What is Folliculitis?

Folliculitis is the inflammation of one or more hair follicles and can occur anywhere on your skin.

Folliculitis appears as a pus-filled pocket at the base of a hair and can occur when bacteria enters the skin via the follicle or a tiny wound. These may be isolated and only on the surface, or they may go deeper within the skin.

Signs and Symptoms of Folliculitis

The common symptoms of folliculitis include:

Rash
Itching
Pimples or pustules near a hair follicle in the neck, groin or genital area.

Causes of Folliculitis

Folliculitis starts when hair follicles are damaged or when the follicle is blocked. Most of the time, the damaged follicles become infected with staphylococci (staph) bacteria.

Folliculitis Treatment

Typical treatments include:

Antibiotics
Antifungal medications
Warm, moist compresses to help drain the affected follicles