Tinea versicolor is a skin infection. It causes many small spots, usually on the parts of the upper body like the chest and neck. The spots may form patches that have fine scales. The spots and patches may be lighter or darker than the skin around them.
The fungus that causes tinea versicolor normally lives on your skin. Sometimes it can cause a rash. This happens more often where it's hot and humid. Having an impaired immune system may increase your chance of getting this rash. Some people, especially teens and young adults, are more likely to get tinea versicolor. Tinea versicolor doesn't spread from person to person.
You can treat tinea versicolor with cream, ointment, or shampoo. You may need pills if the spots cover a lot of your body. Treatment kills the fungus quickly. Your skin, though, may not return to its normal color for months after treatment.
Tinea versicolor (also known as pityriasis versicolor) is a fungal infection that causes a skin rash. The rash is formed by many small spots that typically appear on parts of the upper body, usually on the chest and neck. In children, it often involves the face.
The spots are flat and may be white, pink, red, tan, brown, purple, or gray-black, depending on skin color. The spots often form patches that may be lighter or darker than the rest of the skin. The patches may be mildly itchy and have fine scales.
Tinea versicolor is caused by a type of fungus normally found on the skin. But sometimes the fungus can cause a skin rash. This happens more often when temperatures and humidity are high, such as during the summer or in tropical regions.
Tinea versicolor is most common in teenagers and young adults, but it can occur at any age. It does not spread from person to person.
Symptoms include small, flat spots that frequently form patches. They might itch. The patches often occur on the chest, upper arms, or neck. The spots can be lighter or darker than the skin around them. They may be white, pink, red, tan, brown, purple, or gray-black.
Tinea versicolor can be treated with medicines put on the skin. Treatment kills the fungi quickly and keeps the rash from spreading. But it can take months for the spots to disappear and for your skin color to return to normal.
Your doctor will talk with you about what kind of product may work best for you. These may include antifungal cream, ointment, foam, or shampoo. You may need to use these products on your skin for 1 to 2 weeks or longer.
Shampoos can be used on the body as well as the head and may be easier to use than creams or foams. Selsun Blue or Head and Shoulders are over-the-counter shampoos that may help treat tinea versicolor. They aren't as strong as prescription medicines and may not work as well.
You may need pills if the rash doesn't get better or covers a lot of your body.
If you have frequent problems with tinea versicolor, there are a couple of things you can do so that it is less likely to come back.
Your doctor often can tell if you have tinea versicolor by looking at the spots.
The doctor may look at a sample (scraping) of the infected skin under a microscope. The test used most often for this is the KOH test. Or the doctor may use a special light called a Wood's lamp to look closely at your spots. Both of these tests can show whether the problem is caused by a fungus.
Tinea versicolor (also known as pityriasis versicolor) is a fungal infection that causes a skin rash. The rash is formed by many small spots that typically appear on the upper body, usually on the chest, neck, and upper arms. The spots are flat and may be white, pink, red, tan, brown, purple, or gray-black. The spots and patches may be lighter or darker than the rest of the skin.
In children, the face is usually involved.
Tinea versicolor is caused by a fungus. This fungus lives all around us, including on the skin. Normally it doesn't cause a problem. But sometimes it can lead to spots on the skin. This happens more often in hot and humid weather.
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
©2011-2024 Healthwise, Incorporated