Tinea capitis is the most clinically significant form of dermatophytic folliculitis and predominantly affects children. It can present across several distinct variants — including noninflammatory, black dot, favus, and kerion — reflecting differing degrees of inflammatory involvement.
Topical antifungal agents are not effective in tinea capitis. Systemic treatment is required, and the choice of oral antifungal agent must account for the patient's age and clinical presentation. An antifungal shampoo may be added alongside oral therapy to help reduce spore spread, though it cannot substitute for systemic treatment.
The protocol involves oral antifungal therapy as the mainstay — more than one agent option exists, with treatment duration extending over several weeks. Additional adjunctive measures address spore transmission. The full regimen, including agent selection and sequencing, is in the complete protocol.
DOI: 10.2165/00128071-200405050-00003
The most important form of dermatophytic folliculitis is tinea capitis, which mainly affects children and has four variants: (i) noninflammatory; (ii) 'black dot'; (iii) favus; and (iv) kerion.
When treating tinea capitis, topical antifungals are not effective.
Nevertheless, to decrease sporax spread, an antifungal shampoo can be used (table II).
In children, griseofulvin (10–20 mg/kg/day) for a minimum of 6 weeks remains one of the first steps in treatment.
Good results have been achieved with terbinafine (125 mg/day, 6 weeks).
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