickly began to spread, reaching her thighs, groin and face.
She said: “My boils were absolutely everywhere – in my groin, my thighs, my armpits.
“I could just sit down and I would feel one of the blisters burst and that would be it – pain radiating through my whole body.”
When the boils burst, they leave painful sores.
She added: “I didn’t just have sores, marks or scars – they were actual holes in my body.
“Some of them you could stick your whole hand in. The pain became so unbearable that I was bedridden for 10 months.’
She is pictured above talking about the condition on her TikTok channel
It took doctors three years to diagnose her condition, who initially dismissed her, saying she just needed to “clean up better.”
Ms Archuleta said she had been bedridden at home for 10 months and was being looked after by her mother Tina (48).
But in the end they decided to take her to the hospital. Here, doctors gave her antibiotics and fentanyl via an IV to ease the pain.
They cleaned her wounds and she was released after ten days.
To manage her condition, she has been placed on treatment with doxycycline for flare-ups and is about to start Humira – a drug commonly used for arthritis – to ease her pain.
She also adopted a new skin care routine that included once-in-a-lifetime lukewarm showers, shower gels and moisturizer.
And eliminated red meat, pork and dairy from her diet after discovering they could lead to a flare-up.
Describing her condition, she said: “For so long I was afraid to show my face because society told me it was ugly.
“People like me feel left out and forced to hide.
“It was three long years of increasing pain before I finally got a diagnosis.”
Bullies compared her condition to Freddy Krueger, the malevolent spirit of a child killer
She added, “I played softball in school and had to give it up. I went from being this strong, outgoing, athletic, bubbly person to a shell of my former self.
“Even as an adult, people still call me horrible names like Freddy Kruger.”
Mrs. Archuleta has no known genetic issues that put her at higher risk for the condition. But she has a family history of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
She said: “It’s more than just a condition – or even a disability. Hidradenitis Superativa is a plague.
“But above all, this state has taught me to be grateful. I feel better knowing I’m not alone. There is finally a crowd I can fit into.
“I’m still here – and now I have a platform through TikTok to spread the word about HS.”
She added: “My independence was taken away from me,” she said.
“It was so difficult.
“Being confined to bed is not life – my mother bathed me, changed my bandages every morning and prepared food for me.
“She did things that no mother should do to a daughter in her early twenties.”
“It got to the point that I couldn’t live like this anymore,” she said.
“My mother was in pain when I watched me go through the pain.
“I didn’t want to live. But after 10 months she decided to take me to hospital.’
She was taken to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California, USA and kept there for seven nights.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
