Antidandruff shampoos containing antifungal agents such as ketoconazole or ciclopirox are sometimes helpful. Conditioner can be used if desired. The following medications may be helpful for scalp folliculitis: Topical antibiotics (eg, fusidic acid gel), clindamycin solution, erythromycin solution.
Protect skin that's prone to folliculitis from the friction caused by backpacks, helmets and tight clothes. Dry out your rubber gloves between uses. If you wear rubber gloves regularly, after each use turn them inside out, wash with soap, rinse and dry well. Avoid shaving, if possible.
Conditioner can cause hair loss if you're coating your hair too heavily. It can be clogging your scalp or damaging the hair shaft causing breakage (AKA more hair fall!)
Sometimes, when Malassezia gets into the hair follicles, it can cause an itchy condition that looks like an acne breakout. It usually occurs on the upper chest and back. This form of folliculitis is made worse (aggravated) by sweat.
Moisturizers can also aid in supporting the skin's barrier function, which may contribute to overall skin health and help prevent further irritation of hair follicles.
The scalp affected by folliculitis should be washed with a mild normal shampoo as often as desired. Antidandruff shampoos containing antifungal agents such as ketoconazole or ciclopirox are sometimes helpful. Conditioner can be used if desired.
Essential Oils. Tea tree oil, neem oil, geranium oil, grapefruit seed oil are very effective in treating folliculitis. Tea tree oil can be added to your shampoo, lotion or body wash. Rub it gently onto the affected area and let it sit.
Some conditioners contain silicones, parabens, sodium Laureth sulfate, benzophenone, cetrimonium chloride, Diazolidinyl urea, and isopropanol, which can damage hair and cause allergic skin reactions. Do not use a conditioner if it irritates the skin; instead, look for sulfate-free products.
What happens if you don't rinse out conditioner? Failing to rinse out conditioner can result in product buildup, making your hair heavy, greasy, and difficult to style, and may lead to scalp irritation.
But sometimes, folliculitis can be more stubborn. It could take longer to clear up if you're not sure what's causing it. It might not respond right away to a certain type of medicine, or it might go away and come back. In some cases, it may take a few months before your skin is back to normal.
Superficial folliculitis usually presents with multiple small spots and pustules, on an inflamed base, pierced by a central hair, although this might not always be visible. Deeper lesions present as painful, often pustular, inflamed lumps. Persistent or recurrent lesions may result in scarring and permanent hair loss.
Sometimes, folliculitis may be the result of inflammation secondary to ingrown hairs as well as caused by certain drugs such as lithium and cyclosporine.
Folliculitis, a common skin condition, occurs when hair follicles become inflamed, resulting in small red bumps, itching, and occasionally, pus-filled blisters.
Actinic folliculitis usually spontaneous resolves with cessation of sunlight exposure, for persistent cases topical retinoids such as adapalene can be helpful, but, occassionally oral isotretinoin therapy may be required for refractory cases.
If folliculitis goes untreated it may result in serious or deep infections that may spread or cause permanent scarring, cellulitis, or even enter the bloodstream and become life-threatening.
Initial treatment of folliculitis includes warm compresses 2-3 times per day. Certain antibacterial soaps including Dial®, Hibiclens® wash or a benzoyl peroxide wash can be helpful, though can irritate the skin. For more severe cases, topical or even oral antibiotics can be used.
We all have hair follicles all over our body, including on our bums, and each hair follicle grows out of what are more commonly known as pores. Similar to the acne on other areas of the body, when these pores become inflamed and clogged up, folliculitis can form.
Folliculitis starts when hair follicles are damaged or when the follicle is blocked. For example, this may occur from rubbing against clothing or shaving. Most of the time, the damaged follicles become infected with staphylococci (staph) bacteria.
Viral infections
Folliculitis may be caused by the herpes simplex virus. This tends to be tender and resolves without treatment in around ten days. Severe recurrent attacks may be treated with aciclovir and other antiviral agents.