Tinea Versicolor – A Fungal Skin Infection

It is a common problem with no serious or permanent ill-effects. Tinea Versicolor is a fungus which mainly affects adolescent or teenager’s skin. This occurs due to heavy growth of the yeast on the skin surface. When such kind of a growth occurs it causes uneven skin color, scaling which can be itchy. An oily skin type makes things easier for this kind of a condition. The area affected is the neck, upper chest and back. You develop these spots which are light reddish brown in color.
Yeast named Pityrosporum Orbiculare or Malassezia Furfur is the main cause of this condition. It is lipophilic which means fats are its vulnerability. This provides you the reason of infestation in a specific area like chest, arms and back. As these parts have huge number of sebaceous oily glands. The yeast remains dormant in our skin and with specific changes in environment like warm weather it reacts to it accordingly. When the skin is exposed to excess heat it causes the skin to tan which is affected by the fungus. The warm weather aggravates this problem further.
Tinea Versicolor can be easily recognized. It is generally seen as small, scaly whitish-pink or tanned brown spots scattered all over your body. This fungus grows slowly, preventing the skin to tan in a normal fashion. It can be mistaken as any other skin disease but by doing some relevant tests it can be confirmed as Tinea Versicolor. Even after treating this condition the pigment changes may take a while to disappear.
Some of the other known causes for this condition are the removal of adrenal gland, Cushing’s disease, pregnancy, malnutrition, burns, steroid therapy, curbed immune system, oral contraceptives, increased heat and humidity. Once you start getting treatments change the bedding as well as night clothes to avoid any recurrence. You may have to continue with this treatment to prevent its return. To start with you can do the re-treating once for 3-4 weeks and then once for 3-4 months.
Home Remedies for Tinea Versicolor
It can be treated by antifungal agents who are good in eradicating the lesions. These medicines include clotrimazole, ketoconazole, and miconazole.
Over the counter dandruff shampoo also seems to work. The presence of selenium in the shampoos works against the fungus. A layer of this shampoo spread on the affected area and kept overnight could work out properly for your skin.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.