Folliculitis

Case history #1

A 43-year-old white man presents with erythematous, folliculocentric papules in the beard region. He reports that he has dense terminal hairs in the beard region, which requires him to shave frequently. He noticed that some papules have coalesced to form a plaque. Physical examination reveals multiple erythematous papules around the hair follicles and an indurated plaque with overlying yellow crust.

Case history #2

A 25-year-old woman presents with multiple painful, erythematous papules in the groin region of 1 week's duration. These appeared after shaving the area. Physical examination reveals multiple tender, erythematous, 3 mm to 5 mm folliculocentric papules and pustules in the groin and upper thighs.

Other presentations

Folliculitis can affect any hair-bearing regions of the body. It is invariably characterized by localization of skin lesions around a hair follicle.

Careful and meticulous skin examination is thus helpful in the diagnosis.

In Pseudomonasfolliculitis, patients often present with edematous papules on the flank. In some cases of P folliculitis, patients may present 2 or 3 days after immersion in the spa water, which is why P folliculitis may also be known as hot tub folliculitis.  

In children with tinea capitis, presentation may include scaling of the scalp, brittle hair breaking off at the surface of the scalp, or sometimes an erythematous, boggy plaque known as kerion.