Could it be HS?

Hello everyone

I'm wondering if I have HS. Would like to know if other people have similar experience to me. I have been to several dermatologists but they are all stumped.

My problem is exclusively in the beard area and has been diagnosed as "some form of folliculitis" many times, but the treatments don't work. And it seems more of an immune disorder to me.

What happens:

I get a painful bump under the skin, always relating to a hair follicule. It eventually goes red and swells, but there is no pus, only inflammation. If I pull the hair out and the root of the follicule, there is a hard, very white structure which causes the problem in the skin. It looks and feels like a grain of rice. The inflammation and hole will not heal until it is removed from the skin. It takes a little digging but once out, the hole heals quickly, sometimes with a little staph.

Is it a follicule that is blocked at the base? Is it HS? Keratin plug? I don't know. I've had it on and off for at least 15 years and it is mostly around bottom lip and jaw line near mouth. Not consistent, but flares up every now and again.

Things I suspect trigger it:

Sugar
Cheese
Oil
Sweating a lot
Shaving

Any ideas how to get rid of it? I "cured" the area under my lip by removing every plug I could see at the same time and dousing it with tea tree oil. It made a mess and was sore for a while, but it never came back. I'm loathe to do that on my jaw line though.