Sharing how I solved my folliculitis
Hello, I am new to reddit but I though I'd share my success story in the hope that this helps someone. I know the effect this can have on your confidence and the frustration of never being able to find a solution.
I had staphylococcus aureus folliculitis on my lower back and thighs for about 3 years. I knew it was bacterial folliculitis because antibiotics cleared it up. And it was def folliculitis because my dermatologist did a punch biopsy. The problem for me was a few months after each antibiotics course ended, the folliculitis would return. Eventually I had to go on long term antibiotics, which I was very unhappy about.
My folliculitis was angry and red, and very deep into the skin layers. The bumps never had a head. Just angry red bumps damaging my skin. Each one would stay red for about 10 days, but leave a scar for a month.
I'll give you the short version of how I solved it and the long version
SHORT VERSION
- Washing with Selsun anti dandruff shampoo (explained in the long version) and using GladSkin with Staphefekt
LONG VERSION
Things that didn't work for me
Bleach baths
Hibiclens (sometimes made it worse)
Antibacterial soap
Probiotic juice that you drink, tastes terrible, made no difference
Probiotic skin spray - though i don't think it did any harm
Any and every pimple cream or solution
Prescribed antibiotic ointments, including up the nose
and lots of other things
I started with a "decolonising week", and have been in maintenance mode ever since.
- Decolonised my apartment using a giant bottle of hand sanitiser with a spray nozzle. Something like 70% alcohol with a bit of Chlorhexidine in it. Every morning when I left for work I sprayed all surfaces that I regularly touch. Door handles, shower handles, taps, etc. And anything I leant against. Chairs, couches, mattresses, back of toilet seat, etc. There's no point in decolonising your body and not your living area. Cheap and easy.
- Selsun anti dandruff shampoo as a body wash instead of Hibiclens. Selenium sulfide is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and keratolytic. It's cheap, it makes my skin feel quite nice afterwards, and I've continued using this ever since.
- GladSkin with Staphefekt. This is expensive, but it kills staph instantly on contact without affecting the other microbiota on your skin. You only need a super thin layer each application. I buy the acne gel, but you can buy any. I shower twice a day, and I apply the Gladskin straight after drying. BTW during my "decolonising week" I also stuck it up my nose, hanging my head upside down, placing big globules in each nostril and massaging it right up and down the canal. This is definitely off label use, and I've lived to tell the tale. I dried out my nose half an hour before with Sudafed flu tablets. I also did between the bum cheeks for a week, under arms etc, anywhere where staph can hide
I now only use the selsun and GladSkin on the areas where the original issue was.
And that's it. I have gone from getting around 10 new bumps every month, to getting one bump every 2 years. I would guess the last time I got a bump was mid-2022. I use 2 bottles of the Staphefekt gel 100ml per year. I keep it in fridge. The gel is better than the cream IMO as you can get a thinner layer spread over a larger area, ie it lasts way longer. When you see the price, you'll appreciate the value of making it last longer
I hope this helps someone. If you want to ask questions, I'm happy to answer. Sorry I don't have a better photo, but if any of you have folliculitis bumps that look something like the one in my photo, try what I did
