561 replies to this topic

[carrie54]

My folliculitis is starting to spread. I am trying to have good hygiene ie) not touching or scratching, changing towels, pillowcases, clothes after one use. How does one keep it from spreading? Also, does anyone have suggestions about what to do to help relieve the itching?

carrie54 - A similar thing happened to me. I took clindamycin 300 mg for a tooth abscess. About a month later I broke out with a pimple-like rash on my chest and back. I also developed anal-itch. After paying hundreds of dollars to two dermatologists with no results, I happened to run across this article http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/16713.

I can only tell you what worked for me. It doesn't mean it will work for everybody. But what I did is I got off all antibiotics, including clindamycin topical lotion, and used otc nizoral shampoo on my chest/back/neck/shoulders, or wherever the pf was. After getting all wet in the shower, I turn off the water and work up a soapy lather of nizoral on my upper body. I let it stay on for 3-5 minutes while making sure I rub it across all areas of upper body. Then I rinse off and that's it.

Make sure you don't over use this though, as it can cause skin irritation. I now use it once or twice a week, or every three days with no irritation. Every once in a while the red bumps come back, but once I apply the nizoral, they go away. Good luck.

/

Edited by carrie54, 04 June 2011 - 10:09 AM.

[eme11]

Hi all, here's a little background on my history with PF:

About a couple months ago, after about an hour of sun tanning in the hot California sun, I developed what looked like a rash on my chest. It looked a little like acne but I knew it wasn't (I've had pretty bad acne as a teen). Basically, it looked like red bumps, some of which looked like whiteheads the size of a pin needle. I did some research and tried to figure out if I ate or used something different that might have caused this. The only thing I could think of was the sun tanning because I rarely ever do it. So my next thought was heat rash. I looked it up but the symptoms didn't really match. It eventually went away on it's own after a week. I chalked it up to a random rash and didn't think about it at all again.

About 3 weeks ago, it came back again. Again on the chest and a little on the neck/face. Again I tried thinking about any new soap, detergent, etc I might have started but I couldn't think of anything. Then, while researching online, I came across the term "pityrosporum folliculitis". I looked it up and it was like an "ahhhh-ha!" moment for me. This is what I have! The pictures I saw of PF could have been pictures of me! I read up on the OTC treatments and I've read EVERY SINGLE post in this thread.

To date I have tried Nizoral shampoo, head and shoulders, ZNP bar, and mandelic acid. I've noticed that the ZNP bar and mandelic acid have worked the best for me. My PF is somewhat under control and I have had some flare-ups. My chest right now is pretty dry and irritated right now so I'm going to stop using the OTC meds for a few days and see what happens but I'll keep ya'll posted on my progress.

Thanks for reading.

[kc_meow]

Hi all, here's a little background on my history with PF:

About a couple months ago, after about an hour of sun tanning in the hot California sun, I developed what looked like a rash on my chest. It looked a little like acne but I knew it wasn't (I've had pretty bad acne as a teen). Basically, it looked like red bumps, some of which looked like whiteheads the size of a pin needle. I did some research and tried to figure out if I ate or used something different that might have caused this. The only thing I could think of was the sun tanning because I rarely ever do it. So my next thought was heat rash. I looked it up but the symptoms didn't really match. It eventually went away on it's own after a week. I chalked it up to a random rash and didn't think about it at all again.

About 3 weeks ago, it came back again. Again on the chest and a little on the neck/face. Again I tried thinking about any new soap, detergent, etc I might have started but I couldn't think of anything. Then, while researching online, I came across the term "pityrosporum folliculitis". I looked it up and it was like an "ahhhh-ha!" moment for me. This is what I have! The pictures I saw of PF could have been pictures of me! I read up on the OTC treatments and I've read EVERY SINGLE post in this thread.

To date I have tried Nizoral shampoo, head and shoulders, ZNP bar, and mandelic acid. I've noticed that the ZNP bar and mandelic acid have worked the best for me. My PF is somewhat under control and I have had some flare-ups. My chest right now is pretty dry and irritated right now so I'm going to stop using the OTC meds for a few days and see what happens but I'll keep ya'll posted on my progress.

Thanks for reading.

I've been dealing with what has been diagnosed as PF for about 3 years. Every summer it seems to come back. BUT, last summer I got frustrated and tried something new, that may work for some of you. It has certainly worked for me... and trust me, I've done about everything.

PF occurs when the pores are occluded by something. This can be sweat, tight clothes, products, lotions... etc. etc.
SO...
#1, Make sure that the shampoo you are using is something like head and shoulders, selsun blue, something non-comedogenic, etc. Some even have a zinc substance in them (which is fine) and they wont clog your pores. That is a common problem and I've noticed that when I change to other shampoos, my bumps come back right away. The shampoo run-off is to blame.
#2, Neutrogena "BODY CLEAR" body wash. This is the one with salicyclic acid, orange stuff. I use it daily. An alternate to Neutrogena is Clean and Clear BZ wash. It is 10%. I actually alternate between these two as daily washes.
#3, ZNP bar is a miracle. I use it every other day or so, leaving it on for a couple minutes.
#4, if you live in a humid climate you can use Gold Bond powder under your clothes. It keeps you drier and won't clog pores.

If you want spot treatment, try tea tree oil on the spots. You might have to dilute it if it makes your skin irritated. ONLY on the bumps, not all over. You will be too dry.

If you have dried out your skin with too much stuff, use Aveno lotions. They don't make it worse. They aren't oily either.

Make SURE you are only wearing cotton clothing, and not tight. This limits what I buy for the wardrobe these days. But its better than getting itchy bumps.

If you notice you have bumps on your face too, use the ZNP bar there too. But not every day. It will probably dry you out.

NO body oils, NO steam rooms, and always wash again after working out, asap.
Drink lots of water to keep your body flushing out toxins like normal and you should notice a difference!

Hope this helps-

[mr.pf]

My folliculitis is starting to spread. I am trying to have good hygiene ie) not touching or scratching, changing towels, pillowcases, clothes after one use. How does one keep it from spreading? Also, does anyone have suggestions about what to do to help relieve the itching?

carrie54 - A similar thing happened to me. I took clindamycin 300 mg for a tooth abscess. About a month later I broke out with a pimple-like rash on my chest and back. I also developed anal-itch. After paying hundreds of dollars to two dermatologists with no results, I happened to run across this article http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/16713.

I can only tell you what worked for me. It doesn't mean it will work for everybody. But what I did is I got off all antibiotics, including clindamycin topical lotion, and used otc nizoral shampoo on my chest/back/neck/shoulders, or wherever the pf was. After getting all wet in the shower, I turn off the water and work up a soapy lather of nizoral on my upper body. I let it stay on for 3-5 minutes while making sure I rub it across all areas of upper body. Then I rinse off and that's it.

Make sure you don't over use this though, as it can cause skin irritation. I now use it once or twice a week, or every three days with no irritation. Every once in a while the red bumps come back, but once I apply the nizoral, they go away. Good luck.

mr. pf - thank you for the response and for the article link. It's great you have found something that worked for you. I am still on the antibiotic, but I started using Nizoral (the one with 1%ketoconazole). It's been five days and I haven't noticed a difference. If my pf is indeed fungal then it seems counterproductive to be using the Nizoral while still on an antibiotic. But I have no way of knowing if it's fungal or not. My dermatologist won't do a culture saying it's not appropriate. I set up another appointment for Tuesday to discuss all this.

Just curious, when you went off the antibiotics did you do this of your own accord or with a derm's instructions? How did you determine that it was indeed fungal? I am curious how others knew their pf was fungal and not bacterial as well. I am wanting to go off antibiotics anyway, but then if it's bacterial I feel I should stay on them and give them a fair shot. It's quite the bind. I'm really not sure what the best course of action is. If it wasn't for this board I'd probably still be treating it as acne. I actually read this entire thread. Lots of good info. It helps to hear others experiences and get educated. I am rambling, but thanks for listening.

I went off antibiotics with a derm's instructions. Both derms determined it was fungal. However, the prescriptions they were giving me weren't doing anything to clear me up. In fact, they seemed as clueless as me on what to do. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure if some of these derms know if it's fungal or not or even what to do if it is or isn't. That's when I realized that I better do my own research and try to figure out how to get rid of this stuff.

But if the derm has you on these antibiotics and it's continuing to spread while you're in discomfort with the itching, then you definitely need to go back and get some answers. If it were me I would write down all your questions on a piece of paper and bring it with you to the derm appointment. Some questions would be: 1. How long will it take for the antibiotics to clear this stuff up? 2. Is this fungal? 3. Is this pityrosporum folliculitis? Just make sure you don't leave the office without having your questions answered.

My theory is if I have to go back twice to a derm and it's still not getting better, then I have to make some other choices. a.) See another derm. Call the best hospital near you and ask if they have a physician referral & information service. If they do, tell this service the problems you're going through with your skin and ask if they could provide you with a good derm. On that very first appointment tell them you want to know if it's fungal or bacterial through a biopsy. Ask them if there's a name for what you have and get it in writing. b.) If it is fungal, get off all antibiotics and try otc nizoral for a month. Use it every day for the first five days. Then twice a week. If that doesn't help, go back to your derm and ask for a precription of 2% ketoconazole cream. Good luck!

[White Fox]

Can some of the last posters please post some photos of their PF? I'm still trying to figure out if I have a combination of acne and PF or what and it would be great to see some pics of you guys to help me determine. My derm refuses to take a biopsy.

[carrie54]

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Edited by carrie54, 04 June 2011 - 10:06 AM.

[eme11]

I don't have a camera right now but this is the picture I found online that I saw that made me realize I had PF. It may be hard to see but some of those red marks had tiny whiteheads on them. The ones on my chest rarely itched but some on my back did.

An update on my PF:

I've stopped using the ZNP bar and mandelic acid so much and my skin is slightly less irritated and dry. I'm going to try some Adveno lotion but does anyone else have a recommendation of what kind of lotion to use on my PF? I've tried Cetaphil lotion but I'm pretty sure it cause a flare-up of my PF (even thought Cetaphil is supposed to be mild).

Thanks!

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[mr.pf]

mr.pf - Thanks for taking the time to respond. Your advice is really helpful. I will go into my appointment tomorrow armed with my questions.

White Fox - I can't promise photos because my camera is crap, but I will try.

How did your appointment go?

[carrie54]

mr.pf - Thanks for taking the time to respond. Your advice is really helpful. I will go into my appointment tomorrow armed with my questions.

White Fox - I can't promise photos because my camera is crap, but I will try.

How did your appointment go?

.

Edited by carrie54, 04 June 2011 - 10:06 AM.

[supatrab07]

people.... have you tried these things:

1. yoghurt - i've heard it works on vaginal yeast infections - will it also work on this thing?

2. aspirin mask?? - it works wonders on acne coz it has anti-inflammatory properties, so will it also work in keeping the redness caused by the swelling of the hair follicles down??

does corticosteroid make pf worse? i just recently switched derm and the new one has been prescribing prednisone. at the beginning there were major improvements, but now the damn thing is back again.

i'm just confused of what i have right now. my pf doesn't itch anymore, but they still come back as dot-like acne. i'm wondering whether now i have acne or pf (although i've never had acne before). so why doesn't it itch anymore??

topicals like nizoral, selsun, h&s never worked on me.... only oral ketoconazole.... i'm tired, desperate, and sick of this thing.... i might as well give the aspirin mask a try.

but please tell me whether corticosteroids make it worse??

[coffeescent]

Hey people! This is my first post so this is probably gonna be a bit long, but I hope you can help me out, since I'm quite desperate...

I'm a 20 yo guy and I've had follculitis for 3 years now - glutes and thighs . In the beginning it was very soft, but I hated it though, so in July 2008 I thought of waxing to try to get rid of it. HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE MISTAKE!!! It didn't have much effect on my glutes, though I have a few bumps and purple marks there, but my thighs... ouch! THEY'RE SOOO BAD NOW!

I've been to 2 dermatologists (both said it was foliculitis and I have no doubt about that), done laser hair removal (which is supposed to be great beating folliculitis and also clearing purple marks left by this condition, but that had no effect on me), already taken isotretinoin and cefradine pills, salicylic (even the well-know Tend Skin), tons and tons of topical antiobiotics and gels (like bacitracin, lactonic, fucidin, fucicort, nizoral, isotrexin and many many more).
Nothing seems to beat my folliculitis, and the dermatologists can't do nothing but keep on prescribing me more useless stuff.

The topical antibiotics dry the bumps, but they don't keep them from leaving a purple mark (which takes years to fade away) nor do they keep new bumps from appearing. I'M DESPERATE, since this has a very strong impact on my self-esteem. Every new thing I do gives me a (very) little hope that I'm finally gonna be free and then..."Crash! Boom! Bang!"

What can I do? Btw, even though hydroquinone doesn't beat folliculits it helps the purple marks fade away much faster, as far as I know. Do you think if I applied it on my thighs to get rid of marks as soon as they appear it would make the folliculitis worse?

THANK YOU guys. Feel free to ask me anything as well. I'll try my best to help you.

[rivercat]

I have pretty bad PF on my forehead. It's pretty much covered. I've been using H&S...the one with the Zinc in it for almost a week. It looks like the bumps are getting smaller, but it's hard to tell. I haven't been able to pinpoint which wash is most recommended, so can someone tell me which they think is the best to buy and wash with please?

If it's Nizoral, can I buy it anywhere in stores? Or if it's Born to be Mild, can I get that in stores too? I really need to clear this up, it makes my forehead look terrible. =/

Thank you!

[White Fox]

I have pretty bad PF on my forehead. It's pretty much covered. I've been using H&S...the one with the Zinc in it for almost a week. It looks like the bumps are getting smaller, but it's hard to tell. I haven't been able to pinpoint which wash is most recommended, so can someone tell me which they think is the best to buy and wash with please?

If it's Nizoral, can I buy it anywhere in stores? Or if it's Born to be Mild, can I get that in stores too? I really need to clear this up, it makes my forehead look terrible. =/

Thank you!

You could try to wash with Nizoral. If it's PF you have then this will make an improvement. Nizoral 1% can be bought in stores, 2% online.

[rivercat]

Thanks Fox. Is the Nizoral a dandruff shampoo or a antifungal cream? Does anyone recommend antifungal creams, and if so, can I get any of them in stores? I really appreciate it.

Also...I'm gonna be working on a roof in the hot sun for the whole week, from 6AM to 3PM. Should I let the sun hit my forehead the whole day or should I wear something to block it? I also have 3 baseball games this week, I'm guessing my hat getting sweaty and dirty will only make my forehead worse, eh?

[White Fox]

Thanks Fox. Is the Nizoral a dandruff shampoo or a antifungal cream? Does anyone recommend antifungal creams, and if so, can I get any of them in stores? I really appreciate it.

Also...I'm gonna be working on a roof in the hot sun for the whole week, from 6AM to 3PM. Should I let the sun hit my forehead the whole day or should I wear something to block it? I also have 3 baseball games this week, I'm guessing my hat getting sweaty and dirty will only make my forehead worse, eh?

Nizoral comes as a cream too, but I think you need a prescription to get it in the US: You can buy a cream called Daktarin Gold online which is the same thing as Nizoral if you want a leave on product instead of the shampoo.

Reagarding the sun exposure you should use a hat or sunscreen since you're going to be in the sun for such long times.

How do you know it's Pityrosporum folliculitis you got?

[rivercat]

I can't say I'm 100% positive that it's PF, because I haven't seen my old dermatologist about this yet. I would've got already, but I don't have insurance anymore, so a check up like this would cost me a few hundred probably. I'm just so sick of this. I thought I had my acne under control and then BOOM, something else. I'm going crazy inside.

But anyway, I tried using BP on my forehead for a few days and it really didn't do anything at all. Also, the bumps never come to a head, just small, almost flat bumps in some areas and other areas they look and feel like acne. In different angles, my forehead looks like a basketball. It's practically covered. My forehead looks almost exactly like this picture.

[rivercat]

I got an appointment to go to my derm. in a half hour. 60 bucks isn't so bad I guess...

I really hope he knows what's wrong and can tell me how to get this all taken care of, and for good. -___-

[White Fox]

I got an appointment to go to my derm. in a half hour. 60 bucks isn't so bad I guess...

I really hope he knows what's wrong and can tell me how to get this all taken care of, and for good. -___-

How did it go?

Guess he said it was acne right? Most derms doesn't really know how to detect Folliculitis and often writes is of as acne.

[rivercat]

Hah. So I explained that I think it's folliculitus. He said how it's very similiar to acne and that he treats it the same way as acne, so it doesn't really matter which one it is since the same antibiotic is given. He gave me a 4 weeks supply of Solodyn. This is the same exact stuff he's given me in the past for my acne. So it's just a continous loop I guess. He gave me some kind of gel called Aczone to put on it after I wash. Yay, this sucks so much. From this point on, I give up on my skin.

[eme11]

An update on my PF:

I've been using Nizoral shampoo and Mandelic Acid 9% toner once a day and my PF had cleared a lot. I was about 98% clear but this past weekend I went camping for 3 days. It was pretty warm and my chest (the affected area) was under the sun for some time. This caused some of my PF to come back. So far, it's not as bad as it once was and I'm crossing my fingers that it won't get worse. I'm still using Nizoral and the mandelic acid, also using the ZNP bar occasionally (but it really dries out my skin). I've also just purchased some Propylene Glycol and will try it out when I get it.

Hope everyone else it doing well!