How to treat folliculitis?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Le Thi Thu Hang - Dermatologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Folliculitis is a common skin disease, especially in the summer, caused by inflammation and infection in the hair follicles. Folliculitis can appear on any area of ​​the body (except lips, palms and soles). So what are the treatments for folliculitis?

1. Symptoms of Folliculitis

Signs and symptoms of folliculitis include:
small papules in the hair follicles, scaly on top, after a few days of progression, the lesions can heal, leaving no scars. The patient feels a little pain or itching. The number of lesions may be scattered a few lesions, there may be many lesions. The disease often recurs many times, affecting quality of life.

2. Diagnosis of folliculitis

Diagnosis of folliculitis is based on clinical symptoms including: small papule lesions in the hair follicles, which may be slightly itchy or painful due to infection.
Test: take pus from the lesion to culture bacteria or scrape the skin of the lesion to test for fungi.

3. Treatment of folliculitis

Treatment methods for folliculitis:
It is necessary to remove beneficial factors such as wearing tight clothes, shaving, plucking, using irritating drugs or cosmetics, long-term use of corticosteroids... Personal hygiene: Wash your hands often with antibacterial soap... Avoid scratching, irritating the lesions Depending on the severity of the damage: in mild cases with a few lesions, just use an antiseptic solution combined with antibiotics applied at the site. place. Severe cases require a combination of topical treatment and systemic antibiotics: Antiseptic solution: can use one of the following solutions:
Povidon-iodin 10% Hexamidine 0.1% Chlorhexidine 4% Topical antibiotics : Use one of the following drugs, the duration of treatment is 7-10 days.
Fucidic acid cream or ointment: apply 1-2 times/day Mupirocin ointment 2% applied 3 times/day Neomycin ointment applied 2-3 times/day Silver sulfadiazine 1% cream applied 1-2 times/day Topical erythromycin solution 1- 2 times/day Clindamycin solution applied 1-2 times/day Systemic antibiotics: use one of the following drugs, the duration of treatment is 7-10 days.
Cloxacillin orally, intramuscularly or intravenously every 6 hours 250-500 mg, in adults. Children under 20kg body weight, every 6 hours, the dose is 12.5-25 mg/kg. Amoxicillin/Clavulanic: adults 875/125 mg x 2 times/day, orally. Children 25 mg/kg/day in two divided doses, orally. Clindamycin: adults 300-400 mg x 3 times/day, orally or intravenously. Children dose 10-20 mg/kg/day divided into 3 times, orally or intravenously. In case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using Vancomycin: adult dose of 30 mg/kg/day, divided into 4 times (not to be used more than 2 g/day), dilution by slow intravenous infusion. Children dose 40 mg/day divided into 4 times (every 6 hours by slow intravenous injection or intravenous infusion of 10 mg/kg).

4. Prevention

Personal hygiene Avoid favorable factors such as hot and humid environment, greasy chemicals Early treatment when there is skin damage In case of recurrence, it is necessary to pay attention to good hygiene to remove bacteria on the skin such as grooves nose and cheeks, inter-buttock groove... At Vinmec International General Hospital, there is a package of examination and consultation for atopic dermatitis treatment for all customers of all ages. Customers at risk such as allergies, affected by ambient conditions such as weather, climate, humidity, ... will be examined and tested including:
Specialist examination Dermatology Perform tests such as: quantification of IgE, fresh mycobacteria, specific IgE for respiratory and food allergens (Panel 1 Viet), Rida Allergy Screen test (panel 1). .. Doctor Thu Hang has over 10 years of experience in the field of dermatology. Especially experienced in the treatment of adult and pediatric skin diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, autoimmune and rare skin diseases. The doctor has obtained certificates and university degrees at home and abroad such as: Degree I - Dermatology, Hanoi Medical University, DFMS Degree - Dermatology, University of Paris XIII, France before becoming a doctor. dermatology at the Department of Internal Medicine, Vinmec Hai Phong Hospital today.

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References: Healthline.com and Mayoclinic.org