Folliculitis
What is Folliculitis?
Folliculitis is a bacterial infection of the hair follicle that causes the formation of a pustule.
The infection can be superficial (follicular impetigo or Bockhart’s impetigo) or deep (sycosis barbae).
Folliculitis may also lead to the development of furuncles (furunculosis), commonly known as boils, or carbuncles (carbunculosis), which involve multiple contiguous hair follicles.
The prognosis depends on the severity of the infection and on the patient’s physical condition and ability to resist infection.
What Can Be Done For Folliculitis?
As with all medical conditions, consult the advice of your medical doctor. Some therapies for Folliculitis may consist of cleaning the infected area thoroughly with antibacterial soap and water or benzoyl peroxide; applying warm, wet compresses to promote vasodilation and drainage from the lesions; topical antibiotics such as mupirocin ointment and, in extensive infection or if a furuncle or carbuncle has developed, systemic antibiotics.