All Smiles: Lorenzo recalls when her friends in high school would say she dressed like a grandma because she wore floral, long-sleeved blouses to hide her abscesses. Today, she’s cultivating the confidence to experiment with her fashion. “There’s times I want to wear something cute and I doubt if I look good,” Lorenzo said. “Sometimes I don’t care.” Yet, through criticism and insecurity, one thing prevails—her smile. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)
Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes painful abscesses, draining wounds and scarring. Due to insufficient research and awareness on the condition, as well as the variety of symptoms among patients, HS is underdiagnosed.
Patients are often prescribed antibiotics and advised to lose weight, quit smoking and practice better hygiene. While obesity and hygiene may contribute to HS, they do not cause the disease, but instead fuel misconceptions that affect patients’ self-esteem and identity.
Yairi Lorenzo is a senior studying digital media communication at Florida International University who was diagnosed with HS at 16. In the past eight years, the condition has affected her confidence, fashion choices, relationships and performance as a sports photographer.
Today, the 24-year-old sees her scars as a testament of her strength. Lorenzo is seeking treatment at the University of Miami’s Lennar Foundation Medical Center as she pursues her dream of becoming a Major League Baseball photographer.
Scars: Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes painful abscesses and draining wounds on hair follicles, typically in areas where skin rubs together, including armpits, underneath breasts, inner thighs, buttocks and the groin. Yairi Lorenzo, 24, was diagnosed with HS when she was 16. Since then, she’s had three surgeries to remove pus-filled lumps—comparable to the size of golf balls, she said—on her armpits. (Yairi Lorenzo/Caplin News)Spoiled: When Lorenzo’s abscesses erupt, pus and blood drain, producing a pungent odor akin to rotten ketchup, she said. According to the Canadian Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation, the smell, which is unique to each person, is produced when bacteria break down sweat and dead skin cells. To avoid irritating her scars and abscesses, Lorenzo refrains from fully shaving her armpits. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)Stop and Stare: Lorenzo feels self-conscious wearing sleeveless shirts because she fears people will be disgusted by her armpits. A study conducted by the Global Hidradenitis Suppurativa Atlas in 2025 found that roughly 1% of the world’s population, or about one in 100 people, have HS—similar to the number of people with rheumatoid arthritis. However, due to a lack of research and the diversity of symptoms patients present, the condition remains underdiagnosed and difficult to treat. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)Big Dreams: Lorenzo’s dream career is to work as a sports photographer for a Major League Baseball team such as the New York Yankees. When she has an HS “flare-up,” a time characterized by increased swelling and drainage, she tapes gauze under her armpits. This makes it uncomfortable, sometimes painful, for her to shoot photos in the heat. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)Romantic At Heart: Lorenzo and her friend Abel sit on the bleachers at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park. She has difficulty accepting affection from men because she worries about disclosing her skin condition. “I fear their rejection,” Lorenzo said. People commonly mistake HS abscesses with symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease. However, according to the HS Foundation, a nonprofit spreading awareness on the condition through research and education, they are not contagious or the result of an infection. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)Worries: Lorenzo checks the armpits of her 2-year-old cousin Alden, foreshadowing her concern about her children inheriting HS. Research published in the International Journal of Women’ s Dermatology in 2024 found that approximately one in three people diagnosed with HS report having someone in their family with the condition. “I hope I know how to handle that,” Lorenzo said. “But at the same time, I don’t want them to feel sadness, scared, worried or disgusted with themselves because of HS or because I gave it to them.” (Yairi Lorenzo/Caplin News)Weight Up: At EōS Fitness in Kendall, Lorenzo wears sweaters while working out to conceal her scars. Since her diagnosis, her doctors and parents have frequently told her to exercise and lose weight. However, while obesity can increase the severity of HS by creating more skin folds, friction and inflammation, experts agree it does not directly cause the skin condition and that weight loss does not guarantee less flare-ups. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)All Smiles: Lorenzo recalls when her friends in high school would say she dressed like a grandma because she wore floral, long-sleeved blouses to hide her abscesses. Today, she’s cultivating the confidence to experiment with her fashion. “There’s times I want to wear something cute and I doubt if I look good,” Lorenzo said. “Sometimes I don’t care.” Yet, through criticism and insecurity, one thing prevails—her smile. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)Tools: Pictured are an IV starter kit, a PVC infusion set and syringes—medical supplies used to administer Lorenzo’s HS treatment every six weeks at the University of Miami’s Lennar Foundation Medical Center in Coral Gables. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)In My Blood: A nurse at the Lennar Foundation Medical Center inserts a needle in Lorenzo’s vein to begin her HS treatment. Research published in the British Journal of Dermatology in 2020 found that women in North America and Europe are three times more likely to be diagnosed with HS than men. However, factors such as social stigma and unwillingness to seek treatment are contributing to underdiagnoses in men. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News) Time After Time: Lorenzo’s mom, Gary Grissette Jimenez, accompanies her every six weeks to undergo an intravenous treatment known as Inflectra, a medication aimed at lowering inflammation and reducing HS flare ups. Lorenzo’s treatment, which takes about three to four hours to complete, also includes Tylenol for pain, benadryl to prevent allergic reactions, and famotidine for the stomach. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)Waiting Game: Lorenzo waits for her treatment to be completed at the Lennar Foundation Medical Center. While there is no cure for HS, drugs such as antibiotics, steroids and biologics—medications derived from living cells rather than chemicals—are prescribed to reduce HS symptoms. Since beginning her treatment more than a year ago, Lorenzo says the size and painfulness of her abscesses has significantly improved. (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)Stand By Me: Lorenzo pictured with her father Manuel E. Lorenzo (left), her mother Gary Grissette Jimenez and her brother Manuel A. Lorenzo at a park near their home in Kendall. “I’m okay with these scars,” Lorenzo said. “My parents and my brother have been there through the whole process, seeing every raw bit of me living with HS.” (Nikole Valiente/Caplin News)
Yairi Lorenzo is a New York native and raised in Miami and college senior majoring in Digital interactive media and minoring in art specifically in photography. After graduation, she hopes to one day work for places like Sport Illustrative, Vogue, and Calvin kelin. Her interests also include becoming a sports photographer for MLB and NBA teams like the Marlins, the Heat, and the NY Nicks. Her dream career that she's aiming for is to be a photographer for The New York Yankees. She is passionate about that one day to get to photograph Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Yairi would also love to shoot for Formula 1, FIFA World Cup, and the Olympics.
Nikole Valiente is a junior studying digital journalism at Florida International University. When she’s not scouring the internet or obsessing over AP Style, the 22-year-old enjoys talking and sharing coladas with her close friends and family. Born to Cuban immigrants, Valiente aspires to be a reporter covering her hometown, Hialeah, the city of progress.
