We all have yeast living on our skin. When the yeast grows out of control, a person can get a skin disease called tinea versicolor.
Your dermatologist may tell you that you have a fungal infection on your skin. Yeast is a type of fungus.
Many people get tinea versicolor. It is one of the most common skin diseases in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. People who live in tropical areas may have tinea versicolor year-round.
The first sign of tinea versicolor is often spots on the skin. The other signs and symptoms are:
- The spots are lighter (sometimes darker) than the surrounding skin. The color of the spots can be white, pink, salmon, red, tan, or brown.
- The spots can appear anywhere on the body.
- Spots can be dry and scaly.
- Skin may itch where the spots appear.
- Spots become more noticeable as the skin tans. The yeast prevents the skin from tanning.
- Spots grow slowly.
- As the yeast grows, the spots can combine and form patches of lighter (or darker) skin.
- The spots may disappear when the temperature drops and return in the spring or summer when the air gets warm and humid.
Tinea versicolor: The spots of tinea versicolor can be dry and scaly. As the yeast grows, the spots can grow together.
- Sometimes the spots are so faint that people do not realize they have tinea versicolor. If tinea versicolor causes light spots on the skin, it can be mistaken for vitiligo. Vitiligo is a skin disease that causes the skin to lose its color.
Who gets tinea versicolor?
The yeast that causes tinea versicolor lives on everyone's skin. It is not clear why the yeast overgrows on some people's skin and not others. We do know the following about tinea versicolor:
- People of all skin colors get it.
- Teens and young adults are most susceptible because they have oily skin.
- Older adults and children rarely get it unless they live in a tropical or subtropical area.
- People who live in non-tropical areas often see tinea versicolor disappear during the cool, dry months.
What causes tinea versicolor?
Yeast normally live on our skin. When the yeast overgrows, it causes the skin disease tinea versicolor. It is believed that the following can cause the yeast to overgrow:
- Hot, humid weather.
- Lots of sweating.
- Oily skin.
- A weakened immune system.
How do we diagnose tinea versicolor?
Your provider can often look at the skin and tell whether a patient has tinea versicolor. If there is any doubt, the dermatologist will do one of the following to make an accurate diagnosis:
- Gently scrape off a bit of the skin . This will be examined under a microscope.
- Look at the skin with a special device called a Wood's lamp . Your provider will hold the Wood's lamp about 4 or 5 inches from the affected skin. If the patient has tinea versicolor, the affected skin appears yellowish green in color when looked at with this lamp.
How do we treat tinea versicolor?
What a dermatologist prescribes depends on several things. These include where the tinea versicolor appears on the body, how much of the skin is affected, how thick the spots have grown, and climate.
Treatment for tinea versicolor may include:
- Medicine applied to the skin : This is the most common treatment. There are anti-fungal shampoos, soaps, creams, and lotions that can keep the yeast under control. The active ingredient in these medicines is often selenium sulfide, ketoconazole, or pyrithione zinc.
- Medicated cleansers : Tinea versicolor often returns, especially when a person lives in a place that is warm and humid. Using a medicated cleanser once or twice a month, especially during warm and humid periods, can prevent the yeast from overgrowing again.
- Anti-fungal pills : Your provider will prescribe these pills if the tinea versicolor covers a large area of the body, is thick, or often returns after it is treated. These pills are taken for a short time. But anti-fungal pills can cause unwanted side effects. They can interfere with other medicine that you take. Your provider will monitor a patient who takes this medicine.
With treatment, the yeast is easy to kill. The skin, however, may stay lighter (or darker) for weeks or months. The skin will eventually return to its normal color. To help even out your skin tone, you should protect your skin from the sun and not tan.
Tinea versicolor can return. When the air outdoors is warm and humid, the yeast can quickly grow out of control. Some people who live in a tropical climate may need to use a medicated cleanser to prevent the yeast from overgrowing. People who live in an area that becomes warm and moist each spring may see tinea versicolor return every year.
