Scalp folliculitis treatment involves good hygiene, warm compresses to soothe and drain, and medicated shampoos (antifungal/antibacterial); severe cases need prescription antibiotics (topical/oral) or antifungals, while avoiding irritants like hot water or shaving helps prevent recurrence. Mild cases often resolve with self-care, but persistent or worsening symptoms warrant a doctor visit for targeted treatment, like oral antibiotics or steroids.
Clean the affected skin.
Gently wash the infected skin at least twice a day with an antibacterial soap or cleanser, such as benzoyl peroxide. Use a clean washcloth and towel each time and don't share your towels or washcloths. Use hot, soapy water to wash these items.
Most commonly, infection of the hair follicle is the mechanism behind most folliculitis cases. Even so, folliculitis may also result from fungal or viral infections, but this does not mean that all folliculitis cases are infectious.
Most cases of folliculitis are mild, and will resolve in 7-10 days, but patients with recurring folliculitis (either short-lived or chronic) can usually be treated by their GP, and most pharmacies will be able to advise about over-the-counter treatments for pseudo-folliculitis.
To treat folliculitis during pregnancy, focus on gentle hygiene, warm compresses, and pregnancy-safe topical treatments like benzoyl peroxide or low-potency corticosteroids, while avoiding harsh scrubbing, as it often resolves after delivery, but always consult your doctor for diagnosis and personalized safe options, especially for severe itching or persistent cases.
Shaving and waxing can change the direction your hair grows — wearing tight clothes can make this worse. This can cause irritation and folliculitis. If you shave your face you may get a chronic (ongoing) inflammation in your beard area. As the hair grows, the cut end digs into the skin causing inflammation.
People may sometimes mistake psoriasis and folliculitis for other skin conditions, including:
In less severe types of folliculitis, like Pseudomonas folliculitis (hot tub rash), your symptoms will typically fade within a few days without treatment. If they don't, reach out to your healthcare provider. When you have a more severe case of folliculitis, oral antibiotics may be needed to treat the condition.
HIGH PERFORMANCE SHAMPOO: CLn Shampoo was physician-developed to effectively and thoroughly cleanse normal-to-oily hair and scalps prone to itching or flaking that accompanies folliculitis (irritated hair follicles), dermatitis and dandruff, including dandruff of the beard.
People who live in crowded conditions, have poor hygiene or chronic skin diseases, or whose nasal passages contain Staphylococcus are more likely to have repeat episodes of folliculitis or skin abscesses. A weakened immune system, obesity, old age, and possibly diabetes are also common risk factors.
Folliculitis is often caused when hair follicles are infected with bacteria, commonly Staphylococcus aureus (staph). It may also be caused by viruses, fungi, parasites, medications or physical injury. Sometimes the cause isn't known.
The hair on the body and the scalp grow out of hair follicles. Bacteria can enter the skin through damaged hair follicles, causing an infection called folliculitis. People can get folliculitis on their scalp from: shaving or plucking hair on the scalp.
Stress can be a contributing factor to folliculitis.
Scalp folliculitis is a condition in which the hair follicles to become inflamed. It's often triggered when bacteria or fungus are trapped in the follicles causing irritation and infection, leading to itching and painful bumps common in folliculitis.
7 Tips To Unclog Hair Follicles
Keep the affected areas dry – applying “Gold Bond Powder” can help keep the skin dry (on the body). Avoid sugar and yeast containing foods (bread, alcohol, processed/frozen foods, sandwich meat and dairy).
What does folliculitis decalvans look like? The affected area of the scalp becomes red and swollen and may form scaly areas, scabs, and crusts. Pus-filled spots may develop.
Treatment for most cases of bacterial folliculitis is with topical mupirocin or clindamycin. (See also Overview of Bacterial Skin Infections.) The etiology of folliculitis is often unclear, but perspiration, trauma, friction, and occlusion of the skin are known to potentiate infection.
Antifungal shampoos and washes.
If fungus is the source of your folliculitis, antifungal shampoos such as Nizoral A‑D, available over-the-counter, will reduce and eliminate the source of your condition when used regularly.
Viral folliculitis is usually due to the herpes simplex virus or molluscum contagiosum and is relatively rare (though skin infection from these viruses is fairly common). When viral folliculitis occurs, it often occurs in people with immune system deficiency, such as HIV/AIDS.
Viral folliculitis: Often caused by the herpes simplex virus, this type of folliculitis is usually painful and occurs in groups or clusters on the skin. Eosinophilic folliculitis: Primarily seen in individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS.
Bacterial folliculitis (often Staph aureus) looks like itchy, pus-filled pimples (whiteheads/pustules) and can be worsened by shaving or hot tubs, while fungal folliculitis (Malassezia yeast) presents as uniform, small, red, itchy bumps (papules/pustules) on the chest/back, often unresponsive to acne antibiotics. Key differences are appearance (varied vs. uniform bumps) and cause (bacteria vs. yeast), with bacterial types needing antibiotics and fungal types requiring antifungals.
What are the symptoms of a scalp yeast infection?
Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune blistering disease that commonly involves the scalp. Lesions of pemphigus vulgaris that persist on the scalp for a long period may be accompanied by tufted hair folliculitis.