Does Sun Kill Skin Fungal Infection?

Tinea Versicolor

What Is Tinea Versicolor?

Tinea versicolor is a fungal infection that causes small-scale patches of discolored spots on your skin. Information technology's also called pityriasis versicolor. It results from a type of yeast that naturally lives on your skin. When the yeast grows out of command, the skin illness, which appears equally a rash, is the effect.

Signs and Symptoms of Tinea Versicolor

Acidic bleach from the growing yeast causes areas of pare to be a different color than the skin around them. These tin can exist individual spots or patches. Specific signs and symptoms of the infection include:

Patches that are white, pink, cerise, or brown and may be lighter or darker than the skin effectually them.
Spots that don't tan the way the rest of your skin does.
Spots that prove up more boldly when you do tan.
Spots that may occur anywhere on your body but are most commonly seen on your neck, chest, back, and arms.
Spots that are dry out and scaly and may itch or hurt, although this is rare.

The spots may disappear during absurd weather and become worse during warm and humid weather.

Similar weather

Some skin problems accept symptoms that look like tinea versicolor, including:

Vitiligo: a disease that makes y'all lose your peel colour
Pityriasis rosea: a rash that causes small spots that fan out on your body in the shape of a tree

These weather condition take features that clue your doctor in to what you have, such equally texture and rash blueprint.

Tinea Versicolor Causes

The yeast that causes tinea versicolor, Malassezia, grows on normal, healthy pare. Simply these things can trigger an overgrowth that causes the infection:

Oily pare
Living in a hot climate
Sweating a lot
Hormonal changes
A weakened immune organization

Because the yeast grows naturally on your pare, tinea versicolor isn't contagious. The condition tin can bear on people of any pare color. Information technology's more than likely to affect teens and young adults. For some people, information technology tin crusade emotional distress and feelings of self-consciousness.

Tinea Versicolor Diagnosis

Your doctor can diagnose tinea versicolor by what the rash looks like.

If they demand more data, these tests tin can help:

Wood lamp (black low-cal) test. The physician uses ultraviolet light, which may make the affected areas appear a fluorescent coppery orange color if they're the result of tinea versicolor.
Microscopy using potassium hydroxide (KOH). Your medico removes cells from your pare, soaks them in potassium hydroxide, and then looks at them under a microscope.
Skin biopsy. The doctor takes a skin sample by scraping some skin and scales from the affected area to look at under a microscope. With children, the doctor may lift off skin cells by first firmly attaching clear tape to the affected area then removing information technology. The sample then can be stuck directly onto a slide to look at with a microscope.

Tinea Versicolor Treatment

Treatment of tinea versicolor can consist of creams, lotions, or shampoos that yous put on your skin. It can also include medication given as pills. The type of treatment will depend on the size, location, and thickness of the infected surface area.

Treatment options include:

Topical antifungals. You put these direct to your peel. They may be in the course of lotion, shampoo, cream, foam, or soap. They keep yeast growth under command. Over-the-counter anti-fungal topical products containing ingredients such equally clotrimazole, ketoconazole, miconazole, zinc-pyrithione, selenium sulfide, and terbinafine are available. Prescription products are available besides.
Antifungal pills. These may be used to treat more serious or recurrent cases of tinea versicolor. Sometimes doctors employ them because they articulate upward the infection faster. Y'all'll demand a prescription for these medicines. They tin can accept side furnishings. Your doctor will keep an eye on you while you're taking antifungal pills.

Handling usually gets rid of the fungal infection. But skin discoloration may take several months to resolve.

Lifestyle Tips for Managing Tinea Versicolor

Episodes are very common because the yeast that causes the infection is a normal fungus that lives on your skin. You might use medicated cleansers in one case a calendar week for x minutes at a time for a few months to aid forbid tinea versicolor from coming back. Yous may demand to use these cleansers if the infection keeps returning, especially if you alive in a warm and humid area.

To help you manage tinea versicolor you can:

Avoid using oily skin products.
Reduce the fourth dimension you spend in the sun. Information technology may trigger or worsen an episode, and a tan makes the rash more visible.
Use an anti-fungal shampoo daily for a couple of days prior to sun exposure if y'all exercise have to leave.
Put on sunscreen every day. Employ a broad spectrum, nongreasy formula with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of xxx.
Effort a dandruff shampoo with selenium sulfide.
Clothing loose wearable.
Cull breathable fabrics, like cotton, to subtract sweating.