I have same issue! Your folliculitis looks so similar to mine! Mine is all over my scalp but usually gets bad on the back of my scalp! I had it since 2012.
My history: I used to eat a lot of sugar, carb in the past
I had stressful time in the past (2 years)
I never took accutane, but i took antiobitics(doxycycline). It cleared up while i taking the antibiotics, but it got worsen after antibiotics!
I think the cause: Bad diet + Stressful life + Taking too much antibiotc
cure or treatment: Taking probiotic(THE MOST IMPORTANT PART) + keto diet or candida(need to reduce sugar or carb intake) + reduce stress + exercise
My current situation: i am on my own diet since 2015.10.01 and my 90% of scalp is clear(1 or 2 acne in a week and clears immidiately)!
when i eat sugar and carb it gets itchy and reddish little bit. if i keep eating sugar and carb it becomes worse and worse. if i back to my diet it gets better. SORRY FOR MY BAD ENGLISH

Thanks for the reply Laridma! A lot of the things you said is similar to what I experienced (Mine even started around the same time). I have already begun the Keto diet a few days ago thanks to you. I will also get some probiotics. I am on an accutane low dose right now (30 mg a day, but I've been doing every other day because I thought it was overkill).

Because I am on accutane however, the diet is almost useless right now so I actually may stop soon but it was nice to get an idea of what it is like once I do get off accutane. I will probably go Keto another week or two just to experiment with it. I still have a year left on accutane so I may as well enjoy foods while I can and then transition to Keto when I have 1 month or two left on accutane. Plus I've read Keto isn't smart while on it because it causes too much liver damage. Will take probiotics soon just to get my gut going well.

So all in all, I will come back here monthly but there probably won't be too many updates from me until I get off accutane in a year. I love hearing from people so if you have anything to say, let me know. Head is completely clear, although I've been getting acne in the mustache area which is weird for me.

Do you have an update on your condition? My scalp acne is very similar to yours. I took accutane around 4 years ago with great success in clearing my moderate acne on my face and severe cystic acne on my back. I never had bad scalp acne until the past 2 years or so.

Currently t is so itchy and distracting that it makes it hard to sleep or focus at work. I've been using a medicated shampoo from my derm with no luck. I refuse to go on long term antibiotics again so I'm hoping to find other solutions!

I've managed to keep the condition under control after getting off accutane. I was using a product byFollicula [Edited link out] which was a leave in hair scalp lotion. It smelled, but kept the problem at bay. Scalp wasn't itching much and whatever postules that came up, weren't painful at all. I recently decided to shave my head however to try and get to the root of the problem. This was a terrible idea as it spread what little infection that I had. I'm not sure if it's just razor bumps or something, but it seems to mostly be on the top and left side of my head. The back of my head is not nearly as bad for some reason. I might post some pictures in like a week.

I'm going to be trying outBump Stopper 2 [Edited link out] as I've heard people had success with it for folliculitis. My best advice for anyone though, is to give Follicula a try and don't shave your head bald, lol.

Edit: This thread will be updated regularly now that I am off accutane and this condition is coming back slightly.

So my scalp is basically cleared up again. Not sure if it was a matter of letting it grow out, or the Hydrogen Peroxide and Apple Cider vinegar mix that I've been using. It seemed to have dried up all of the acne spots and I've been able to just pick them off. I basically poor it small amount of each in a cup, add water, and then rub it on my scalp using a cotton ball. I leave it on and usually do it twice a day.

Currently suffering an taking flucloxacillin,some interesting things in your post.

did you know they can use uv light therapy as some bacteria that cause this cant be killed by anti biotics.

i got my dr to give me a third dose of flucloxacillin after the first at 250mg 4x 7 day course fell short of wiping it out.went back after a week and got 500mg 4x 7day course after basicly asking for 2 weeks and getting a resounding no!

finaly a dr gave me 500mg 4x 10 day course.hooe this will work for me.

incidently my hair started to fall out but hopefully its under control,whether it grows back or not is different matter.

So the vinegar/peroxide wash worked for a bit, but the problem started coming back. I'm now using Hibiclense (The Walgreens version with a pump). So far, after a week of use my problem has cleared up. I was able to cut my hair super short. I have 4 relatively small visible bumps on my scalp. What I do ispump the solution onto a cotton ball and rub onto my scalp and leave it on over night. Then I either shower in the morning and reapply or just reapply without showering. I also started using generic soap instead of shampoo but I have no clue if that did anything. Here's to hoping this solves the problem for good!

I will report back if anything significant occurs or if the regimine works after a month.

After 3 courses of flucloxacillin am now on lymecycline,nearly 2 weeks i have taken lymecycline,its tetracycline,my acne is cleared up well and the folliculitus is nearly gone or the active sores,papules and rash.i dont feel itchy or any pain so my hands are not always scratching amd gingering my scalp.i am still washing my hair once daily with hibiscrub also but the hobiscrub isnt whats clearing it up,it might br helping but its anti biotics i think.

I would look up acne keloidalis nuchae. It looks to be a form of that given the area being on the higher neck area. If you read up on it a little it says that having a short haircut can make it worse. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1072149-treatment

9 hours ago, JR_Shedds said:

I would look up acne keloidalis nuchae. It looks to be a form of that given the area being on the higher neck area. If you read up on it a little it says that having a short haircut can make it worse.  https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1072149-treatment

Well actually the folliculitis is on the top and sides of my head now. I actually just had a break out today. The back of the neck is clear unlike in the main photo. I'll try to remember to get a photo up here soon of the current state it's at.

13 hours ago, Quadboy said:

After 3 courses of flucloxacillin am now on lymecycline,nearly 2 weeks i have taken lymecycline,its tetracycline,my acne is cleared up well and the folliculitus is nearly gone or the active sores,papules and rash.i dont feel itchy or any pain so my hands are not always scratching amd gingering my scalp.i am still washing my hair once daily with hibiscrub also but the hobiscrub isnt whats clearing it up,it might br helping but its anti biotics i think.

I'm trying to avoid oral anti-biotics at this point as folliculitis always seems to come back once you stop taking them. It did for me even after I stopped accutane, although less severe so far. I'm considering going back on it though. 

The images are taken at different periods of time obviously. The first two were taken today. The next two were taken before I cut my hair shorter. Then the last three was when I decided to shave my head in hopes that would help (it obviously didn't lol).

You need anti biotics and just wash it with hibiscrub.anti biotics should control it and slow it right down,get tetracycline.the hibiscrub should just clean your scalp.

without it being biopsied to find out exactly what it is you can only hope to kill it or slow it down and control it.

theres uv light therapy for one some strains of bacteria.

i been on tetracycline for 2 weeks and it aunt half killed most of it off,my scalp feels so more normal and my hair feels like its smooth and shiny,before it was sticking up and dry and horrid.i find i no longer need to feel or scratch my head.

i can see your losing hair,i can see its thinning out,the same happened to me,i can only hope it will eventualy grow back,my crown  is worse.

if you look at it its like rosacea,so its acne so has to be treated as such.suggest dont put topicals on it,just anti bacterial wash/hibiscrub.you wont get far me thinks without anti biotics.

get to the drs,dont leave without anti biotics,dont realy suggest penecillin but i did 3 courses of flucloxacillin and it came back but calmed down a lot,then after a week after my last course of flucloxacillin i went back and was dreading bad news till different dr prescribed me tetracycle/lymecycline 408mg 1 a day for 56 days.i am just near finishing my 2nd week and the folliculitus/acne is nigh on gone.my head is feeling soo much better,there might be like 3 papules there that are healing but they just bumps but not sore or oozing.

trust me when i say it,i feel for you,after suffering for ages and getting not much from earlier drs and being a idiot and sitting on it,get off to the dr and dont leave without anti biotics and hibiscrub.

get back and update us what you done/did.

suggest you avoid hot water on it,also staying out the sun,try not to sweat.

And dont cut your hair,leave it to grow,dont scratch dont pick (i know its hard not to) as this is where i messed up.you think cutting it eases the irritation and is helping,no it isnt.

your gonna irritate it more by scraping over it,clippers and razor will rip your hair out of the follicle.

let it grow,get the anti biotics,wash it every day with hibiscrub,when your hair gets longer,use grade 2 on clipper,and just go nice and easy through the hair letting the clipper do the work.sterilise the clipper blades,i use isopropyl,disassemble it,wash the blades then clean in the area the blade fits.

I'm going to the doctor on Tuesday and I'm not leaving without a prescription for either anti-biotics or low dose/long term accutane. I'll update everyone on what I get prescribed. I'm not going on Minicyclin or Doxycylin (sp?) as I've already taken them before. I'll mention what you suggested if he refuses Accutane which is what I'm shooting for since my conditions responds so well to it. As you can see my condition isn't as bad in the first post so maybe another round may further reduce it post accutane.

i cant help but see your scalp is red even when you got hair,this is like rosacea of the scalp and the papules go hand in hand with the redness.this is why its treated as acne/scalp acne because it is acne.

stop cutting your hair,now let it grow.

tetracycline is realy clearing my folliculitus up and its keeping my face clear also.

let us know whats what and pop back every now and then and let us know your progress.

just dont clipper your hair any more,let it grow please.

I got a skin biopsy today. I should get results back in a week but if nothing comes back, the doctor seems to be leaning towards accutane with a month on month off regimen for a long time. I'll update you all next week or so.

Did you try tetracycline?

i had 3 courses of flucloxacillin,this is penecillin based,it calmed and healed the sores and papules but it didnt clear up the whole lot.
then a different dr orescribed me lymecycline/tetracycline,408mg 1 daily for 56 days.after 2 weeks now its pretty much all gone.6 weeks left of tabs,even face acne gone.

i wash every other day and then sometimes daily my hair with hibiscrub.

I'm a 44 year old male. I've had a very similar looking scalp to ArnhemKnights for 2 years and have at last cured the problem. I was previously a long term antibiotic user.

I use turmeric capsules like many others have (Swanson 720mg, 2 capsules per day).However I found that capsules which contained piperine made the condition far worse and brought my face out in spots too so I stopped using them and just used capsules containing turmeric only.

I referred myself for an online consultation at Please note I am not connected to this organisation. For under 40 you send photos of you condition and get a very detailed report back as to how to treat the condition. The consultant advises you to take the report to your Doctor (GP) to advise them how to treat. One of the recommendations was to wet my scalp and then wash in Hibiscrub (4%) daily for one minute. This is nasty stuff and you should not get in your eyes or ears. The report I received was very informative and to have access to such an experienced consultant for this amount of money I consider to be excellent value.

Thirdly I used a neem shampoo. I used TheraNeem Moisture Therape Shampoo.

Within 1 month my scalp was clear of spots and the red marks are fading. I no longer have to use the Hibiscrub but continue to take the turmeric and use the neem shampoo.

I am extremely pleased with the results but particularly glad that I am not reliant on antibiotics at all.

Hope this helps.

could be fungal folliculitis. which is why it's not responding to the antibiotics very well. chronic Tetracyclineantibioticuse has been known to cause fungal folliculitis. it appears that the antibiotics that you have used are all various tetracycline-basedmedications. look up "Malassezia (Pityrosporum) folliculitis scalp". If you are still dealing with this, next time ask the derm for an oral antifungal. Topical antifungals, such as the nizoralyou tried, are ineffectiveagainst chronic cases.

Any updates on your condition? I can totally relate with Arhem picture!

I've been dealing with the same issues it's been more than 10 years now. I tried nizoral countless times and most of the times it never worked.

I've been prescribed with tetracycline before and it worked during the administration period until I stopped taking them as it gave me hives (tried a second-time a year after and it happened again so I ditched completely).

I've also tried some unorthodox approaches too coconut oil, castor oil, white vinegar - nothing really worked.

I subscribe to what Quadboy says about shaving your head bald, don't do it, as it only gets worse.

I'll try to find some of the products you guys have been using (Hibiscrub, etc.) but maybe I won't find them, I'm from a very distant country in Europe.

I feel kind of hopeless now, it's been a decade and nothing truly works as the tetracyclines. Anyone has an alternative suggestion?

2 weeks after stopping accutane (still have 2 months left, but I got tired of it and knew it isn't a permanent solution). I'm thinking about shaving my head again before it gets worse. I have a doctors appointment on Tuesday, so I might just shave it tomorrow so he can get a better look at it.

i guess antibiotics arnt worth it, bc as soon as you stop you are in a very bad position for it to come back x2

i also have this problem and my actual hair quality seems to be affected too

20 min sea salt baths help a lot

im stull unsure how oftren to shampoo, when i shampoo i get dandruff so i think its very drying, i do 3x a week at the moment

i develiped this problem after accutane on a high carb vegan diet, im now low carb high fat and it helps, i literallyl feel my scalp itching as soon as i eat high carb foods

i thought i overcane tuhis issue, but i have 2 sore spots today

its extremely hard to treat becasue you cant clean the scalp when the spots come up or you risk breaking them and spreading it even more

I developed the same problem after Roaccutane. It comes and goes. Had very bad inflammations. It is never clean scalp, always several places itching. Starts with the bump. I use Nizoral Shampoo all the time and try different soaps. I found that the mixed solution salycilyc acid plus 4 mertanidazol plus 4 levomezitin tablets helps. I asked the doctors to do the scratch, nobody did just g@ve ketokonazole(nizoral) and Lamizil Creme which against fungus. While with fungus you have dandruff which Ive never had.

Also vegan

Vegetarian

The answer lays not in what to put in the skin, but what we are putting in our stomach.

On 4/17/2016 at 7:38 PM, Laridma said:

cure or treatment: Taking probiotic(THE MOST IMPORTANT PART) + keto diet or candida(need to reduce sugar or carb intake) + reduce stress + exercise
My current situation: i am on my own diet since 2015.10.01 and my 90% of scalp is clear(1 or 2 acne in a week and clears immidiately)!
when i eat sugar and carb it gets itchy and reddish little bit. if i keep eating sugar and carb it becomes worse and worse. if i back to my diet it gets better. SORRY FOR MY BAD ENGLISH

What You all doing is Madness= Doing the same thing again and again expecting different results

The answers we seek are closer then we think. Specifically within post #2 by Laridma

The pattern which emerges from this entire forum is s a repetitive weaving which threads together the error of our methods.

All have tried antibiotics, it helps for it bit, once they stop taking it, the strain of acne comes back with twice the severity and infection. Topical applications, soaps, and all forms of chemically based producsts seem to only work temporarely until the problem builds an immunity to this temporary solution and fights back.

------------------------------------------------------------

The answer is not within what is being applied to the outside of your skin,

Its whats going on inside of your body which is causing a reaction inside the skin to manifest as various kinds of acne in the external surface of the skin.

You are all trying to cure the symptom, but are not getting to the root cause of this reaction happening within. It is true that acne may be various forms of bacteria, fungi, hormonal, allergies, etc.

However head acne is not like any regular acne and it seems to be more of an allergic reaction to something being consumed by the body. Laridma in post #2 of this forum seem to have solve the riddle to this festering type of acne. all of you have failed, but he has succeeded. no blame tho, its always worth exploring every other solution extensively to the point of exaustion. after all, what may not work for you, may work for some one else.

But in this case, it seems like every one else have the head acne resurfacing regardless of antibiotics, creams, cleansers, shampoos, etc. My own research in this subject is as Laridma suggest. Its a dietary issue involving glutin sensitivity which is a form of protein which certain digestive enzymes can not properly decompose in the stomach, so glutin proteins not being able to be broken down causes an allergic reaction in the body of the consumer.

The affects of this allergic reaction to glutin is alarmingly vast, from

adrenal dysfunction, to

vitamin absoprtion abstruction,

depression,

rashes

constempation

joint inflamation

Studies have yet not found direct correlation between folliculities and glutin sensitivity, but all reports from personal experiences seem to suggest a cause and effect relationship between the body being unable to process this certain proteins, then braking out in acne. for what ever reason, some individuals seem to sufffer from keratosis chicken skin while others get severe head acne.

Laridma states, that when ever he eliminates carbs (rice, grains, bread, ryes, etc) it goes away, but when ever he eats carbs, it comes back. the body needs carbs, no doubt.

but you should all eliminate carbs coming from grains, ryes, breads, rice, etc because this is where glutin protein are founed. get carbs from more wholesome sources like sweet potatoes, vegetables, beans, etc.

In short, many of you or all of you may be suffering from celiac disease which is the inability to break down glutin proteins. which now adays is perefectly normal because after decades of processed chemically alterated food, the body is starting to respond back and our immune system is attacking what does not belong there.

A CHANGE OF DIET IS WHAT WILL ASSURE A LONG TERM SOLUTION TO ANYONE SUFFERING FROM SCALP FOLLICULITIS OR EVEN CHICKEN SKIN SYNDROME. ELIMINATE GLUTIN FROM YOUR LIFE, AND THEN APPLY SOME OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED TOPICALLY APPLIED METHODS TO COMPLIMENT A FULL BODIED REMEDY AGAINS YOUR HEAD ACNE. HEAL YOUR BODY FROM THE INSIDE WHILE CURING IT ALSO FROM THE OUTSIDE.

IF YOUR FOLLICULITIS KEEPS COMING BACK, ITS BECAUSE YOUR TREATING THE SYMPTOM, BUT NOT THE ROOT CAUSE OF WHATS CAUSING YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM TO REACT IN SUCH WAY.

I wish the best to everyone for I know this can be a very irritating problem, but if your all willing to put th work in to make some life habit changes, it will pay off beyond gettting rid of your folliculitis. such changes will also benefit the body, mind and individual in many other rewarding and optimistic ways.