Witch Hazel for Folliculitis

Folliculitis: It's been years I think that I have it but not aware of it. How I got it? I don't know. I remember a pea size in pubic hair and my gyn gave me one big antibiotic for candida yeast and for years I did not have it until I had a caregiver for my mom who has it and that I contacted it again. It has been a couple of years that I have been suffering until I got into this witch hazel. It helped and cleared but I flared up again three weeks ago. I continue to dab the witch hazel and it helps. I am seeing a dermatologist next week and I want that candida antibiotic again. I will keep you informed. I want to help. Rhebs

Update on day 3

1) yesterday was end of my 2nd day I decided to give vinegar a little rest my Turmeric came in mail and after about 3 glasses over the course of this 18 hours it has gone down more significantly. I still have some pains but overall I can feel my boils slowly dissipating.

2) I found that I no longer need to soak for the full 22 hours I now only do it at night while I sleep as stated above (post) with a heating pad over it. When I woke up in the middle of the night to check on progress of this treatment I noticed many white heads appearing near the boils which is actually a wonderful thing which means the vinegar cloth/ rag with a heating pad over it is pulling up the bacteria without having to pop anything.

3) after noticing this in the mirror at about 4 am I got a cotton ball and soaked it in rubbing alcohol and lightly cleaned the area. TO MY SURPRISE the white heads fell right off and a strong burning sensation came over the areas where they fell off and some minor blood. However I felt a lot better after wiping my whole groin area down aside from the burning. But as well all know that means it's just doing its job of cleaning the infection without me having to pop or burst anything so I was a happy camper and went back to sleep and put the rag back over with the heating pad.

4) I woke up for work at about 7am (3 hours later) and I noticed there was barely and white dots but very light scabs and the remaining white heads came right off with another alcohol cotton ball light rub. I preceded to take a shower and got out and applied some acne treatment ointment Generic brand doesn't matter what as long as it says acne or pimple cream or gel etc.

5) before I took off to work took another shot of Turmeric and took some powder (Turmeric) with me to have 2 more at work today. I will update again soon on my third day of my own treatment and so far the results are great. Still in pain when it comes to my loose boxers/ shorts but overall I just keep a positive outlook which is important and try to keep my stress level down. I also take vitamins everyday that you can buy from Trader Jo's and whenever my work orders lunch or breakfast I try to keep it on healthier side. Will update tomorrow morning and let you know how much more they have gone down. From the looks of this I may even be able to go to Disneyland this Saturday I AM EXCITED!

I am 19 years old, I suffer from Folliculitis as well. First and foremost great thread really has helped. I was put on antibiotics which ended up giving me Hives. After stopping the antibiotics my condition worsened I believe mainly due to the fact that I popped one of the boils/ pimples.

1) DO NOT POP OR PUSH OUT THE PUS IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. NO MATTER HOW MUCH ALCOHOL YOU DAB OR TRY TO CLOSE OFF THE AREA IT WILL SPREAD LIKE WILD FIRE.

2) Screw antibiotics they don't work as stated above.

3) I have been soaking my groin with a soaked cloth of White Vinegar put in the microwave for 20 seconds let it cool until it is cool enough to apply to skin. (The heat opens up your pores allowing the vinegar to enter) I began with a 50% dilutions of White vinegar and water and worked my way up to Pure White vinegar on cloth. I let it sit until it runs cold while I am out during the day etc, boxer briefs help keep it in place.

4) Vinegar does burn but if you have a good pain tolerance and can wait it out it helps, the burning sensation is letting you know that the bacteria is getting annihilated and move to the top of the skin, after a while the burn will go away.

5) I take a hot bath with added salt and apple cidar vinegar. Very soothing mix to your own liking the water doesn't need to turn too brown with how much vinegar you put in. The salt dries the skin under the water and the apple cidar vinegar attacks the bacteria.

6) Wash your towels constantly, or use paper towels to wipe your groin or infected area.

7) When I go to sleep at night I do another cloth of vinegar solution and put a heating pad on outside of my boxers, that way it keeps it hot throughout the night and to be honest feels very soothing.

8) I so far have executed 2 successful days of this and have almost gotten rid of all the boils and now they are back to the beginning pimple stages, however I am sure that the Turmeric I ordered in powder and pill for off Amazon will take care of the rest while I continue this treatment for myself.

To be honest the bath is bit overkill I do it because I want results fast and soaking for about 30 min or even and hour really does help. On average I soak my groin in Vinegar about 22hr's a day changing out the rag or cloth about 3-4 times a day. Which you can just soak it in hot water and ring it out and re-use. I will let you know how everything works out but my second day and my boils have gone from excruciating pain 100% to about 15% and the redness has almost gone. Now just these little pimples I have to knock out.

PS I understand if you have work cause I work in a very public place for a tv show, I just bite the bullet. Only 2 people mention about the vinegar smell and I told them its a remedy I am using for rash on my arms, which I wear long sleeves so its better than admitting the top portion of my groin is infected especially to the ladies, plus my gf understands and it doesn't stop us from having our fun. However you shouldn't be having close contact sex until your bumps go down and it doesn't hurt anymore. So far she hasn't caught anything. God speed to everyones speedy recovery! -BOC

It sounds like many of us have Pityrosporum Folliculitis which is CAUSED or made WORSE by antibiotics. In that case you would need to take an anti-yeast pill prescribed by your doctor. This is what happened to me. The problem went away completely, after suffering for two years on all kinds of antibiotics. The problem did come back after I took antibiotics for a throat infection. Now I am on the antifungals again.

Over the past few years I have been suffering from a mild to severe case of folliculitis of the scalp. The primary affected area was around the hairline just above the neck with a few additional patches on the sides and top. As most of you probably know folliculitis does have some kind of link with stress levels. When stress levels were high I would experience a flare up with numerous painful bumps. Having been two multiple dermatologists I had pretty much tried every treatment in the book ranging from anti-bacterial creams to corticosteroid based shampoos.

Once on a visit to my barber for a haircut he mantioned that another client of his had experienced success with witch hazel. I purchased a bottle (generic kind available at Walmart) rather half-heartedly and gave it a try. Every morning after a shower I would use a cotton ball and wipe down the area with the witch hazel solution. To my complete and pleasant surprise the bumps disappeared almost completely and have not returned even after I stopped using it.

I have since researched this and found out that a pure witch hazel extract may actually be better. The generic kind I purchased contains 14% isopropyl alcohol. I still have a few affected areas that I am going to try this on given the success I've had so far.

I sure hope this information helps somebody out there in their fight against folliculitis.