I HAVE PIMPLES ON MY SCALP

QI’ve been finding pimples on my scalp these days. Is it serious? How do I treat it?

AFolliculitis is an inflammation at the opening of a hair follicle, which can have several causes – bacterial, fungal, ectoparasitic or sterile (without any infection).

In case of fungal folliculitis, which is less common compared to the bacterial variety, yeast organisms are the usual offenders.

Sterile folliculitis can be either simple in nature or present as small, round relatively less inflamed non-infected, but severely itchy papular lesions. They are seen on the beard area in men and on the nape of neck in both genders, mainly those with curly hair. This condition is popularly known as ingrown hair.

In the more complex varieties of sterile folliculitis, the hair follicle is either partially or totally ruptured and destroyed by the inward penetration of hair through the follicular wall. These cases are extremely hard to treat and mostly leave the affected areas of the scalp with hairless patches.

Most types of bacterial and fungal folliculitis of the scalp can be treated through courses of oral and topical medications. The duration of these treatments depends on the severity and last from a few weeks to several months.

In certain cases, folliculitic eruptions of the scalp could be a result of repeated frictional trauma to the hair follicle, for example, vigorous scratching due to eczemas of the scalp. Similar folliculitic lesions can also be seen in people using hair dyes, particularly those who developed an allergic contact dermatitis to these dyes.

Another variety of folliculitis can be seen in individuals suffering from head lice infestation. Young school girls and adult women are found to be more common sufferers as compared to men.

Once again, follicular trauma caused by the vigorous scratching is the cause of folliculitis in these cases. These cases can be successfully treated by eliminating the lice infestation through an effective treatment suggested by a dermatologist.

Consult an experienced dermatologist who could thoroughly examine your scalp to determine the type of folliculitis and can treat you accordingly.