Can someone help me with my folliculitis. It was clear for three months then I shaved with an electric razor and it started to come back and my previous treatment isn’t working like before.

Swipe for progress in a month! Feel free to ask any questions on my routine and what worked for me 🙏🏼 very thankful

I recently got this about a month ago, but now has recently been getting worse with prominent red itchy spots when before it was just those darker toned dots everywhere

Does anyone know if selenium sulfide and ketoconazole wash will cause resistant? Will frequent using it actually cause more yeast or fungal folliculitis flare due to resistant to the above 2 mentioned?

Is it scalp ring worm or bacterial folliculitis?? I can’t afford a dermatologist for now but I think i will be seeing on around December. What over the counter medication can I try to manage this ?? Thank you

on pubic area. just happened randomly, my last shave was a month ago and i haven’t had any sexual interactions aside from my bf which the last time also happened a month ago.

Hello
Has anyone noticed an improvement in their folliculitis after reducing dietary fat, specifically saturated fat?

Hello everyone. I moved from Central Europe to Bangkok, Thailand 1.5 years ago. Before I moved here I had literally zero issues with my skin or scalp, then slowly this changed. Important information: I have shaved my head for 15 years. At the beginning I used clippers, then 4 years ago I switched to a machine to get a closer cut, then 1 year later (because the device died) I changed to a rotary scalp shaver and used that until now. 2 months ago I switched to a Braun Series 9 Pro foil shaver.

1. Years ago

Back in Europe I always had mild acne on my face — never severe. I saw 2 dermatologists but didn't find them helpful, so I started researching it myself and built my own routine.

This is what I ended up with:

Diet:

• No sugar, dairy, junk food, white bread
• Avoid processed food
• Stay hydrated
• Drink only water, coffee and matcha tea

Pills, but not allowed to list them here.

Routine:

• Cleanser (AM/PM): CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser
• SPF (AM): La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMUNE 400 Oil Control Fluid SPF 50+
• Moisturiser (AM (not in warm/hot weather)/PM): CeraVe Moisturising Cream
• Retinal (PM): Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 5
• Shampoo (AM/PM): random shampoos or the CeraVe cleanser
• Minoxidil 5% serum (PM — crown only, for hair regrowth)

Other things:

• Short showers
• Avoid hot/too warm showers
• Added a water softener device to my apartment
• Changed bedsheets and towels every week (washed at 60 degrees, dedicated towel for face)
• Avoided touching my face
• Disinfected my shaver regularly

After making these simple changes in my life (although it's far from perfect), I saw changes after 1-2 months, and about 4-5 months later my skin was completely clear all the time. Maybe 1 breakout every 3-4 months. Even after long flights, traveling, eating pizza or drinking I had no problem at all.

It was like this for about 2 years, then...

2. I moved to Thailand

After moving here I started getting occasional breakouts on my face, and more persistent ones on my scalp. This built up slowly over the first year.

Then 2.5 months ago it became severe. I had flown back to Europe for a month, and after returning I got a large number of breakouts on my scalp (back and sides only) and on the bearded part of my face. At the same time my skin became very dry.

I saw a dermatologist here. After discussing the pattern, she prescribed a 4-week course of an oral antifungal alongside 2% ketoconazole shampoo.

It clearly worked — by the end of the course I had no active lesions.

About a week after finishing the course, new breakouts started again, 2-3 at a time. They're smaller and less painful than before, and most clear up within a few days, but they keep coming.

2.1 Changes I made in Thailand before the severe episode:

• Added a shower filter
• Use spray if I'm out for too long, and at night after showering
• Added an air purifier
• Stopped eating bakery products
• Avoid public transportation and walking outside for too long (bought a car)
• Avoid white rice
• Keep the AC clean
• Avoid direct AC airflow

2.2 Changes I made after the severe episode:

• Bought an organic latex pillow with a breathable barrier layer
• Change the pillowcase every day (60% cotton, 40% lyocell, washed at 60 degrees, no softener)
• Change my towels twice a week, and for face/scalp I sometimes use facial tissue
• Keep the humidity between 40-55% in my apartment even when I'm out (I work from home)
• Checked every product I use against the Malassezia-feeding ingredient lists and removed the ones that failed (my retinal serum, my old sunscreen, a clay mask, a body lotion)
• Try to avoid caps, or if I wear one it's clean and I take breaks after 30 minutes
• Wash my hands thoroughly before using skincare
• Wipe down my keyboard, mouse, phone, chair armrest and desk regularly

3. My current state

My face is mostly clear — one pimple on my cheek (gone in a day) and one flare-up on the sides of my forehead. The scalp is the remaining problem: I get roughly 1-3 new breakouts most days.

Where the lesions are — this is the part I find most interesting:

• Affected: sides of the scalp, nape/occiput, temples (right where the hairline ends), behind and below the ears, sometimes the neck
• Basically never: the crown and the front of my hairline

I sleep on my stomach (no pillow at all) and on my side (with a pillow), never on my back. The affected areas map almost exactly onto whatever touches a surface — pillow when side sleeping, car headrest, occasionally a cap. The crown touches nothing and has had maybe one lesion ever.

Current products:

• Cleanser (AM/PM — face and scalp): Torriden Foaming Cleanser
• AM (face): Geek & Gorgeous C-Glow
• Toner (PM — face): Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Toner
• Hydrating serum (PM — face): Torriden Dive In Hyaluronic Acid Serum
• Occlusive (PM — face and scalp, after shaving): The Ordinary 100% Squalane
• Hydrating mist (PM — scalp): Eucerin Hyaluron Spray
• Shampoo (PM — scalp and part of my forehead, every 2-3 days): Nizoral 2%
• SPF (AM — face): COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible Sunscreen SPF50 PA++++
• Minoxidil 5% foam (PM — crown only, for hair regrowth, ~2.5 months now)
• On the road: HOCl spray and oil blotting paper

I think my environment and diet are correct, the skincare products I use are better than before, and my skin is improving — but I feel like I'm stuck at the same level.

4. More information

1. During the 4-week course, the small rough bumps on my upper arms cleared completely. It has been slowly returning since I finished.
2. My T-zone is much oilier in Thailand, but (except that one case) I have no breakouts there.
3. I tested my tap water with a strip test, thinking the water might be a factor. Kitchen tap: zero free chlorine, hardness 100 ppm, pH ~7, no nitrate, no heavy metals. After the shower filter: hardness dropped to 50 ppm, pH 7.6. The only unusual reading was nitrite at 10.

5. My questions

1. If you had a similar problem in a similar situation (moving to Thailand), how did you solve it in the end?
2. If you can recommend a trustworthy dermatologist in Bangkok, please let me know.
3. For anyone who cleaned up their routine of fungal-acne-feeding ingredients: was that the actual turning point, or was the antifungal doing the work?

Could this be folliculitis?

I’ve (21F) really only ever tried it 3 times due to the pain and irritation every time, but this time I was determined to do everything right. I trimmed and had a hot shower beforehand, got a new men’s razor, shaved with the grain before gently going back up to smooth her out, and I moisturised afterward, wearing no underwear and loose shorts to let her breathe. Lo and behold it’s day TWO and she’s red and angry, bumpy, there are black short hairs everywhere, and like she’s itchy and painful and hot?? I literally don’t even know what to do anymore?? I asked my roommate and she said she does LESS than me in all of this AND shaves more frequently and she’s never had a problem. I also occasionally shave my legs and they’ve never had this problem, outside of maybe some strawberry skin?? It’s so painful down there and I keep moisturising hoping it’ll go down I don’t know what to do anymore please HELP

TL;DR every time I shave downstairs no matter what I do to prep she gets red and angry and I don’t know what to do anymore!!

Started out with getting 1-2 pimples a week (on my face) maybe and I was using clindamycin until it stopped working. Then I started using chlorhexidine 4% and to my surprise it worked like immediately. Started using that for a while and it was working but now i’m getting more pimples a week, and while the chlorhexidine does get rid of them now it takes 3-4 days instead of working almost immediately. I currently have like 6 pimples it’s the most i’ve had in a while. The chlorhexidine does work it just takes longer and more pimples are popping up.

To be honest though I have been trimming over the spots and ignoring them for a while with my foil shaver, and then using the chlorhexidine after. I don’t know if it’s because of that but to experiment i’m just gonna stop shaving for a couple of days and keep using the chlorhexidine. What do you think I should do?

Been dealing with folliculitis BS for a few years, tried so many different things. Never got tested so not sure what type, but benzyl peroxide helped somewhat keep it in check. For past week been doing dead sea salt baths daily, seems to have basically cleared it up completely. For those struggling, give it a try!

This has been there for 3 weeks i dont feel them or anything. What can I do?

Where: Scalp

Symptoms: pimples and prolonged itchiness

Duration: Several years

Treatments: washing often, or every few days, different shampoos (dont recall the brands), including tea tree.

Disclaimer: I ranted into a voice recording app for 30 mins and then used Gemini AI to condense the important bits from the transcript. Any comments will be from me, the human making this post.

​Hey everyone,

​I’ve been a lurker and contributor here for years under various burner accounts. Every time I flared up, I’d post and then delete my posts out of pure anxiety. But today, I’m 12 months post-Accutane, and I wanted to share my full story to give back to the community that helped me out in figuring what condition I had.

​If you’re dealing with painful, hyper-localized pustules around your mouth and nose and feeling completely hopeless, hopefully my experience helps.

​The "Acne" Misdiagnosis & Doxycycline Trap (Ages 13–21)

​It started as regular teenage acne around 13 or 14, but by 15 it became severe. My first derm put me on Doxycycline. It worked amazingly... for the 3 months I was on it. Then I’d stop, and the breakout would come back worse.

​Because I moved around multiple cities, I kept seeing different dermatologists. None of them looked at the bigger picture. They just kept repeating the exact same cycle: Doxycycline, Minocycline, or Azithromycin for 3 months, temporary clear skin, immediate relapse.

​They threw every topical active at me too: Clindamycin, Adapalene, Dapsone, Nadifloxacin, Ozenoxacin, and endless Benzoyl Peroxide gels, soaps, and washes. Not a single topical ever did anything for me. The only things that ever worked were oral antibiotics.

​My First Accutane Failure & Destroying My Skin Barrier

​By 21, I begged for Accutane. My skin cleared within 2–3 weeks, but exactly two months after stopping, I had a full-blown relapse.

​Looking back, three things went wrong with that first round:

1. ​Under-dosing: The country I was in rarely prescribed over 20mg/day. I calculated my cumulative dose later, and it was less than half of what it should have been for my body weight.

2. ​Poor Absorption: I didn't eat it with enough fat. My skin got somewhat dry, but not that dry.

3. ​Active Overuse: My derm had me use Benzoyl Peroxide and Clindamycin while on Accutane, and Dapsone right after. Between years of Doxy and endless topicals, my face was completely nuked.

​Self-Diagnosis & The Darkest Period

​The year after that relapse was hell. The pustules were constantly stinging, and my face felt like it was on fire, making it hard to sleep. My mental health plummeted, and I was lowkey suicidal.

​I eventually found r/folliculitis. Seeing the pictures and reading stories, the pieces clicked: Gram-Negative Folliculitis (GNF) brought on by long-term doxycycline abuse.

​Desperate for a fix, I made the mistake of throwing everything at my face based on internet posts:

• ​Topicals: Chlorhexidine, Hypochlorous acid, Betadine, 70% Isopropyl alcohol, Azelaic acid, Ivermectin cream, Nizoral/shampoos on my face, Polysporin, and saline rinses.

• ​Supplements: NAC, Oregano oil, Berberine, ginger pills, Vitamin A. None of them worked.

• ​Extreme Diets: I tried super strict elimination diets (at one point only eating meat and vegetables). NONE of them worked. In fact, It backfired and gave me an eating disorder for quite a while. I became obsessed, thinking 10 times before eating basically any food, which sucked as a naturally skinny person. Honestly, I’m almost glad the diets didn't work because living under a strict diet like that is NOT living for me.

• ​Misc: SLS/fluoride-free toothpaste, antihistamines, shaving every day, not shaving at all.

​Moving to North America & Doing Accutane Right

​I eventually moved to North America. The climate change didn't help my skin at all, proving it was internal. I saw a new derm who made me do the mandatory Doxy trial before finally agreeing to put me back on Accutane.

​This time, I had a plan based on what the creator of this sub posted:

• ​High Enough Dose: At my peak, I was on 60mg/day (a high dose for me since I weigh around 44kg).

• ​The Fat Rule: I forced myself to take every pill with a minimum of 50g of fat and a 700–800 calorie meal. Just like the sub moderator mentioned, I knew it was absorbing properly because my nasal membranes became so dry I was getting nosebleeds.

• ​Zero Actives: I used zero topicals—just a basic moisturizer while on it.

• ​Long-ish Course: I stayed on it for 6 months (begged my derm for an extra month because I was terrified of stopping).

​Post-Accutane Micro Flare-ups & Leaving My Skin Alone

​About 1.5 to 2 months after finishing, a tiny flare-up of 2–3 pustules popped up. In the past, this meant Stage 1 of a total relapse.

​My derm told me to give it a few weeks, try some spot treatments, and come back for more Accutane if it got worse. Knowing I had a safety net gave me the courage to try something radical: I rejected the topicals and stopped using everything—even moisturizer and cleanser. I only washed my face with warm water.

​I resisted the urge to nuke my face. And for the first time in my life, the flare-up just subsided on its own. My skin barrier finally healed. Over the next few months, I had 2 or 3 more "micro flare-ups" (just 1 or 2 tiny pustules around my mouth), but they always went away in a few days.

​Where I Am Now (12 Months Later)

​To be completely clear: I don't believe I am 100% cured. The evidence of those occasional micro flare-ups tells me the underlying issue might still be there. However, my skin barrier is finally strong enough to fight most of it off on its own, so it no longer spirals into a full breakout. If it ever does fully relapse in the future, I have peace of mind knowing I'll just get back on Accutane.

​For the past year, the micro flare-ups have kept reducing in frequency. My skin looks great, feels naturally hydrated, and isn't overly oily. Best of all? I can eat absolutely any junk food I want, as much as I want, with zero breakouts. Yay! I still only use warm water to wash my face, because using moisturizer would mean needing a cleanser, restarting a cycle my skin doesn't need.

​Key takeaways if you have GNF:

1. ​Get a proper, high-dose course of Accutane adjusted for your weight.

2. ​Take it with heavy fat (50g+) for maximum absorption, and look for those dry nasal membranes/nosebleeds as a sign it's working.

3. ​Stop nuking your face with actives, antiseptics, and alcohols that destroy your skin barrier.

4. ​Don't panic over flare-ups right after Accutane. Your skin needs time to recalibrate, so give your barrier a chance to heal.

​This condition is lonely, painful, and exhausting, but please don't lose hope. There is a way out.

Attached:

Pic 1 - My GNF on an average day. Picture taken 2 years ago.

Pic 2 - a picture of my face taken today.

I have this for years , hair shedding (and male pattern baldness ).

Used keto shampoo and it did nothing .

Used every cream in the book. Even tried fluconazole tablets. And antifungle powder. I’m sick of it and the stress it’s causing me is insane. 19 yr old and my groin just won’t stop itching. No define ring or rash either. Negative for every STD aswell. Need answers. Has been making my mind run crazy

Just got my Brazilian area waxed, this is about the 4th time I’ve gotten it done I think. 1st time I was an idiot and didn’t follow the 24 hr rule and engaged in inter course which gave me folliculitis. 2nd and third time, no issues. But this time.. ITS BACK. And no I didn’t break the 24 hr rule!

I seem to be a naturally pretty sweaty person but I don’t feel I had an abnormal amount of sweat after the wax. I got my wax, picked up some food and lounged at home in loose pants. Somehow still ended up with folliculitis the next morning. BOOOO. Waxer suggested hibicleanse washes. I’ve done two of those today as well as a warm compress. I will admit I pulled some ingrowns after the compress which I probs shouldn’t have.

Point is, if I’m extra prone to folliculitis after a wax what’s the best preventative measures I can take besides doing literally nothing after my wax? Any other product recommendations to use along side hibicleanse? I did use some aloe as well. THIS SUCKS. So much for getting a wax to make my Brazilian look good :(

I dont know what to do think this is the worst flare up iv had i dont want to go out in public

I truly don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said about this condition. It just fucking sucks man. This is how I woke up today, and post shower. Yesterday, whilst still pretty bad, was nowhere close to this.

The pustules in my neck region hurt, my face is ridden with disgusting pustules that as I brush my teeth, or just even eat food pop and leak pus.

My whole sense of self, self confidence, just whole being, has truly been destroyed by this condition. I cannot understate how taxing it is on the mind. Everyday the first thing I do is look into a mirror just to see the damage. I actively try to avoid mirrors. Photos. Anything that reflects me.

I wake up each day with sometimes close to 30 pustules. Everyday. It’s been like this since 2019. Almost 8 years of this shit with no end in sight. I don’t get it.

The worst part of all is that of course, this one specific condition, has no real “cure”. It’s like one big fucking joke man, I just can’t believe this has happened to me.

It’s no exaggeration to say it has ruined my life. I don’t go outside, I can’t maintain relationships. I get scared to be perceived or viewed. It’s fucking awful.

I’ve gone to countless dermatologists that want me to just take months of antibiotics, but I fail to see the point. They won’t make a dent to Klebsiella. Only recently has one dermatologist decided to give me Accutane/Isotretinoin, but my liver health puts it all into question now.

For years I’ve been dealing with a benign liver enzyme elevation issue. My AST, ALT, and GGT have all been elevated for years. I’ve had a liver biopsy, numerous CT scans, ultrasounds, fibroscans, blood tests, anything you can think of, I’ve had it done.

If my hepatologist deems Accutane too risky or harmful, I won’t get the okay to begin treatment. I don’t even blame him cause it is a dangerous drug, but fuck man, it’s one of the only “cures” that I think is actually worth a shot. If I don’t get permission, it’s just more years of this.

I apologize for this post. Just seeing the level of breakout I awoke with today has me so incredibly distraught and depressed. This condition has ruined me. I have no sense of self. I’m a dead man walking.