Becky Smith lives with two challenging skin conditions, hidradenitis suppurativa and pilonidal sinus disease, which cause lesions/abscesses. These chronic inflammatory conditions usually affect individuals in their 20s to 40s and can have a huge impact on patients’ quality of life. Depending on severity, management of these conditions includes lifestyle, psychosocial, medical and surgical interventions. Becky has adapted her lifestyle to best manage her conditions. She recognises the early warning signs of an onset of hidradenitis suppurativa and promptly seeks treatment. Following two operations for pilonidal sinus disease, she is now hopefully free from this condition. Here, she explains in detail how the conditions have affected her and the mechanisms she has learnt to cope with them. She hopes that illustrating her journey will help other patients with these diseases and lead to a better awareness of the conditions among the healthcare staff who manage them.