Central N.L. man has plan to fix his painful skin condition. The province won't help with MCP

Warning: This story contains images some might find disturbing.

He's looking for a normal life, an education, a career and independence. A life where he is not hospitalized every two months due to severe hidradenitis suppurativa.

At age 23, James King has spent more time getting surgeries and in the hospital recovering than most spend in a lifetime. He says he's sick of it.

"It's been a struggle on my well-being, it's been a struggle on my mental health and my physical overall health as well," King told CBC News. "Unfortunately, there's been points where I've been bedridden with this, points where I can't get up with this."

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a long-term skin condition that causes abscesses and scarring on the skin. According to the Canadian Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation, the exact cause is unknown, but it occurs near hair follicles where there are sweat glands, usually around the groin, buttocks, breasts and armpits. It affects one to three per cent of the population.

"Patients often suffer for years without effective treatment, leaving them frustrated in addition to helpless and ashamed," the foundation's website states. "Many have stopped seeking medical attention as a result of ineffective therapies."

To treat the disease, King has tried antibiotics, biologics — drugs such as proteins and genes — and injections, but nothing is working. Now he wants to try laser hair removal, but the Newfoundland and Labrador government won't cover the procedure under MCP.

"I've applied for special coverage and they've come back to me [saying] this is a non-insured, non-prior authorized process, and they came back saying that this is something I had to cover out of my own pocket," King said.

King has support for using laser hair removal to combat the disease. His doctors have written to the province recommending the treatment as a possible fix, and requesting it be covered under MCP.

Additionally, according to the Mayo Clinic — a large integrated, not-for-profit medical group practice — a carbon dioxide laser can be used to make hidradenitis suppurativa sores go away. After this treatment, the sores are unlikely to return, says the clinic's website, and that laser hair removal can help hidradenitis suppurativa in its early stages. 

The Canadian Dermological Association says laser hair removal, which destroys hair follicles, can help prevent new lesions from forming in hair-bearing areas of the underarms and pubic area.

However, the provincial health department is not considering it at this time. 

No one from the Department of Health was made available for an interview, and the department wouldn't discuss King's case due to privacy concerns.