Hair Follicle Inflammation and How to Treat It
Folliculitis
Hair follicle inflammation or Folliculitis as it is known in the medical world is a very common skin irritation and in extreme cases, can cause puss-filled spots around the hair follicles. This does not only affect the follicles on your head, it can be around any hair on the entire body, including arms and legs. Many people suffer a very occasional bout of this but others who see a long-term irritation will need to seek medical treatment. Often, it is not the person with the infection that spots it, but a stylist in a beauty salon whilst creating your new hairstyle.
Staphylococcus Aureus is the name of the bacteria, which causes the most cases of hair follicle inflammation and is guilty alongside some other very common bugs. It is very easily passed through water or through the touch of skin on skin but can be treated quickly, if it is caught in its early days of development. Many fungal infections are also infectious, but are far less common causes of such an outbreak. If a more common treatment does not work, then a fungal infection will be suspected; they are much harder to treat. People whom have suffered from infections that have affected their immune systems will be more likely to contract a viral infection, which could lead to hair follicle inflammation.
A pustule is the proper name for the pussy area around a follicle and when the hair follicle inflammation is in its early stages, will most likely be found on the scalp, bottom or arms and legs. Understandably, these are the areas more likely to suffer from attacks of sweat, so will be more prone to infections. As with many infections, early treatment is advised in order to keep it to a minimum and to eradicate it quickly. For many skin conditions, a doctor will prescribe a topical antibiotic, but with a case of hair follicle inflammation, a mixture of this and an antiseptic wash will be prescribed instead. This way, it will be able to treat the cause and sooth the pain at the same time.
Tea tree oil is already used for hundreds of health applications and again it becomes useful when treating boils or spots around follicles causing hair follicle inflammation. If you are buying or making your own remedy for hair follicle inflammation, look for ones that contain this natural and proven ingredient. Home treatments such as hot water compresses may help in the short-term, or on days when the pain is particularly bad. For the long-term, a doctor or dermatologist may prescribe you an oral antibiotic for your hair follicle inflammation. Where cases are extremely developed and the lesions contain a lot of puss, appointments can be made to have them drained. This will quickly reduce the pressure and pain, but treatment will still need to be taken. For sufferers of more long-term and extensive lesions, a term of laser hair removal might be offered. This takes away the cause of the pain entirely, but can be expensive.
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