Skin disease HS: GLP-1 drugs used more often, but benefit isn’t proven
☕ Includes a question for the family ↓
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If you live with hidradenitis suppurativa, or HS, you may wonder whether weight-loss drugs could help your skin. A large Danish study gives a calm, useful answer: people with this skin disease do reach for GLP-1 drugs earlier and more often, but the study could not show that the drugs are what improved their skin. What it does confirm is that looking after your weight, blood sugar and blood pressure is a worthwhile part of your care.
HS is a long-lasting inflammatory skin disease. It causes painful lumps in skin folds. It is often found together with obesity, diabetes and heart disease. GLP-1 drugs are medicines for diabetes and weight loss. They also calm inflammation in the body, so doctors have been curious about them for HS.
How the study worked
Researchers used Denmark’s national health records from 2000 to 2022. They followed 12,581 adults with HS and compared them with 9,824 people with psoriasis and 12,581 people from the general population, matched by age and sex. They looked at who started a GLP-1 drug, and at surgeries and medicines in the 2 years before and after. It was an observational study, so it shows patterns rather than proof of cause. It was published Oct. 3, 2026, in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.
What they found
People with HS were the most likely to start a GLP-1 drug. About 8 in 100 did (8.2%), compared with about 6 in 100 of those with psoriasis (5.7%) and about 3 in 100 of the general population (3.2%).
They also started sooner. On average it took about 9 years from HS diagnosis to the first GLP-1 drug (8.88 years). For people with psoriasis it took about 10 years (10.1 years), and the same for the general population (10.2 years).
Before starting, people in every group had more heart, metabolic and mental health conditions than when they were first diagnosed.
After starting a GLP-1 drug, people with HS had fewer surgeries and used fewer of the stronger medicines. Here is the useful part: people with HS who did not take a GLP-1 drug saw similar drops. So the study can’t say the drugs caused the improvement. Time, changes in care or the normal ups and downs of the disease could play a part.
What this means for you
The clear takeaway is about the whole picture. HS often comes with metabolic health needs, and those can be treated. Taking care of them is good for your heart, your energy and possibly your skin. Whether a GLP-1 drug fits you is a question for you and your doctor, based on your own health. It is not a replacement for your HS treatment.
What you can do today
Book or plan your next visit with a simple request: ask to have your weight, blood sugar and blood pressure checked. If you have Medicare or other insurance, these checks are usually part of a routine visit. Write down the numbers so you can see how they change over time.
Talk about it at home
In this study, scientists looked at health records from a whole country, like a giant library of notes kept over many years. They noticed that people with a certain skin condition started some newer medicines a bit earlier and more often than other groups. But when they looked closely, people who did not take those medicines also got better in similar ways, so the medicines may not be the reason.
Question for the table
Why do you think the scientists compared people who took the medicine with people who did not, and what could that comparison tell them that looking at only one group could not?
Keep exploring
Copies this article and its questions so you can paste them into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or the AI you use, and keep the conversation going.
Questions and answers
- What is hidradenitis suppurativa?
- It is a long-lasting inflammatory skin disease that causes painful lumps in skin folds. It often comes with weight and metabolic health problems.
- How many people with HS started a GLP-1 drug in the study?
- About 8 in 100 (8.2%). That compares with 5.7% of people with psoriasis and 3.2% of the general population.
- Do GLP-1 drugs improve HS?
- This study can't say. Surgeries and HS medicines fell after starting the drugs, but they fell similarly in people who never took them.
- Should I ask my doctor about a GLP-1 drug?
- You can ask whether one fits your overall metabolic health. It is not a replacement for your HS treatment.
