Folliculitis on Feet Pictures - 19 Photos & Images

Folliculitis is an inflammation of the hair follicles, the tiny tunnels in the skin from which hair grows. It occurs when the hair follicles become irritated and an infection then sets in. This may be seen with damage to the follicle as a result of shaving, friction with clothing, scratching, or an obstruction of a pore. An infected hair follicle appears as a red bump or white pustule which may crust over at a later stage. Infectious folliculitis which arises with a Staphylococcus aureus (bacteria) infection is discussed in detail within this article.

Folliculitis and acne are two different skin conditions although gram-negative folliculitis may be seen in certain cases of severe acne. Acne primarily involves the oil-producing glands (sebaceous glands) of the skin which are clogged with excess oil (sebum) and shed skin cells. It may lead to localized inflammatio which may then develop into folliculitis. Due to the similarity of the lesions, it may sometimes difficult to differentiate between acne and folliculitis only by visual examination. Some key points to bear in mind though is that acne occurs mainly on the face, neck and upper trunk, more often in teenagers, and may last for months or years. Folliculitis on the other hand may occur anywhere on the body, can affect at any age group, and it usually lasts only for a few days or weeks.