Prevention

You can try to prevent folliculitis from coming back with these tips:

• Avoid tight clothes. It helps to reduce friction between your skin and clothing.
• Dry out your rubber gloves between uses. If you wear rubber gloves regularly, after each use turn them inside out, rinse with soap and water, and dry thoroughly.
• Avoid shaving, if possible. For men with razor bumps (pseudofolliculitis), growing a beard may be a good option if you don't need a clean-shaven face.
• Shave with care. If you shave, adopt habits such as the following to help control symptoms by reducing the closeness of the shave and the risk of damaging your skin:
  • Shaving less frequently
  • Washing your skin with warm water and antibacterial soap before shaving
  • Using a washcloth or cleansing pad in a gentle circular motion to raise embedded hairs before shaving
  • Applying a good amount of shaving lotion before shaving
  • Shaving in the direction of hair growth, though one study found that men who shaved against the grain had fewer skin bumps. See what works best for you.
  • Avoiding shaving too close by using an electric razor or guarded blade and by not stretching the skin
  • Using a sharp blade and rinsing it with warm water after each stroke
  • Applying moisturizing lotion after you shave
  • Avoiding the sharing of razors, towels and washcloths
• Considering hair-removing products (depilatories) or other methods of hair removal. Though they, too, may irritate the skin.
• Use only clean hot tubs and heated pools. And if you own a hot tub or a heated pool, clean it regularly and add chlorine as recommended.
• Talk with your doctor. Depending on your situation and frequency of recurrences, your doctor may suggest controlling bacterial growth in your nose with a five-day regimen of antibacterial ointment and using a body wash with chlorhexidine (Hibiclens, Hibistat). Further study is needed to prove the effectiveness of these steps.