How to Treat Folliculitis

Seek medical attention immediately for severe cases. Normally folliculitis is only mildly itchy (even painful), but as with all infections, there is always the possibility that it will develop into something more dangerous if you don’t take care of it. . If folliculitis does not gradually improve, or develops severe symptoms such as fever, swelling, and intense itching, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Better to be safe to avoid regrets, going to the doctor at the right time can potentially save you a lot of time and money in the long run.

• You only need to see a “regular” doctor (ie, your family doctor or general practitioner). They may then suggest that you see a dermatologist.

Use hydrocortisone to relieve itching and pain. Hydrocortisone is a topical cream that helps with skin irritation and itching. ^[4] Use 1% hydrocortisone cream 2 to 5 times daily (or as needed) for pain relief. Apply the medication directly to the infected skin, gently dabbing it with your fingers or using an applicator. If you plan to use your hands, you must wash and dry your hands before applying to avoid spreading bacteria to the wound.

• Note that hydrocortisone reduces pain and swelling, but it does not kill bacteria.

Use pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs without a doctor’s prescription. To relieve pain and swelling caused by folliculitis, you can use one of the many over-the-counter medications. Common and inexpensive pain relievers such as acetaminophen and aspirin can be effective for mild cases of pain caused by folliculitis. Anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen are a great choice because they not only relieve pain, but also temporarily reduce inflammation, which is a contributing cause of pain.

• While over-the-counter pain relievers are very safe in small doses, if taken in large amounts or for a long time it can lead to more serious health conditions like liver damage, so you Follow the instructions for safe use that come with the medicine.

Use antibiotics in severe cases. When severe folliculitis does not progress with home care and cleaning, you should take antibiotics for a bacterial infection as this is the main cause of the disease. Topical antibiotics are available at most drugstores. However, oral antibiotics usually require a doctor’s prescription and are only reserved for very severe cases.

Use a fungicide if the folliculitis is caused by a fungus. As mentioned in the introduction, folliculitis is not only caused by bacteria but in some cases caused by fungi. In that case you need to take antifungal medications, which are sold in oral or topical form. As with antibacterials, mild antifungals can be purchased without a prescription, but strong antifungals may need to be prescribed by a doctor.

Ask the medical staff to remove the pus from the boil. In very severe cases, folliculitis produces boils or blisters that are very painful and contain pus, then you need to seek medical help. Although removing pus from a boil helps heal wounds and reduces the possibility of scarring later on, ^[5] , but you shouldn’t do it yourself. Attempting to make an incision for pus without sterile medical equipment inevitably leads to secondary infection.

Do not shave the inflamed area. Folliculitis occurs due to irritation during shaving, or due to poor shaving habits. If you have folliculitis in your beard area or anywhere you regularly shave, stop shaving there. Constantly shaving only causes more irritation and spreads the disease to the surrounding areas.

• If you must shave, try to minimize skin irritation. You should use an electric razor instead of a conventional hand-held type, and shave in the direction of hair growth, not the opposite. Remember to clean the razor clean every time you use it.

Do not touch the infected site. Fingers and hands are common places for bacteria to live, they spread bacteria from place to place like an airplane transporting passengers. Even though the spot is itchy, throbbing, and aching, you try to bear with it and don’t scratch it. You should consider it a no-contact area, touch only when you need to apply soap, medicine or put pressure.

Do not wear tight clothing. The mechanical impact of clothing constantly rubbing against the skin throughout the day causes irritation and the potential for infection. In addition, skin infections also occur when tight clothing does not allow air to come into contact with the skin. If you are prone to folliculitis, wear soft, loose-fitting clothing to minimize the risk of skin irritation.

• Do not let the clothing around the infection get wet, as wet clothing increases the likelihood of sticking to the skin and worsening the infection.

Do not expose skin to irritants. Everyone’s skin is different, some are very prone to rashes or rashes, while others’ skin is very persistent. If you’re suffering from folliculitis (or are prone to it), try to avoid coming into contact with anything you know can be irritating (especially those you’re allergic to), as irritation can lead to folliculitis. skin infections, or disrupt the healing process of infected skin.

• For example, you should avoid using certain cosmetics such as oils, lotions, and topical agents in general.

Do not bathe or swim in untreated water. People often call folliculitis “bath bath rash” for the same reason. Swimming, bathing or immersing yourself in untreated water, such as a hot tub, is an easy route to a folliculitis infection. Some bacteria that cause folliculitis, such as pseudomonas aeruginosa, are easily spread through dirty water. ^[6] If you are prone to folliculitis do not come into contact with untreated water, or stagnant pond water.

Do not rely too much on steroid creams. When you take certain medications for a long time, your skin can become more sensitive to folliculitis. Specifically, topical steroid creams such as hydrocortisone are a contributing cause of folliculitis infections. Paradoxically, hydrocortisone itself is a mild folliculitis agent. Therefore, if you are taking hydrocortisone for treatment but are not seeing any improvement, you should see your doctor, hesitating to continue to prolong the application time will only make the infection worse.