A Mediterranean diet rich in fish and veggies may be beneficial for people who have hidradenitis suppurativa. Nadine Greeff/Stocksy If you have hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic skin condition that causes painful lumps and scarring, anything that can help your symptoms — even a little bit — can come as a relief. Dietary changes can help control inflammation and minimize flares in some patients, says So Yeon Paek, MD, FAAD, an assistant clinical professor at Texas A&M College of Medicine, faculty member at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, and physician at Dermatology Physicians of Dallas. “It is certainly far from a cure for the disease but may help to reduce flares and, in milder disease — what we call Hurley stage 1 or 2 disease — can actually lead to significant improvement,” she says.