1. Community
  2. Infections
  3. Folliculitis

my "solution" for foliculitis

Posted , 11 users are following.

pooj
pooj

I've had this foliculitis thing going for the better part of a year. Painful irritated pimple-like bumps and clusters all over my thighs, butt, back, shoulders. Normally they just flare up and die down. But sometimes they form white heads, pop, bleed, ooze, or become infected staph cysts that get HUGE with red inflamed skin all around it. these need to be treated and removed by a medical staff. They leave ugly embarassing scars that start as deep red, fade to purple, then to black, then finally dissapear after an eternity.

My dermatologist initially had me on a heavy oral antibiotic twice a day. I've had to keep taking this constantly to ward off the flare ups, but even on the antibiotics I have breakouts. Nothing seems to be a "cure" but I can share what has helped me in my struggles, and I can honestly say I've gotten it to a much more controlled and less embarassing state.

STAY CLEAN -- daily showers are a must. 2 showers a day isnt a bad idea.

SCRUB -- I use a coarse (not TOO course) loofa to scratch dead skin cells off. Dont just wash with soap, you gotta scrub like you mean it.

TOPICAL WASH - I use a benzoyl peroxide wash that kills alot of the bacteria and prevents big breakouts

WASH YOUR CLOTHES AFTER 1 WEAR -- this is a must. it sucks, your laundry bill will pay the price, but you have to do it.

WASH YOUR TOWELS AND SHEETS CONSTANTLY!!!! Dont sleep in a dirty bed. It will make it so much worse.

EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR DIET -- I've messed around with cutting out random parts of my diet and have had varying success. My biggest "clean" streak came when I wasnt eating any dairy.

SMOKING -- i am a smoker and my folliculitis is worst when i smoke a lot. I'm trying to quit and my skin is thanking me

BABY POWDER!!!! this is the biggest one, so i will repeat it. before you leave in the morning, cover your problem areas in LOADS of baby powder.

BABY POWDER!!!!! friction, moisture and irritation are your worst enemies. My doctor reccomended that I use lotion to try to help the problem.... WRONG. lotion and moisturizers make the problem worse. KEEP YOUR SKIN AS DRY AS POSSIBLE, AVOID TIGHT FITTING CLOTHES, POWDER YOUR PROBLEM AREAS BEFORE YOU GO OUT, PRACTICE GOOD HYGEINE, AND STAY POSITIVE!!

Your not alone. I've been fighting this aggressively and it is possible to get it controlled to the point where your skin looks normal again!! Your mindset is a huge part in this, I feel like when I give up and get depressed about my ugly skin, the problem worsens. When I am agressively positive about beating the crap out of this stupid infection, it seems to get better. YOU CAN DO IT!!

3 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • sean52534
    sean52534

    Posted

    Thanks for this... I've been dealing with this on and off for years now. Worse I have it mainly in my pubic area, looks like I have herpes when I 100% do not. It's hard to deal with and I cant resist but try to pick at them in hopes it'll clear them up. (Like popping a zit.) Unfortunately this tends to leave more scars that seem to never go away (they do eventually, but they can last so long I sometimes fear I've caused a permanent one.)
  • wertyu
    wertyu pooj

    Posted

    excellent advice .

    ive had this for 3 years but only been treating one year .

    firstly my doctor-s as had a stand in half way throught treatment  were reluctent to culture ( why i dont know ) im a plumber if theres a problem diagnose it , dont treat first , make sure you know what the problem is EXACTLY .

    so get a culture ( demand one )  know what your fighting .

    is it bacterial or fungal  .

    then you can attack it .

    salt it good , salt baths and salt washes .

    • echodott67534
      echodott67534 wertyu

      Posted

      Is epsom salt ok as well? Any particular bath salt you liked the best?
  • jenny35317
    jenny35317 pooj

    Posted

    I've had folliculitis on my sclap for several years,& have  had different antibiotics

    At the moment I'm taking Clarithromycin &  a gel called Rozex which is really a treatment usd for rosacea.  I've recently started taking turmeric as many people had suggested this.  Currently I'm coping & keeping the spots almost under control but I really would like to be totally free of spots or worried about flare ups.

    I recently read about a cream called Ivermectin which will kill demodex folliculorum  a mite which lives in the pores of hair follicles.  This cream is by Galderma & is currently being studied but it won't be approved until next year.  So look out for this & see if it helps.

  • sandy8460
    sandy8460 pooj

    Posted

    hi, I was just wondering if you had any initial breakout after quitting or lowering your cigarette intake? I am trying to quit myself and I read a post about how a woman had acne and after giving up smoking it flared up for about a month and then her skin improved dramatically and was wondering if that would also be the case with folliculitis.
  • echodott67534
    echodott67534 pooj

    Posted

    Thank you so much for the advice. Honestly, can't believe I researched this far tonight about this. I've actually never done this chat stuff before.  Anyway I'm glad I did. I've been struggling with this crap for 8-10 years now. It's all at my bikini area and I don't want to even wear a bathing suit anymore. Scars, inflamed, red grossness you understand. You would have to try to keep my suit on, now NO WAY!!! I will keep you updated on my progress. Tomorrow August 15 , 2017 I will be on the road to recovery. Thank u.

  • valetudo
    valetudo pooj

    Posted

    I think these are all really good tips. So just to be clear, are we talking about Demodex folliculitis? Because if so, there are a few products that can really help. First off is Cliradex which is basically aimed at the eyelids, is available as a foam (don't rinse off) or towelettes, and it kills the mites that cause folliculitis. I don't think every kind of folliculitis is caused by Demodex mites. The point is, a very concentrated form of tea tree oil is used in Cliradex and it really works. Gosh this Spellcheck is annoying. It would be nice to be able to type without having every word highlighted in pink for no reason whatsoever.

    For those with very extensive areas affected, I would try a tea tree oil shampoo or cleanser and see how it goes. Luckily, tea tree oil seems to be the new "in" thing in shampoos and body washes.

    I have this on my face - -it started after about 9 months of mask wearing and it's been going on for about 5 months - and although I'm still struggling with it, Cliradex has helped tremendously. Another product is hypochlorous acid. You can get both products on Amazon/eBay. Cliradex kills the mites and hypochlorous acid seems to help tremendously with wound healing. You just spray it on multiple times a day. I also use a bar of Dead Sea salt soap and that seems to help as well.

    From previous similar experiences, I will say that diet is tremendously important. I have had to eliminate alcohol, wheat/sugar, and dairy. And yes, it sucks. Welcome to 2021 where everything sucks. Stress seems to exacerbate/cause the situation. You must must must build your immune system. Get out in the sun. I take Vitamin C and that seems to help.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.