Pseudofolliculitis barbae; Tinea barbae; Barber's itch
Hot, moist compresses may promote drainage of the affected follicles. Treatment may include antibiotics applied to the skin (mupirocin) or taken by mouth (dicloxacillin), or antifungal medications to control the infection.
Folliculitis usually responds well to treatment, but may come back.
Apply home treatment and call your health care provider if symptoms come back frequently, if they last longer than 2 or 3 days, or if the infection spreads.
Habif TP. Bacterial infections. In: Habif TP, ed. Clinical Dermatology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2004: chap 9.
Swartz MN, Pasternack MS. Cellulitis and subcutaneous tissue infections. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2005: chap 86.