[4] The inflammation was thought to be caused by hormonal imbalance, infection from bacteria, fungi, viruses or even an ingrown hair.
[7] The rate of incidence could possibly be higher but due to the unknown etiology of the condition, misdiagnosis, and varying levels of severity, it is difficult to differentiate.
[11][12] Currently, there are no treatment guidelines for this condition due to the nature of its unknown etiology but symptom relief is strongly emphasized using non-pharmacological interventions such as warm baths or wearing loose clothing.
[6] If itchiness and discomfort persists, benzoyl peroxide, low to mid potency topical steroids, or antihistamines can be tried.
[6] Novel treatments have also shown potential in treating case studies of pruritic folliculitis of pregnancy, such as using ultraviolet phototherapy.
After using H&E, hematoxylin and eosin, to stain the samples, the researchers only found some inflammatory cells like neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, and eosinophils.
This was also shown by a prospective study that was conducted in 1994 by Roger et al. that concluded with one individual out of 3,192 pregnant mothers (0.03%) had symptoms which were consistent with the diagnosis of pruritic folliculitis.
[6] The diagnosis of pruritic folliculitis of pregnancy is established based on clinical features such as redness of the skin consisting of small red bumps that surrounds a hair follicle and histopathologic features such as immune cells within the pus along with microscopic testing that shows there is no bacteria, microorganism, or other conditions that could cause itchy skin.
These interventions focuses on incorporating lifestyle changes which include: switching to loose-fitting clothes, using emollients, taking warm baths, avoiding harsh soaps, and maintaining good personal hygiene.
[16][2][6] If itching symptoms still persist, low to mid potency topical corticosteroids and first-generation antihistamines can be considered and may improve appearance of skin lesions.
[2][6] Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy has also been explored as a novel treatment option for pruritic folliculitis of pregnancy in one case study.
Further investigation that leads to clinical trials is still required to understand the efficacy and safety of this unconventional treatment option.
[14] The symptoms were treated with a 5% topical benzoyl peroxide gel but the pruritic folliculitis completely went away after the first week after delivering the baby.
[14] In an effort to establish a possible pathophysiologic mechanism behind pruritic folliculitis of pregnancy, a 2005 case study found pityrosporum yeast in the hair follicles of a pregnant 24 year-old patient.
[3] Pityrosporum yeast is typically grouped in hair follicles, leading to an inflammation of the pore causing folliculitis and symptoms of itching.