Infectious Folliculitis: Everything You Need to Know About This Bacterial Infection.

What is folliculitis?

Folliculitis is similar to acne, which can be Itchy, painful, and uncomfortable to deal with. It is caused when your hair follicles get inflamed or infected. The human body has hair at every part of its body other than the scalp. Some of this hair is not visible, but they all have a purpose to serve. The opening where your hair grows out of is called hair follicles. These tiny follicles keep our body warm and are active sebum producers. When the follicle containing oil glands comes in contact with infectious bacteria in the environment, it gets infected. If you’re looking for infected hair follicle treatment, it will be in your best interest for what follows in this read.

Some of the common areas to get hair follicle infections are:

• Face

• Legs

• Genitals 

• Buttock

• Arms

• Back

Types of Folliculitis:

The whole variety of folliculitis is divided into two types: superficial and deep.

Superficial folliculitis includes the infection of only a section of the follicle, whereas deep folliculitis is a more severe infection of the follicles. 

Some of the Superficial Types of Folliculitis Are:

• Staphylococcus Aureus: It is one of the most common types of hair follicle infection and can mostly be treated at home. Due to bacteria infection, your skin tends to produce pimples with puss. The affected area gets better on its own. It is also known as Bacterial folliculitis. 

• Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: Also known as ‘Hot Tub’ folliculitis, it is found in hot tubs, whirlpools, and waterslides. The bacteria mainly exist in hot water. It can cause you to have red bumps after being exposed to hot water. Rarely it is severe to visit a hospital.

• Pseudofolliculitis Barbae: It is the razor bumps you get after shaving. Be it the groin area or men shaving their beards. The ingrown hair leaves you with irritation and itchy feeling and, in many cases, with dark scars. 

Deep or Severe Cases of Folliculitis Are: 

• Sycosis Barbae: It is a severe form of aftershave infection. The entire follicle is infected with the presence of pus in the red bump. If this occurs to you, it is best to visit your dermatologist.

• Gram-Negative Folliculitis: If you have been using antibiotics for a long time to treat your acne, you may grow resistant bacteria leading to your acne conditions getting worse. 

• Boils: It may be one of the severe cases of folliculitis, but it is also one of the most common. Often may have experienced it in one’s childhood days or even in adult times. 

The entire follicle is deeply affected, leading to pain in the affected area. In more severe cases, one may get a fever too. 

• Eosinophilic folliculitis:  people with weak immune systems are easily affected by this. The reason behind Eosinophilic is not yet known. It reacts in one’s body by growing sudden bumps on shoulders, head, arms, etc. once recovered, it leaves scars. And may recur.  

Symptoms and Causes of Infected Hair Follicles

The most common symptom of Folliculitis is to have red bumps. The size of the nodes varies on how severe it is. In most cases, the bump contains pus and can be very painful. It develops from a cyst to pus.

Whereas the leading causes to get Folliculitis are:

• If you are a diabetic patient

• If you are obese

• If you sweat easily but does not clean your body often

• If you are exposed to dust and does not clean later

• Not maintaining a clean hygiene

• Not drinking clean water

• Consuming too much oily food.

How to Treat Folliculitis? 

Infected hair follicle treatment varies upon how severe your affected areas are. Here are some of the treatments: 

• Using ointments that can help dry the wound

• Compressing softly on the infected area with a clean cloth dipped in warm water

• Cleaning the area with antibacterial cleansers

But if the case is severe, you may have gotten a  fever or other severe symptoms. It is best advised to visit a doctor.

How to prevent Folliculitis

To prevent recurrence of Folliculitis and the struggle of dealing with it, these are some of the measures you may take:

• By maintaining good hygiene and taking special care of the affected area.

• Take a regular bath to clean the presence of sebum that your body has produced.

• Wearing breathable clothes that is comfortable for your body.

• Limiting shaving. 

• Take proper care of your private parts. 

At Doctor HelpMySkin, is available with quality service, thorough diagnosis, and quick recovery. 

Medication and Laser hair treatment services are available to treat the infected hair follicle and prevent it from returning.