Hair Follicle Showing Folliculitis

Folliculitis is an inflammation of the hair follicles. Each hair on your body grows out of a tiny pouch called a follicle. You can have folliculitis on any part of your body that has hair. But it is most common on the beard area, arms, back, buttocks, and legs.

It may be caused by bacteria, such as the strococuss illustrated here, and it also can be caused by yeast or another type of fungus.

You may get folliculitis if you have damaged hair follicles. Shaving or wearing clothes that rub the skin can irritate the follicles, which can lead to folliculitis. They also can become blocked or irritated by sweat, machine oils, or makeup. When the follicles are injured, they are more likely to become infected. Folliculitis usually looks like red pimples with a hair in the center of each one. Here, there is just redness at the base of the hair follicle. Although this is an artisitc interpretation, this has educational value, because of the dramatic perspective and coloring.

Hair disease may refer to excessive shedding or baldness (or both). Balding can be localised or diffuse, scarring or non-scarring. Increased hair can be due to hormonal factors (hirsutism) or non-hormonal (hypertrichosis). Scalp disorders may or may not be associated with hair loss. As bacteria, or fungus, can enter at the base of the follicle, on the epidermis, it is important to keep the epidermis, top layer of the skin illustrated here, in a healthy state.