What autoimmune disease causes chronic folliculitis?

Author: Nathanial Weissnat  |  Last update: Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune blistering disease that commonly involves the scalp. Lesions of pemphigus vulgaris that persist on the scalp for a long period may be accompanied by tufted hair folliculitis.

What disease is associated with folliculitis?

Most of the time, the damaged follicles become infected with staphylococci (staph) bacteria. Barber's itch is a staph infection of the hair follicles in the beard area, usually the upper lip. Shaving makes it worse. Tinea barbae is similar to barber's itch, but the infection is caused by a fungus.

Why am I getting recurrent folliculitis?

Folliculitis is often caused when hair follicles are infected with bacteria, commonly Staphylococcus aureus (staph). It may also be caused by viruses, fungi, parasites, medications or physical injury. Sometimes the cause isn't known.

What autoimmune disease attacks hair follicles?

Alopecia areata is a disease that happens when the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss. Hair follicles are the structures in skin that form hair. While hair can be lost from any part of the body, alopecia areata usually affects the head and face.

How do I know if I have eosinophilic folliculitis?

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis presents with itchy red or skin-coloured dome-shaped papules and pustules. It may look like acne or other forms of folliculitis. The papules mostly appear on the face, scalp, neck and trunk and may persist for weeks or months.

Common Autoimmune Diseases: Causes and Symptoms

What autoimmune disorders cause folliculitis?

Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune blistering disease that commonly involves the scalp. Lesions of pemphigus vulgaris that persist on the scalp for a long period may be accompanied by tufted hair folliculitis.

What does eosinophilia look like?

What do eosinophils look like? Eosinophils are microscopic cells that are spherical. The cells are clear in your body but under a microscope, an acidic dye changes the cell's color to be examined. The dye changes the cell to a purple or pink color.

How to stop your immune system from attacking hair follicles?

A treatment plan for extensive hair loss may include:
  1. Contact immunotherapy: Also called topical immunotherapy, the goal of this treatment is to get your immune system to stop attacking your hair follicles. ...
  2. JAK inhibitor: This type of medication calms the overactive immune system, which may allow your hair to regrow.

What are usually the first signs of lupus?

Symptoms
  • Fatigue.
  • Fever.
  • Joint pain, stiffness and swelling.
  • Butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose or rashes elsewhere on the body.
  • Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure.
  • Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during stressful periods.

What are the worst symptoms of Sjögren's?

In addition to dryness, Sjögren's syndrome can cause other symptoms, including:
  • Joint pain.
  • Muscle pain or weakness.
  • Swollen lymph nodes.
  • Fatigue (feeling tired all the time).
  • Trouble swallowing (dysphagia) or talking.
  • Brain fog (trouble thinking or focusing).
  • Loss of taste.
  • Tooth decay (cavities) or loss.

What deficiency causes folliculitis?

Severe vitamin A and C deficiency may cause folliculitis. [1] In vitamin A deficiency the skin shows follicular hyperkeratosis, dryness and generalised wrinkling. [11] It requires about 2 months of vitamin C deprivation to produce mucocutaneous signs, including perifollicular petechiae and follicular hyperkeratosis.

How I cured my chronic folliculitis?

Treating folliculitis

Warm compresses can help soothe itching and promote healing. Most folliculitis resolves on its own within seven to 10 days. If your folliculitis does not improve on its own, see your doctor. For persistent cases, a doctor might prescribe medications that are applied to the skin or taken by mouth.

Are some people more prone to folliculitis?

Certain types of folliculitis are more likely to happen in particular groups of people. Pseudofolliculitis barbae and sycosis barbae, for example, are two types of folliculitis are closely linked to shaving. These conditions are much more common in men who are frequently cutting beard hairs.

Why am I getting folliculitis all over my body?

In most cases, folliculitis will disappear independently. The most common cause of folliculitis is damage to the hair follicle. Improper shaving techniques, tight clothing, skin rubbing, and some medications can all cause follicle damage.

What STD causes folliculitis?

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.

What is lupus belly?

Lupus can also cause other problems in the abdomen, including peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal lining) and ascites (a build-up of fluids in the abdomen). Symptoms of peritonitis and ascites include: Abdominal pain and swelling. Nausea and vomiting.

What are the 11 markers for lupus?

The 11 criteria included were malar rash, discoid rash, photosensitivity, alopecia, Raynaud phenomenon, oral/nasal ulcers, arthritis (non-erosive arthritis involving 2 or more peripheral joints), serositis (pleurisy or pericarditis), renal disease (proteinuria greater than 500 mg daily or cellular RBC, granular, ...

What autoimmune disease kills hair follicles?

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that attacks your body's hair follicles, causing patchy hair loss. Medications and therapies can help your hair regrow, though severe cases may not respond to treatment.

What hormone destroys hair follicles?

Hormones and androgenetic alopecia

Androgenetic alopecia occurs when you inherit genetic changes that make your hair follicles overly sensitive to DHT. As a result, the follicles shrink, growing thinner hair for a time before they completely stop growing new hairs.

What deficiency causes hair follicles?

Vitamin D is essential for creating the cells that develop into hair follicles. It also supports healthy bones and your immune system.

What is EoE?

What Is Eosinophilic Esophagitis? Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an inflammation of the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach), caused by a specific white blood cell – the eosinophil. Nearly three-quarters of affected cases occur in white males.

What does a basophil look like?

Basophils are microscopic cells that are spherical in shape. They have a two-lobed nucleus (which looks like two raindrops connected by a thin thread). To view these cells under a microscope, a lab technician adds a stain or dye to the sample of cells. This makes the cells turn a shade of purple to black.

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