Definition

Noun: A skin condition characterized by the inflammation or infection of one or more hair follicles. This typically appears as small, red bumps or white-headed pimples around hair follicles, often with tenderness or itching.

Usage

Folliculitis is used as a medical term to describe a specific dermatological condition. * Shaving can sometimes cause folliculitis on the neck or legs. * The doctor diagnosed the rash as bacterial folliculitis. * Hot tub folliculitis is a specific type caused by certain bacteria in poorly maintained warm water.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often modified by an adjective specifying the cause or type, such as bacterial folliculitis, fungal folliculitis, pseudofolliculitis barbae (razor bumps), or eosinophilic folliculitis.
• In medical contexts, it can be discussed in terms of its depth (superficial or deep) and its potential to cause scarring.

Variants and Related Words

• Follicular (adjective): Pertaining to or of the nature of a follicle. (e.g., occlusion).
• Folliculitis does not have a direct verb form. Actions are described with phrases like "to develop folliculitis," "to treat folliculitis," or "folliculitis occurs."

Different Meanings

This word has a single, specific medical meaning related to hair follicle inflammation. It is not used in a general or figurative sense.

Synonyms

• Hair follicle infection
• Follicular pustulosis (a more clinical description)

Idioms

There are no common idioms using the word folliculitis.

Phrasal Verbs

There are no phrasal verbs using the word folliculitis.

Noun

1. inflammation of a hair follicle