Folliculitis

Folliculitis is a common skin condition that causes annoying symptoms and can sometimes lead to severe complications.

Folliculitis

Folliculitis can occur due to many reasons, and it has many types, such as bacterial folliculitis, razor bumps (after shaving), yeast infection, gram-negative folliculitis (it occurs after taking antibiotics for a long time), and furuncles and carbuncles (deeply infected follicles).

Causes of folliculitis

When a follicle is inflamed, this causes it to swell under the skin, which leads to a bump on the surface of the skin. Many factors can play a role in folliculitis:

• Shaving a lot.
• Waxing.
• Wearing tight clothes.
• Having diabetes or HIV/AIDS.
• Overweight and obesity.
• Sweating a lot without cleaning off properly.
• Spending time in a not properly cleaned hot tub or sauna.
• Taking certain medications like corticosteroids.

Symptoms of folliculitis

Symptoms of folliculitis include:

• Red bumps on the skin.
• Pus-filled blisters or clusters of small pimples around the hair follicle.
• Itchy, burning, and painful skin.
• Folliculitis can lead to permanent scarring, patches of darker or lighter skin, and destruction of the hair follicles that can cause permanent hair loss.

Diagnosis of folliculitis

• Physical exam.

Treatment of folliculitis

• Topical medications and shampoos.
• Oral medications when needed.
• A minor surgery to drain the pus in some cases.
• Laser hair removal.
• Folliculitis can be prevented by washing the skin regularly, doing the laundry regularly, avoiding friction and pressure on the skin, and shaving with care.