Types of Folliculitis
Folliculitis is an infection and inflammation of the skin surrounding a hair follicle. Folliculitis appears as pus-filled blisters that open up and crust over. They are small and look like whitehead blemishes around the hair follicles. There are two main types of folliculitis: superficial (which can be itchy and usually clears up in a few days) and deep (which can be painful and lead to scarring once the infection has healed). Superficial and deep folliculitis also include several subtypes of folliculitis.
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Superficial Beard Folliculitis
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Staphylococcal folliculitis, also known as barber's itch in the beard area, shows up as itchy, pus-filled white bumps. Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, bacteria infects the hair follicles. Shaving or a skin cut or wound can cause the bacteria to enter the body.
Tinea barbae, another superficial folliculitis, also occurs in the beard area of men and causes white, itchy bumps. However, tinea barbae is caused not by a bacteria but by a fungus. For more severe tinea barbae, the bumps can be pus-filled and then crust over. You may also have a fever and swollen lymph nodes.
Another type of superficial folliculitis that affects the beard area of men is pseudofolliculitis barbae. The hair follicles become inflamed when the hairs curl back into the skin from shaving. This type of folliculitis affects men with curly hair. The neck and face can develop raised, dark scars, called keloid scars, in rare instances.
Pseudomonas Folliculitis
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Pseudomonas folliculitis, also known as hot tub folliculitis, is a type of superficial folliculitis caused by the pseudomonas bacteria, which can become a problem in places where the pH levels are not always controlled, such as a hot tub. From eight hours to five days after contact with the bacteria, itchy, red and round bumps appear and develop into pustules (pus-filled blisters). The infection risk goes up if you have a sore or open cut, previous skin infection or diabetes.
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Herpetic Folliculitis
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Herpetic folliculitis, another superficial folliculitis, occurs when you accidentally scrape a cold sore when shaving. Small blisters filled with fluid develop and can spread to nearby hair follicles. The herpes simplex virus causes the infection.
Pityrosporum Folliculitis
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Pityrosporum folliculitis is a superficial folliculitis that occurs mostly in young and middle-aged adults and shows up as itchy, red, chronic pustules on the chest, back and possibly the face, neck, shoulders and upper arms. A yeast-like fungus causes it.
Eosinophilic Folliculitis
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One of the forms of deep folliculitis is eosinophilis folliculitis, which occurs most often in those with HIV. This type recurs and is marked by itchy, pus-filled, inflamed sores on the face and possibly on the upper arms and/or back. When the sores heal, hyperpigmentation can occur (the skin becomes darker than usual). The cause is not known, but it is possible that eosinophilic folliculitis stems from a yeast-like fungus that may also cause the superficial pityrosporum folliculitis.
Gram-Negative Folliculitis
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Gram-negative folliculitis, a deep kind, can crop up on the skin of those on long-term antibiotic acne treatments. Since antibiotics can disturb the normal balance of bacteria in the body, including the nose, gram-negative bacteria can overgrow. The bacteria usually balance out after the antibiotics are discontinued, but sometimes the bacteria can spread from the nose to the cheeks, chin and jaw area, which then leads to new and possibly severe acne.
Carbuncles and Boils
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Carbuncles and boils, both deep forms of folliculitis, occur from staph bacteria. A boil becomes red or pink, painful and fills with pus within one day. The boil can worsen and grow up to one week and possibly reach the size of a golf ball before breaking. A carbuncle is a group of boils that is common in older men and appear on the thighs, shoulders or neck.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit flickr.com
