Folliculitis

Folliculitis

Overview:

Folliculitis is an infection of your hair follicles. Every hair on your body begins within a follicle, which is a tiny pouch. You may develop folliculitis on any body part that has hair, but it’s most often seen on the scalp and face, and any area that may be rubbed by clothing, like the groin or the thighs. Folliculitis that occurs in the beard area can be very sensitive, and is referred to as pseudofolliculitis barbae.

Causes:

Folliculitis is generally caused by bacteria staphylococcus. It may sometimes also be brought on by yeast or another fungus type. People who can’t fight infections because of lowered immunity will develop this condition more often than people with healthy immune systems.

Sometimes folliculitis begins with a damaged hair follicle. You can inadvertently cause this by wearing clothes that rub, or by shaving. These actions irritate the follicles. Follicles sometimes are irritated or blocked by makeup, machine oil or sweat. Once the follicle is injured, it has a better chance of becoming infected.

Symptoms:

How do you know if you have folliculitis? They usually look like pimples, and are red in color, with a hair in their centers. The can burn or itch, and they may have pus inside them.

You stand a better chance of contracting folliculitis if you have a disorder like HIV or diabetes, because they lower your body’s ability to fight infection. An existing incision, scrape or cut that becomes infected can allow fungi or bacteria to spread to hair follicles.

Folliculitis can begin as hairs regrow after having been waxed, shaved or plucked. Any swabs taken from these blisters are generally sterile. That’s because in this case, there is no bacteria growth.

Women often get folliculitis on their lower legs, after shaving. It is usually quite itchy. You need to stop removing the hairs and let the condition settle, and wait several months, before you can shave again. Use a gentle lady’s electric razor to avoid irritation.

If you work with or use creosote, tar, motor oil, cocoa butter or makeup, these are substances that can block hair follicles and make them more likely to become infected. If you use steroids or antibiotics for a long period of time, or if you wear tight clothes, these can irritate the hair follicles. And if you use a swimming pool, whirlpool or hot tub that isn’t treated with chlorine, you may develop folliculitis. Your physician will determine if your problem is folliculitis by examining your skin, and by asking you about your recent activities and health.

Your health care provider may run tests to discover what caused your folliculitis, and to ensure that what you have isn’t something that looks similar, like heat rash or impetigo. They may examine a fluid sample from one of the pimples, to see if bacteria are causing your infection. If your doctor suspects a fungus is the culprit, he or she may take a sample of your tissue, or a biopsy, of the area that is affected.

Mild folliculitis usually heals by itself within two weeks or so. You may wish to use warm compresses made from Burrow’s solution or white vinegar to help aid healing and relieve the itching. If your infection doesn’t clear up, you may be given an antifungal or antibiotic cream. You can also use specialized shampoos that are medicated to treat folliculitis.

Treatments

You may be prescribed oral antifungals or antibiotics if your infection is more severe, or deeper.

This condition can be stubborn, and may require a long-term treatment course. In other cases, another option is laser hair removal. The treatment by laser destroys the follicles, so they won’t become infected again.