Keeping folliculitis decalvans at bay

Folliculitis decalvans (FD) is categorised as a primary cicatrical alopecia that damages the hair follicles, causing permanent hair loss.

According to studies, FD accounts 11 per cent of primary cicatrical alopecia, affecting young to middle- aged adults, particularly among males. The cause is still unknown, but reports support the connection of staphylococcus aureus in the progression of the disease.

Since this is considered an infection, you can expect pustules around the affected area of your head apart from the classic sign of redness and scarring. Pustules are small bumps that contain pus or fluid.

Any region of your body that has hair may be affected.

The hair loss usually starts as oval patches with pustules surrounding the follicles. Several hairs appear to come out of a single follicle opening, causing your scalp to look like a toothbrush.

When the follicles are fully destroyed, your hair will start to shed off leaving behind a scar.

Since this is a chronic condition, you may experience intermittent flares. But what is crucial for you to do is to observe proper hygiene, even without the flare-up episodes, considering your scalp is already infected.

You have to make sure that you only use hair and scalp products that are recommended by your trichologist or a physician. Apart from the prescribed topical medicines and/ or shampoo, always see to it that you do not touch the area especially with dirty hands.

Scratching the area with unwashed hands may cause cross contamination of bacteria to other parts of your scalp.

And the least thing that you would want to happen is for this type of scarring to spread throughout your scalp.

Aside from hygiene that you can always maintain even without medical supervision, what you really need is to comply with the therapeutic regimen prescribed by your trichologist as well as the regime prescribed by your physician. You have to remember that since this involves bacteria, you should not self-medicate with any antimicrobial medicine out there.

You should also follow the frequency of the antibiotic dosage. If you try to stop midway, you might develop bacterial resistance towards this particular drug. And the worst thing that can happen in case of bacterial resistance is the exacerbation of your condition, and you will be given a more potent drug.

Another thing that you have to observe is to keep the area clean and dry. Moisture is a conducive environment for microbial growth.

These are only a few of the essential points about FD.

But the bottom line is – you should always observe proper hygiene and follow this mantra, “if in doubt, wash your hands.” Boosting your immune system can also help in your scalp’s recovery, especially in those areas with follicles that are not yet damaged. Apart from regular Vitamin C intake, eating the right kind of food as well as keeping your body hydrated helps a lot in strengthening your body’s resistance.

All these you can do, but it’s still best if you have your hair and scalp checked by the experts.

Germaine Williams-Beckles is a doctor of trichology (DT T?CT), nutrition consultant (NC), motivational speaker, coach, mentor, trichologist, Rayogee Wellness Lifestyle, Woodbrook, germainewilliamsbeckles.

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