Folliculitis: What is it, what causes it and how can you treat it?

Folliculitis is a common skin condition that causes small red bumps to form around the hair follicles. It is most often caused by an infection of hair follicles with Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria. Folliculitis isn’t contagious. In most cases, it clears up on its own without treatment.

Folliculitis typically appears as tiny red bumps or white-headed pimples near hair follicles. The affected skin may be itchy, painful and tender, or have no symptoms at all. Usually, only the top layer of the skin is involved (superficial). But sometimes the infection can go deeper into the skin and cause more inflammation, which can lead to scarring or permanent hair loss in severe cases.

Hair follicles are found on almost every part of your body except for the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. Areas that are commonly affected by folliculitis include:

● Beard area in men who shave

● Back of neck

● Chest

● Shoulders

● Upper arms

We often get asked about the conditions our patients face, and what they can do for their skin. We’ve put together a few blog posts to help you understand your skin better. This post will be about folliculitis: what it is, common causes, and ways to treat it.

What is folliculitis?

Folliculitis is a skin condition caused by an inflammation of one or more hair follicles in a limited area.1 A hair follicle is the part of the skin that grows a hair by packing old cells together.2

The inflammation usually shows up as small red bumps or white-headed pimples around the hair follicle – the tiny pockets from which each hair grows. Sometimes folliculitis can spread across a large area of your skin.3

Folliculitis isn’t usually serious and can often clear up on its own after a few days. But sometimes it might need treating with antibiotics or antifungal medicine.4

If you’re a human, chances are you’ve had to deal with folliculitis at some point in your life. Folliculitis is an infection of the hair follicle that often appears as a rash or bumps on the skin. It can be caused by a number of things, including sweat, friction, irritants, bacteria and fungi.

While there are many causes of folliculitis, this article will focus on two types: bacterial and fungal folliculitis. Keep reading to learn how they differ, how they’re treated and what you can do to prevent them.

Folliculitis is the medical name for a skin condition in which the hair follicles become inflamed. Folliculitis usually appears as small, red bumps that may be painful and itchy. The bumps can contain pus, and may break open and crust over. It’s often caused by a bacterial infection or fungal infection but can also be caused by an inflammation from ingrown hairs, irritation from shaving or wearing clothes that rubs against your skin, or from an allergic reaction to hair products.

Folliculitis isn’t contagious but it can spread if you scratch the infected area and then touch other parts of your body. Once you have folliculitis, you may be more likely to get it again in the same spot or another area of your skin.

It can occur anywhere on your body but is most common on the scalp, face, armpits, legs and buttocks.

Folliculitis usually goes away on its own after several days but you might need medication to treat it if it becomes worse or is persistent.

Folliculitis is a common skin condition in which hair follicles become inflamed. It’s usually caused by a bacterial or fungal infection.

At first it may look like small red bumps or white-headed pimples around hair follicles — the tiny pockets from which each hair grows. The infection can spread and turn into nonhealing, crusty sores.

Folliculitis isn’t dangerous, but it can be uncomfortable and unsightly. If you have folliculitis on your face, you may be self-conscious about its appearance. Sometimes, the inflammation can also spread beyond the hair follicle, causing tenderness and pain in the surrounding skin.

Folliculitis can occur anywhere on the body where hair grows, including the scalp, face, chest, back, arms and legs. Folliculitis is most common on areas that are shaved or rubbed by clothing. Although folliculitis isn’t contagious, it can cause permanent hair loss if not treated properly or if it spreads to the deeper layers of skin surrounding the hair follicles.

In most cases, you can treat folliculitis with good hygiene and over-the-counter (OTC) antifungal or antibiotic cre

Folliculitis is a skin condition caused by an inflammation of one or more hair follicles in a limited area. The inflammation can be caused by an infection, irritation or ingrown hairs. If you have folliculitis, you may notice tiny red bumps or white-headed pimples around hair follicles — the tiny pockets from which each hair grows. Folliculitis usually appears as scattered patches of rash.

Folliculitis isn’t contagious and usually clears up on its own in a couple of weeks. You can help prevent further complications by keeping the affected area clean and dry and not scratching the area. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to eliminate the infection.

The first step to treating folliculitis is to understand what causes it. Folliculitis occurs when hair follicles become infected with bacteria or fungi. This can happen for a number of reasons, including:

Ingrown hairs

Shaving

Skin-to-skin contact

Excess oil and bacteria on the skin

Tight clothing or friction from clothes

Heat and humidity

Obesity

Poor hygiene