What is Tinea Versicolor?
Tinea Versicolor is a skin disease due to the overgrowth of the fungus Malassezia . This affects the natural color of your skin. As a result, you may experience patches on the skin that are darker or lighter than the surrounding skin. This condition, which isn’t infectious, is known as the tinea versicolor . Sometimes, this is also known as “Pityriasis Versicolor” .
This condition was first identified in 1846. It is one of the most common diseases in tropical and subtropical areas of the world.
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Fungus Malassezia
The fungus Malassezia is a type of yeast that normally found on the skin surface. Under normal conditions, it doesn’t cause any health problems but becomes troublesome under certain conditions.
Our skin is covered with many of the microorganisms including yeast like Malassezia, that protect your skin from infections and other pathogens that can cause disease.
Factors Causing Tinea Versicolor
It occurs when Malassezia overgrows. It is believed that some of the following factors cause this:
- A weakened immune system
- Undernutrition
- Hormonal changes
- Hot and humid weather
- Excessive sweating
Although, the exact conditions that cause this disease are poorly understood.
Symptoms Of Tinea Versicolor
The most detectable symptoms of Tinea versicolor are often spots or discolored patches on the skin. These patches or spots may be:
- Pink, brown, red, or tan.
- Darker or lighter (more common) than surrounding skin.
- Scaly, itchy, and dry skin.
- Grow slowly.
- Grow together.
- Disappear when the temperature drops and reappear when temperature increases in summer or spring.
Early Stages Of Tinea Versicolor
In early stages, it appears as small and round spots of size 1 to 3 cm. As spots grow together, they form a large patch of discolored skin. These spots may appear anywhere on the body but usually show up on the arm, chest, neck, or back.
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When Should You Contact Your Doctor?
If you feel symptoms of pityriasis versicolor you may use OTC antifungal creams or shampoos at home, otherwise, you should concern your doctor.
Diagnosis Of Tinea Versicolor
First of all, a dermatologist will check whether a patient is suffering from pityriasis versicolor or not? For this he/she will do one of the following processes:
- Taking a skin scraping sample.
- Observing a skin under a special device called a wood’s lamp.
Treatment Of Tinea Versicolor
Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms:
- If symptoms are not severe you may use OTC antifungal creams, lotions, shampoos, etc at home.
- If you seek medical attention then a doctor may prescribe antifungal pills. These pills are taken for a short time.
Treatment will improve your long-standing outlook but spots may remain for weeks and months. Infection may also return with hot weather. There are some home remedies for this skin disease. You can use Oregano Oil For Tinea Versicolor treatment.
Prevention
If you have successfully treated pityriasis versicolor, here are some prevention from future infection:
- Reduce your exposure to the sun.
- Avoid excessive sweating.
- Prevent excessive heat.
- Avoid wearing tight clothes.
But the most important prevention is hygiene. By removing dirt and oil from the skin protect someone from infection.
Conclusion
Tinea versicolor is only a mild itchy disease, benign and non-contagious disease. It easily reoccurs and is difficult to control. It doesn’t affect health but affects the patient’s quality of life. Therefore, take preventative measures from getting a future infection.
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