Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) demands two decisions at nearly every visit: which therapy fits this patient now, and which comorbidity screening does this patient need next. Jennifer Hsiao, MD, addresses both in a new Dermatology Times conversation, "HS Treatment Selection and Comorbidity Screening: Practical Tips With Jennifer Hsiao, MD."

Hsiao's guidance targets the daily practice gap that dermatologists know well. HS is a chronic inflammatory follicular disorder presenting with painful nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts, and scarring, most often in intertriginous areas. Disease severity spans a wide range, and therapy selection has to track that range rather than default to a single pathway.

What does the discussion cover?

The conversation centers on practical tips — the operational advice clinicians can apply at the next appointment rather than abstract principles. Two domains anchor the discussion:

• Treatment selection: matching therapy choice to the individual patient, with attention to how HS presentation and severity shape the decision.
• Comorbidity screening: identifying the associated conditions that HS patients carry at elevated rates and building screening into routine dermatologic follow-up.

That second domain matters because HS is not an isolated skin disease. Patients live with systemic and psychosocial comorbid burdens, and the dermatology visit is frequently the touchpoint where screening either happens or does not. Hsiao frames screening as a practical workflow question, not an optional extra.

Who is Jennifer Hsiao, MD?

Hsiao is a dermatologist with a clinical focus that includes HS and inflammatory skin disease. Her commentary appears as part of Dermatology Times' interview coverage, which brings specialist perspectives on management questions to a dermatology readership.

Why does this matter for practice?

HS remains underdiagnosed and often delayed in diagnosis, and management complexity grows with disease severity. Treatment selection discussions that weigh patient-specific factors — rather than a one-size-fits-all algorithm — reflect how the field's approach to HS has matured. Pairing therapy decisions with structured comorbidity screening moves the visit beyond lesion control toward whole-patient management.

For dermatologists who manage HS, the conversation offers a concise checklist mentality: choose the therapy the patient in front of you needs, and screen for the comorbidities that patient is statistically likely to have. Readers can find the full set of Hsiao's practical tips in the original Dermatology Times piece.