A mum whose body is covered in bumps and boils said she refuses to cover up her skin after years of being embarrassed.

Cydney Carter, 26, first noticed a change in her skin when she was 12 years old.

She started noticing bumps in her groin and inner thigh but as a sporty child thought it was down to sweat.

As the was getting told, the bumps and boils would spread across her body - including her legs, underarms, lower abdomen and bum.

Aged 17, Cydney went to her dermatologist who told her she has hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) - a chronic skin condition causing abscesses and painful scaring - five years after she first got symptoms.

The exact cause is unknown, but it occurs near hair follicles where there are sweat glands, usually around the groin, bottom, breasts and armpits.

For reasons unknown, more women than men have the condition.

Cydney, a content creator, from Pueblo, Colorado, US, said: "I was 12 when I first started noticing I was getting bumps on my groin area."

"I played a lot of sports growing up so I thought it was down to sweat."

"A lot of the time, at the beginning, I was blaming myself, saying I wasn't washing or I was allergic to sweat - it was very confusing for me."

"I think it took me so long to get my diagnosis because I was fearful and ashamed."

"I wasn't talking to anyone about HS as I was ashamed, I was keeping a lot of those symptoms to myself."

At the age of 12, Cydney started noticing bumps on her groin and inner thigh area.

The mum-of-three thought it was down to not washing properly or sweating too much and never went to seek professional advice.

When she turned 17, her skin condition had spread and now covered her legs, underarms, lower abdomen and bum.

Cydney said: "I didn't get diagnosed until 2014 when I was a senior in high school."

"I went to my dermatologist who diagnosed me with hidradenitis suppurativa"

- a chronic skin condition causing abscesses and painful scaring.

"I don't want to say there was no help for me out there but I wasn't talking about it."

"There was so much shame in this HS journey and the symptoms that come along with me."

"The thing about HS, is it is not a rare disease - it is just rarely talked about due to the shame."

According to the NHS, HS is a long-term skin condition. It causes abscesses

- painful, swollen areas that contain discharge or pus - and scarring on the skin.

The bumps and boils can usually be located around the groin, cheeks of your bottom, breasts and armpits, but they can affect other areas as well.

Cydney said she was lucky growing up as she was never bullied for her skin as she would often cover it up.

She said: "Nobody ever called me names or judged me for HS."

"However, I did always count myself out growing up as I knew I was different to everyone else."

"It was hard relationship wise. I didn't have many relationships growing up as I thought I was so different."

"Now, I have three kids and I am married."

"The struggle for me now is dealing with everyday pain and the chronic fatigue but I am able to appreciate my life more for what it is."

Cydney said a diagnosis for HS takes so long because people feel embarrassed and don't want to talk about the condition.

For Cydney, it took five years to be diagnosed as she would often cover up her skin and not tell people about her symptoms.

She said: "We are starting to see more and more people get diagnosed but it takes on average around seven years to be properly diagnosed."

"The factor when it comes to receiving a diagnosis is people don't want to talk about it."

"A lot of dermatologists don't know what HS is so they are getting misdiagnosed or given the wrong treatments."

Cydney has been using a cream called 'My Magic Healer' since December 2022 and has noticed a big change in her skin flaring up.

She said: "What happens is the inflammation underneath the hair follicles gets inflamed and turns into an abscess."

"There is a lot of fluid and a lot of draining - it is not a pretty site."

"Once I started my journey on social media, a lot of people were giving me tips which is really cool as I wasn't in a place where I was taking care of my skin."

"Now, I use completely natural skin care, changing my skin care regime has helped 100% with the scares and frequent flare-ups."