Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic, inflammatory, acne-like condition affecting the skin folds. It is a difficult condition to treat, and treatments range from oral and topical antibiotics to injectable biologic medications like Humira (adalimumab).

One of the common antibiotic regimens is a combination of clindamycin and rifampin. A recent study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology suggests that clindamycin alone may be just as effective as clindamycin and rifampin.

In this study, 60 patients were treated with either clindamycin alone or with a combination of clindamycin and rifampin. At the end of 8 weeks of therapy, the benefits were found to be similar in both groups.

Although more studies need to be done, this study suggests we may be able to treat this condition with a single antibiotic rather than a combination.