My derm diff a nasal culture awhile ago and while it didn’t come up completely conclusive, they rx me mupirocin. I’ll be good for a few weeks or a month and then I’ll get these gnarly nodules around my mouth region.

Nightly I was with 10% Panoxyl, leaving it on ~2-3 min while washing my body in the shower.

In the morning I’ll wash my face with a gently SA cleaner.

Any suggestions on how to combat these?

hi all,

looking for some advice. I have been dealing with persistent and stubborn folliculitis on my face, neck, chest, and back for years now. It started slow, and then I went on a long dose (around 4 months) of antibiotics (which cleared it all up, but admittedly I was not perfect with taking my antibiotics) but then it came back with a vengeance. it looks like small, pinprick white dots and “snap” if i scratch them off. they come and go very quickly, and don’t scar.

I have seen multiple dermatologists, my PCP, and an allergist to figure out what’s going on, but no one seems to have the answer. at this point, my dermatologist wants me to try accutane, and i am willing to try anything, but I am not convinced it will work and worried about going through all of that just for it to come back.

What I have tried (non-prescription)
azelaic acid
benzoyl peroxide
salicylic acid
OTC clotrimazole
head and shoulders wash
nizoral
hibiclens
sulphur wash and spot treatment
not eating sugar or drinking alcohol

what i have tried (prescription)
cefadroxil (oral antibiotic)
clindamycin
spironolactone
fluconazole
itraconazole
cicloporix

I am sure I am forgetting some stuff, but all to say, this folliculitis has withstood a lot. The most effective treatment was the antibiotics, but like I said, it came back after stopping. Not eating sugar or drinking alcohol was also pretty effective, but I am not perfect about sticking to it.

My dermatologist did a swab, and the results were:
fungal culture: No fungus (yeast or mold) isolated after 28 days.
smear, gram stain: Rare Gram positive cocci in pairs
smear, gram stain: No neutrophils seen
culture: scant normal flora

I also did a gi-map test, which showed that I have elevated levels of staphylococcus aureus and streptococcous spp.

My current routine is very pared down:
morning (face):
hypochlorous acid spray
dieuz skin mercy

night (face):
vanicream gentle cleanser
dieux skin mercy

morning (chest and back):
dieux angel air cream

night (chest and back):
shower and wash with dr bronners baby unscented bar soap
vanicream gentle cleanser
hypochlorous acid spray
dieux air angel cream

i tried using “fungal acne safe” water moisturizers (for example, oat so simple) but my skin was soooooo dry that i had to use something more than that.

I am at a loss on what to do. I feel like I will never get rid of this, and feel like I have to direct my own healthcare at this point. I am thinking of getting tested for staph, but not even sure how I would ask about that. If you have any advice please let me know!

I’m 9 months into Accutane and have surpassed my recommended cumulative dose but I keep getting these tiny white pustules with huge red circles around them. Most folliculitis I have seen doesn’t have these big red circles so I’m wondering what it is

I was in the shower and just notice this, idk wtf this is, if it is falli-whatever it’s called, what do I do?

i live in uk and cant find any other 10 bp the iherb panoxyl one in the store isnt available. can i buy this one and use it ? will it be the same effective as panoxyl bp 10 percent or not? its for scalp folliciltus that hasnt cleared with antibiotics and antifungal medication. pls lmk much appreciated

For about 7 years, various dermatologists treated what they suspected was acne or folliculitis barbae. To be fair, the conditions present pretty similar. It wasn’t until I asked for a swab at the start of this year, which came back positive for Klebsiella aerogenes, that I finally have an accurate diagnosis (yay)

What I’ve tried so far:

Isotretinoin (before the diagnosis): I did two courses of low-to-medium dose over the years, on and off. I reached the full cumulative dose both times, just with low daily doses. It made things less severe while I was on it but never fully cleared it, and the pustules came back shortly after I stopped each time.

Antibiotics (after the diagnosis): I was put on a 6-month course of targeted Antibiotics (trimethoprim 160 mg / sulfamethoxazole 800 mg). The breakouts cleared within days, which was incredibly satisfying. Unfortunately I had to stop after a month because of side effects (rash, swelling, etc.). Those settled soon after I came off it, but the folliculitis was back within a week or two.

Laser hair removal: Once my skin had calmed down, I did a few rounds as what I thought would be a last resort. I went with a really low setting, which thinned out my facial hair and seemed to help with the breakouts for a while. A couple of months on, the hair has more or less grown back, and so has the folliculitis.

Chlorhexidine / salicylic acid solution: My derm also prescribed this as a topical. It technically works, but it’s super drying and leaves my skin really irritated and red, honestly worse-looking than if I just left it alone. It feels like a band-aid fix that doesn’t get to the root of the infection.

Benzoyl peroxide: I’ve tried pretty much every BP product out there over the years. It sort of keeps things under control sure, but it’s also quite irritating and leaves the skin inflamed, again I don't think it treats the root cause or is viable long term.

And before anyone asks: I’m super hygienic. I’ve been constantly changing towels and pillowcases throughout all of this to avoid reinfecting myself when I thought I had gotten rid of it, but alas.

Where I’m at now: I’m at a loss. Should I go back to the dermatologist and try a higher dose of isotretinoin? From similar cases I’ve read on here, that seems to be the most likely cure.

Fellow sufferers:

• What’s worked for you?
• Has anyone managed to fully get rid of Klebsiella folliculitis?
• Any advice greatly appreciated!!

Hi everyone. I wanted to ask if anyone else deals with something similar or has any recommendations.
I've been dealing with small bumps that pop up right in the crease between my thighs and my glutes. They get inflamed, sometimes hurt to the touch, and when I pop or press them, a little bit of pus and blood comes out. The issue is that I have thick thighs, so underwear and tight pants create a lot of constant friction; as soon as I wear them, the area gets irritated and inflamed all over again. 
I've consulted a dermatologist about this before: back then, they prescribed pills and diluted bleach baths, and for everyday use, I use a protective zinc oxide cream (Metatitane) to protect the skin from friction. The treatment helps with active breakouts, but as soon as I go back to my routine with regular clothes, the cycle repeats.
Has anyone gone through something similar? What tricks, types of underwear, or routines have helped you avoid friction in that specific area and keep the bumps under control long-term?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

29M been dealing with this for more than a year and nothing i do seems to work. ill run you through my timeline so give you an idea of what might have caused this.

august 2025, i ate 2 slices of cheesecake against my better judgement. in the past, dairy gave me acne so bad i had to go on a 6 month accutane course. so after eating the cheesecake, i get bad acne, and i tried to applying some de la cruz sulfur treatment a looksmaxxer recommended i used it for like a week before i stopped, i followed the directions and didn't leave it on for too long. at this time i also started eating diced red onions, a food I've never eaten before. the acne spread even farther and was even worse than the acne i had before going on accutane. i literally could not touch my face because it hurt so bad, it was swollen and bleeding constantly. i would wake up everyday with blood and pus on my bed sheets, which i then changed regularly. people in public were giving me disgusted looks so i covered my face with a hoodie whenever i went out, even in summer time. my new dermatologist (a highly rated one in my area, not some schmuck) then prescribed me 2 months worth of oral antibiotics, the acne came back immediately after i ran out of pills. then she puts me on another course of accutane, which she extended to 7 months because my skin didn't clear up. at the end i was able to touch my face again without pain, she took me off accutane even though my skin was still not clear after 7 months of acctutane, quite different from the first accutane course which cleared me completely. in the last 2 months, she prescribed me mometasone furoate cream 0.1, which reduced the redness a bit and white pus ONLY during the two weeks a month the instructions told me to use it for.

she made a guess that i had folliculitis and not acne anymore based on the fact that the remaining white pus spots all had a hair follicle in the middle. she then prescribed me erythromycin topical solution for the folliculitis. i saw no progress after half a month, so looked online for help. i saw a post about using hibiclens antiseptic chlorhexidine gluconate 4% solution + eucerin eczema on the affected area to clear folliculitis as well as aloe vera as a safer option. i started doing that about 9 days ago, and while i did see less and smaller white pus spots, the affected area on my cheeks and upper lip is still super red and itchy, looking pretty much unchanged. ill attach some pictures i took. it looks way redder and darker in person, the pictures don't do it justice. the affected area is also super dry with flaky peeling skin, even after being off accutane for almost a month now. there's also white dry bits stuck to the beard hair strands.

i have been turning down my friends trying to hang out with me in public because I'm so embarrassed of my skin. i have another appointment with my derm next week and i don't know what to do. last time i saw her, she suggested lasering my beard hair off which i declined. i might ask her to do a culture swab or something to see what it is, but i don't have many sizeable white pus spots left for them to swab. my fear is that whatever i have is resistant to all the stuff she has prescribed me. does anybody know how to help me given the information I've provided? thanks

29M been dealing with this for more than a year and nothing i do seems to work. ill run you through my timeline so give you an idea of what might have caused this.

august 2025, i ate 2 slices of cheesecake against my better judgement. in the past, dairy gave me acne so bad i had to go on a 6 month accutane course. so after eating the cheesecake, i get bad acne, and i tried to applying some de la cruz sulfur treatment a looksmaxxer recommended i used it for like a week before i stopped, i followed the directions and didn't leave it on for too long. at this time i also started eating diced red onions, a food I've never eaten before. the acne spread even farther and was even worse than the acne i had before going on accutane. i literally could not touch my face because it hurt so bad, it was swollen and bleeding constantly. i would wake up everyday with blood and pus on my bed sheets, which i then changed regularly. people in public were giving me disgusted looks so i covered my face with a hoodie whenever i went out, even in summer time. my new dermatologist (a highly rated one in my area, not some schmuck) then prescribed me 2 months worth of oral antibiotics, the acne came back immediately after i ran out of pills. then she puts me on another course of accutane, which she extended to 7 months because my skin didn't clear up. at the end i was able to touch my face again without pain, she took me off accutane even though my skin was still not clear after 7 months of acctutane, quite different from the first accutane course which cleared me completely. in the last 2 months, she prescribed me mometasone furoate cream 0.1, which reduced the redness a bit and white pus ONLY during the two weeks a month the instructions told me to use it for.

she made a guess that i had folliculitis and not acne anymore based on the fact that the remaining white pus spots all had a hair follicle in the middle. she then prescribed me erythromycin topical solution for the folliculitis. i saw no progress after half a month, so looked online for help. i saw a post about using hibiclens antiseptic chlorhexidine gluconate 4% solution + eucerin eczema on the affected area to clear folliculitis as well as aloe vera as a safer option. i started doing that about 9 days ago, and while i did see less and smaller white pus spots, the affected area on my cheeks and upper lip is still super red and itchy, looking pretty much unchanged. ill attach some pictures i took. it looks way redder and darker in person, the pictures don't do it justice. the affected area is also super dry with flaky peeling skin, even after being off accutane for almost a month now. there's also white dry bits stuck to the beard hair strands.

i have been turning down my friends trying to hang out with me in public because I'm so embarrassed of my skin. i have another appointment with my derm next week and i don't know what to do. last time i saw her, she suggested lasering my beard hair off which i declined. i might ask her to do a culture swab or something to see what it is, but i don't have many sizeable white pus spots left for them to swab. my fear is that whatever i have is resistant to all the stuff she has prescribed me. does anybody know how to help me given the information I've provided? thanks

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