Folliculitis: What Hot Tubs, Shaving Have in Common

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Two days ago, you enjoyed a luxurious soak in a hotel’s hot tub. Unfortunately, you find that you have developed a red, itchy, bumpy rash right on your bottom. To top this off, you also have noticed small pustules on one of your legs where you quickly shaved to get ready for this indulgence. While these rashes are caused by different activities, they both may be forms of folliculitis.

Folliculitis is an inflammation of the hair follicle, the pouch that surrounds the hair, from various types of bacteria or fungus. A hair follicle can become damaged from shaving or become irritated if rubbed against clothing.

Hot tub folliculitis can occur if chlorine levels are not high enough to kill bacteria, usually pseudomonas, in the water. The bacteria laden water can become trapped between your bathing suit and your skin causing an outbreak of folliculitis. Razor burn folliculitis can occur from shaving one’s legs. Staphylococcus bacteria on our skin can infect the minute cuts from the shave.

Men can suffer from a different form of facial shaving irritation called pseudofolliculitis barbae or barber’s itch that causes facial hairs to become ingrown. Though this form of follicuilitis is not caused by bacteria, the hair follicle can still become irritated and inflamed.

Other causes of folliculitis are from use of creams or make up that block the follicle, long standing use of topical steroids or antibiotic cream or having a decreased ability to fight infection due to other illnesses such as diabetes or cancer.

Treatment:

Folliculitis should heal in on its own in about two weeks and doesn’t necessarily need to be seen by a doctor unless it continues or progresses. Warm compresses with diluted vinegar may ease itching and soothe the rash. Washing the skin with an antibacterial wash such as Phisohex twice a day may help. If the folliculitis doesn’t resolve, a doctor may prescribe an antibiotic or anti-fungal cream if the rash is mild or oral antibiotics if it is more severe.

Precautions:

Shaving is a big culprit in the development of folliculitis. To prevent folliculitis one needs to shave or cut the hair above the skin line to avoid too close of contact to the hair follicle. Shaving with a single edge rather than double edge razor will allow for a less close shave.

Always shave in the direction of hair growth to keep the cut above the skin line. Make sure to use a good lubricating gel or shaving cream. It goes without saying to never share razors. If the problem continues, use of depilatories or laser hair removal may be something to consider in order to avoid shaving altogether.

Swimming pools or hot tubs where the water may not be well disinfected should be avoided. If using a public pool, find out how often they are checking the water ph and other chemical levels. Many places post on a blackboard or keep a clipboard close by with this information.

Hot tubs are kept at much hotter temperatures than swimming pools fostering more bacterial growth. Check that there is a good continuous filtration system in place to remove dead skin and ask how frequent disinfection treatments are done. If the area around the hot tub smells odd, avoid going in.

Before entering a hot tub or pool, everyone should really take a quick shower which keeps the water cleaner and take a shower afterwards to wash off potentially contaminated water. Hopefully with a few safety precautions, that restful soak or swim won’t become two weeks of frustrating skin care.

Sources:
www.medicinenet.com/folliculitis/article.htm
http://dermatology.about.com/od/infectionbacteria/a/foll_fur_carbun.htm
www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/folliculitis-topic-overview
www.mnsu.edu/shs/clinic/library.html

Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues. Other articles by Michele can be read at www.helium.com/users/487540/show_articles

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Michele Blacksberg RN HERWriter View Profile Send Message

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.