640 replies to this topic

[RatherBeSurfing]

After having great success with Sea Salt baths (see other thread).......I noticed the following:

Observation:
Remaining occasional blemishes were focused on borders of hair......on face, back of neck, underarm, and inner thigh.....first thing came to mind is longtime assumption that I had some sort of folliculitis.

Next Step:
Researched the subject.....and found a medical paper on eMedicine.com (http://www.emedicine...RM/topic338.htm) that said "Pityrosforum Folliculitis" is regularly misdiagnosed as acne......and is successfully treated with a chemical known as "Ketoconazole", the main ingredient in a dandruff shampoo called "Nizoral". Over-the-Counter is 1% strength and sold at Target, Walgreens, etc....it comes stronger with a prescription.

Bought it and have been using as a shower gel.....letting it sit on my body for 5 minutes before washing off.

As of the date of this post it has only been one week, but I have never seen my quality of my skin improve so much so quickly.....

Does anyone know anything about this beyond what little I have found?

Thanks.

-RBS

[noteworthy]

looked it up and found this article: http://www.aocd.org/...orum_folli.html

it says for the shampoo to wash your body with it but do it only once a week. is that what youre doing or are you washing daily?

[RatherBeSurfing]

looked it up and found this article: http://www.aocd.org/...orum_folli.html

it says for the shampoo to wash your body with it but do it only once a week. is that what youre doing or are you washing daily?

I have been using the Nizoral daily for over a week, leaving it on for 5 minutes. I will cut back and leave it on for a bit longer.

Great article.......why this has not been discovered by someone else is beyond me, but I bet many on this site suffer from some version of this.

[curiousz]

I suspect I have this too, but I don't know where to start on how to treat it.

[curiousz]

Has anyone had a proper diagnosis of this?

[fruity]

Yep! I have been diagnosed with this along with classic acne which is very common since both pr fol. and acne thrive on oily skin. Typically acne meds will make folliculitis worse because its a yeast not a bacteria and the bacteria and yeast fight for space on the skin. so acne meds let pr folliculitis thrive. If you suspect this, try acne meds and see if it gets worse. If it does its likely you have it. if you have both a combo works well.(acne meds in am, anti fungal in pm.)I would highly suggest you see a derm for anything other than a mild case cuz the drugs are so much better in prescription strength. ZNP bar is really good in combo with antifungals for this condition, and if its mild, znp bar alone will do the trick.(i think...not a doctor)Znp bar has the same ingredient as head and shoulders but in 2% and is available without a prescription on the internet.It has bene a godsend for me... easy to use...comes in a bar form...lasts a long time...fairly inexpensive!Good luck!

[curiousz]

Thanks for the information. I will have to try and combat both, it seems...Though I have a large suspicion that mine is largely caused by yeast.

I also have "white spots" in my hair follicles that result from sun exposure.

Now, this isn't your typical case of tinea versicolor, as it is ONLY in my hair follicles! Meaning, the yeast is only thriving there....hence, folliculitis. Consequently, I also break out there in tiny bumps that look like acne, but aren't quite acne.

So, logically, it makes sense that I have this.

I never had this PRIOR to antibiotic use of tetracycline and doxycycline, it must be noted (I wish I never took those, ugh).

I got some nizoral shampoo, which I'll use in conjunction with the ZPN bar you're talking about.

Hopefully the combination of the two will do the trick.

[fruity]

I never had this before tetracycline and doxycycline either. So annoying that what i did to help my acne gave me something harder and more chronic.

[curiousz]

Can you get the ZNP bar in the stores like walmart? Where can I order it?

Also, did you go on oral antifungals?

[fruity]

curious,
google znp bar and youll get tons of links. or go to price grabber or one of those sites and search the name. My derm old me I could get it at drug stores but walgreens didnt have it and neithe did target. Havent tried walmart or anything. I didn't go on anti fungals for two reasons. First, it almost always comes back. Second,It almost always returns more resistant, and fungal resistance happens just like antibiotic resistance which scares me. Ive been thinking about trying n herbal antifungal though. Garlic or caprylic acid is good (iv'e read) Still trying to figure out which route to go. If you do try antifungals please keep us updated. I also have a prescription shampoo called ketoconazole however i don't use it the way I should mainly because znp bar works pretty well, and the resistance thing. I do usee it when I know i will be sweating alot, or in tight clothe(Im female are you?) or just for a good cleaning because i do feel like it deep down cleans. I tend to get sensitive to it though, way too much for everyday use, which your not really supposed to do anyway. (resistance and expensive)Its very hard to clear anything other than mild cases with just ketoconazole shampoo. and like i said, znp bar is keeping me well enough right now. Its also a plus that you can use it for dandruff. I love the stuff and hope it doesnt stop working. My big problem now is I think it may be developing on my face and I'm freaking out. Going to the derm next thursday. Also i have used the regimen which did help me clear. Bp is the only one that helps instead of making it worse, probably beacause its a peeling agent. However, Its such a large area that it was a pain and too expensive for me to do without complete clearing. You may consider trying it though. Dans gel spreads well. I use to go through 4 tubes per month, and just got tired of it.

[curiousz]

I have ketoconazole shampoo, I'll be using it along with ZPN bar when I get it..

Which is better? Ketoconazole shampo or ZPN?

I also got a Lamasil cream for post-shower maintenance. Hopefully that works.

This is the worst shit ever, it's so widespread on me.

Atleast with acne it would only be in like a few places, but this is everywhere............UGH.

[fruity]

curious,
Hmmmm...Which is beter? I dont know. Znp is economical and easy, ketoconazole is deep cleaning. I would use both as long as you have them. I agree it is the worst shit ever...It is very widespread in me too. My friend who has acne is like at least its small... and im like at least you only have a couple spots that dont itch...Mine is almost too big of an area to treat. In case your wondering i did accutane for this problem, and my skin was perfect during treatment but it came back right away. It was so devestating...I thought tane would zap it for good ya know? wahhh! poor me. anyway please let me know what you think of the lamisil cream. I feel like a cream would make it worse but since its anti fungal who knows. Does it feel greasy on your skin?

ps curious- are you male or femlae?

[The Tominator]

We need to get this thread going again. I am certain I have some form of folliculitis on my chest, and although it's limited to a small area, it's persistent. I'm not sure if it's fungal or bacterial, but I ordered the ZNP bar as well as the Nizoral. I'm hoping the red marks on my arms, which haven't responded to acne treatments, will respond to the antifungal products. I was on Azithromycin recently and it cleared my chest dramatically, but as soon as I got off it, it returned worse than before. I know antibiotics exacerbate the problem, but it did work for a while. Does this mean it was bacterial folliculitis, or is it fungal?

I guess I'll give the ZNP and Nizoral a try. Might surprise me.

[fruity]

most people with pr also have acne so i dont know that i would base a diagnosis off of antibiotic succuess. Inevitably, if it is pr, antibiotics wil make it worse. Stay away from them till you know. Good luck with Znp. I love it. Also look at the sea salt recipe on this board and try that if the other stuff doesnt work. I do it and i love it because it works on acne and prityosporum. Im still perfecting the recipe but you can adjjust it to your needs. Good stuff! and good luck keep us informed i want to know if znp works for anyone else or im just lucky.

[The Tominator]

ZNP bar and Nizoral should be here tomorrow. I'm eager to start this new anti-fungal regimen because the more I read about malassezia folliculitis, the more I think I have it. I gotta figure out which to use first, or can they be used together? I might spot treat with the Nizoral and use the ZNP over a wider area.

Also, if in fact a yeast overpopulation is the problem, how long before the anti-fungals kick in? From what I've read, it seems a few weeks is the norm. Then again, since these products aren't prescription strength, I don't think I could rule out folliculitis if they don't work. Obviously, I hope to see at least some improvement. It would answer a lot of questions.

[fruity]

I would alternate nights. Do Znp all over, let it sit a minute or two then rinse. The next night use the nizoral, let it sit a couple minutes then rinse. That way you wont get used to the products as fast and the nizoral will stretch a litlle further seeing how its not cheap.(Its actually much cheaper for me to get the prescription good stuff) The good thing about starting with otc nizoral is you can go up when your skin adjusts. Eventually you can use both evrytime. Once you get clear, if you clear, you should be able to lower the frequency of applications. If you dont clear or clear to your standards add in the sea salt recipe further down this board. that is what has really helped me get the leftovers and stubborn ones off my back. now im working on red marks. do you get them? also do you have danduff? oh and sea salt baths are good too, but its hard for me to make time for that luxury. Hows it going so far?

[The Tominator]

So far, I've been alternating between the ZNP and Nizoral. I was considering only using them a few times a week but, as you said, alternating will prevent my body from getting too used to it. I'll continue with my current regimen for a week or two and see how that goes. I do not have dandruff, so I've been using the Nizoral like a body gel. As for red marks, yes, I definitely get those, too. I've been using Tazorac for what seems like ages, and it really helps fade them (although it takes a while). I'm hoping that, in conjunction with the ZNP and Nizoral, it will keep my clear for good. No more autumn relapses!

In your experience, how long did it take to see results with the ZNP?

[cheekymonkey23]

Hi everyone!
I suffered from a spotty rash on my shoulder for about three years and all the doctors Iwent to see had no clue wot it is was and all wanted to treat it as acne which of course failed! So last month i got sick of it so decided to see a dermatologist and he also said it was acne and started me on oxytetracycline!! HUGE MISTAKE!!! i was such a mess the PF spread everywhere! my face and neck and everything was covered. only benefit of takin the antibiotics was confirmin it is PF which can now allow it to be treated. so i am currently using NIzoral shampoo 2-3 times a week and also nizoral cream which works loads better than the shampoo but it does stink! I cant get ZNP in the UK but having read all the articles on PF possible i have oredered 10 bars from the US today so hopefully can get started on that this week but i have noticed my PF to be worse since takin the oxytetracycline. Dr put me on sporonox but i went funny on them - dizzy and sick so going back to dermatologist this week to see what he suggests! This is obv such a common disorder wrongly diagnosed - i wish doctors learnt more about it, could help so many people without goin thru wot we all are! so does the ZNP bar work really well??

[postfetalphase]

What is ZNP?

I'm thinking I have some kind of folliculitis, as I posted a thread on it and didn't realize there already were so many.... I'm thinking mine may be fungal, atleast on my ass/ thighs, because it popped up after a month course of antibiotics, along with other known fungal infections (which I haven't been able to rid myself completely of, either. Augh!)

Is this stuff contagious?