What Are the Symptoms of Folliculitis?
Folliculitis appears most often as red pimples with a hair in the center of each one. If you look closely, you can see that the follicle where the hair is growing out is inflamed, and the pimples may have pus in them.
They may also itch or burn, adding more discomfort to the unsightly appearance of those folliculitis pimples. And when the pimples break open (without you squeezing them, which is highly unadvised to avoid scarring and infection, they may drain pus, blood or both.
Other symptoms of folliculitis include:
- Red and inflamed skin
- Tenderness or pain in the affected areas
- A large, swollen bump or mass
These are clearly not an everyday breakout. So it’s important to visit your dermatologist to diagnose your folliculitis, and get treatment started.
Folliculitis can occur anywhere on the body where hair grows. Any follicle can be affected by folliculitis, and the redness and pus-filled appearance of these pimples can be extremely distressing when they are visible on non-covered areas of the skin, like the face, neck or hands. In addition to the appearance of folliculitis, the condition may also cause you to feel feverish or have an upset stomach, particularly in the case of ‘hot tub folliculitis’ that can occur after you’ve spent time in a hot tub, whirlpool or swimming pool that has not been adequately treated with chlorine.
See your dermatologist when you spot folliculitis on yourself, your partner or your child, particularly if pimples don’t clear up after a few days. You might need an antibiotic or antifungal medication to help control this skin issue.
And to help prevent future folliculitis issues, avoid wearing tight clothing that can rub your skin, damaging it in a way that causes follicles to become inflamed. And again, no popping the pimples, nor tweezing the hairs out of the folliculitis pimples, thinking this will help them to heal faster. It will not. You’ll be more likely to experience infection, and scarring.
Source:
https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/folliculitis-topic-overview
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/folliculitis/basics/symptoms/con-20025909
