What is Folliculitis?
It is an inflammation or bacterial infection of the hair on the scalp. The infection can be shallow or deep depending on the extent of disease and can even lead to formation of inflammatory bump which will surround the hair. A furuncle or a boil is formed when folliculitis is of the sebaceous gland. Another deeper version of a furuncle is a carbuncle which is actually formed deep within and has many sinuses. Mostly it affects the scalp hair follicles but can easily spread to other skin areas like, the bearded area of the face in men, chest, armpits, buttocks, groin and thighs.
Folliculitis symptoms
There are several types of Folliculitis infection and the symptoms vary accordingly. However, here are some general symptoms of Folliculitis;
- Masses of tiny red boils develop around the hair follicle.
- The boils are generally filled with pus which tends to break and discharge.
- The skin becomes red and inflamed which is referred as erythema.
- There will be a lot of itchiness and sensitivity of the skin.
- The boils have the tendency to crust over.
- In rare and severe cases the infection can cause fever and sickness.
Folliculitis pictures
Picture of Staphylococcus folliculitis
Source: atlasdermatologico.com.br
Hot tub folliculitis (Pseudomonas Folliculitis) pictures
source: dermnetnz.org
Tinea barbae – (Barbers Itch) picture
source: wikipedia.org
Pseudo folliculitis barbae pictures
source: crutchfielddermatology.com
Gram-negative folliculitis pictures
source : dermnetnz.org
Pictures of Eosinophilic folliculitis
source : dermnetnz.org
Folliculitis decalvans or Tufted folliculitis PICTURES
source : dermnetnz.org
Scalp folliculitis pictures
source : dermnetnz.org
Pictures of Herpetic folliculitis – on rad.usuhs.edu
Folliculitis causes
The major cause is the bacteria Staphylococcus Aureus. However, other infection causing agents like virus, fungi and some noninfectious agents are also responsible. Basically it starts from an insect bite or an irritation, friction caused by tight clothing, obstruction of follicle, improper shaving or plaits which are very tight and close to the scalp. All these aforesaid causes damage the hair follicle badly enough for them to get infected with staphylococcus aureus.
Other bacterium Pseudomonas Aeruginosa causes hot tub folliculitis. It is mainly caused in those areas of your body which are present in a hot tub which is not properly cleaned prior to use. The typical body parts affected by this are buttocks, hips, legs and thighs. It can also be caused if these body parts are trapped in wet clothing for longer duration of time. Interestingly, Pseudo folliculitis barbae mostly occurs in black men, as their curly facial hair when cut too short will coil back and irritate the skin causing inflammation.
Other causes of folliculitis are Fungus T. rubrum leads to Tinea barbae which is similar to barber’s itch. It results in the bearded part of the face and is mostly aggravated by improper shaving.
Herpes Simplex Virus 1 or HSV-1 causes herpetic folliculitis which affects the hair follicles surrounding the mouth.
Some other noninfectious agents are Eosinophilic folliculitis which affects people having a weakened immune system.
Apart from all this tight clothing, excessive sweating, severe acne and surgical wounds all can lead to you acquiring folliculitis.
Types of Folliculitis
There are two types of infection, Superficial and Deep.
Superficial types are of the following;
Staphylococcal Folliculitis:
caused by staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria, this resides on the skin and enters it only via a cut or an open wound. It is marked by white, itchy, pus containing bumps that can occur in the hair follicles anywhere in the body. They can occur through scratching, shaving and also with any injury to skin.
Note :
Bacterial folliculitis
is usually due to staphylococcus aureus. If it involves the deeper part of the follicle then it results in boil which is painful. Treatment includes good hygiene, antiseptic cream, antibiotics (oral or ointment)
Pseudomonas Folliculitis (hot tub folliculitis)
as mentioned above it is hot tub folliculitis. It is caused due to the chlorine and pH imbalance in the tub due to lack of cleanliness and hygiene. Eight to 5 days of exposure is enough to result in pus filled boils.
Tinea barbae – (Barbers Itch)
it is caused by fungus and results in white boils which are extremely irritating.
Pseudo folliculitis barbae
It is similar to barbers itch and Caused due to extremely small cut hair curling back to the skin and persistent irritation caused by shaving.
Pityrosporum folliculitis:
predominant in teenagers or adolescents, affects the chest, arms, neck, shoulders and face. It is mainly caused by yeast like fungus.
Herpetic folliculitis:
caused by HSV-1 resulting in cold sore around the mouth area, particularly upper lip.
Scalp folliculitis :
It is an inflammatory disorder of hair follicles of scalp. This medical condition is also known as ‘Proprionibacterium’ folliculitis or ‘acne necrotica miliaris’. They are characterized by small itchy pustules with in the scalp.
Deep types are of the following;
Gram-negative folliculitis:
this is caused in people who are constantly on an antibiotic treatment for long term acne trouble. Due to the antibiotics, the normal level of bacteria is altered or disturbed, leading to an overwhelming population of dreadful organisms called as gram negative bacteria. This can aggravate the already existing lesions and can be temporarily treated by stopping the consumptions of antibiotics.
Boils and carbuncles:
when the attack of staphylococcus bacteria is severe enough then it results in pus filled boils. This is very painful and usually grows to an extent of rupture. Larger the boil, greater is the chances of scarring. When there are a large number of boils formed as a cluster, then it is called a carbuncle. This is severe and takes longer period of time for healing.
Eosinophilic folliculitis:
patches of pus filled lesions are seen on the upper arms or back of those suffering from HIV/AIDS. Yeast like fungus is responsible for it and can lead to hyperpigmentation upon healing.
Genital folliculitis:
this is a special form of staphylococcus aureus and is caused mainly in the groin or the genital area of men and women. This is usually difficult to cure due to its location and the lesions may or may not be filled with pus.
Folliculitis decalvans or tufted folliculitis
is caused on the scalp. It can result in serious scarring and permanent hair loss of the affected area and usually several hairs will emerge from the same hair follicle.
Folliculitis treatment and diagnosis
Generally the medic or the dermatologist will examine the skin physically and might even send a sample of the pustule to be checked in laboratory. There the sample is cultured and tested for the presence of bacteria. Depending on the type of bacteria or fungi present antibiotics will be suggested for the commencement of treatment.
Mostly antiseptic treatment is provided to start with. Topical antibiotics like bacitrancin with polymyxin B and mupirocin or neomycin consisting ointment is also administered. Oral or systemic antibiotics like narrow-spectrum penicillinase resistant penicillins can be used as well. These are dicloxacillin and flucloxacillin.
Folliculitis cure
Mostly for the cure of superficial types of folliculitis no antibiotics is required. At home one can diligently clean the affected area with soap or just plain water as much as possible. An antiseptic cleanser consisting of chlorhexidine or povidone iodine is of great relief. For the opening of the blood vessels and promoting eruptions from the boils, use moist heat compresses.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folliculitis
healthhype.com
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by on 11. Aug, 2010 in Diseases and Conditions
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