Folliculitis

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Medical Author:

Gary W. Cole, MD, FAAD

Gary W. Cole, MD, FAAD

Dr. Cole is board certified in dermatology. He obtained his BA degree in bacteriology, his MA degree in microbiology, and his MD at the University of California, Los Angeles. He trained in dermatology at the University of Oregon, where he completed his residency.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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• Folliculitis is a very common, benign skin disorder that looks like scattered pinpoint red bumps on the skin.
• Though folliculitis affects people of all ages, from babies to seniors, it's most common in teens and young adults.
• The numerous smooth little red bumps form around hair follicles and are most common on the chest, back, buttocks, and legs.
• Folliculitis creates a "goose bumps" or "chicken skin" appearance of affected skin.
• Folliculitis is often seen in otherwise healthy people, it's easily curable in most cases and frequently clears on its own without treatment, though it may require ongoing maintenance therapy.
• Antibacterial washes such as benzoyl peroxide are often used to treat folliculitis, and resistant cases may need antibiotic pills to clear the skin.
• Good skin hygiene and proper shaving techniques have been shown to prevent folliculitis.

Folliculitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the hair follicles. It appears as a small localized area of pus surrounding the opening of a hair follicle. Older lesions that have lost the pus appear as red bumps surrounding the opening of the follicule. One to hundreds of follicles can be affected anywhere that hair is present. Actually, acne vulgaris, the facial rash that teenagers develop, is a type of folliculitis.

Depending on the cause and severity of folliculitis, it may require no treatment and resolve spontaneously, or it may require treatment with powerful antibiotics or other drugs.