Did you know there was such a thing?...... Well my friend there is!, and chances are if you've tried everything from topical products to oral antibiotics and your acne has only gotten worse? then you just might have it.
So what is Fungal Acne exactly?
The more technical name for it is Pityrosporum Folliculitis and is actually an over growth of yeast also known as malassezia yeast. The yeast gets down into the hair follicles and multiplies, creating an itchy acne like eruption. Everyone has yeast on the skin but it's when an over growth takes place then you develop fungal acne.
What could be the cause?
Many things could be a factor why someone would develop this over growth and here are some examples of possible causes, as well as what could be feeding it.
- Yeast tends to overgrow in hot, humid, sweaty environments... so possibly a recent vacation or hot yoga membership?
- Oral Antibiotics kills alot of good bacteria and can throw off the balance of your skin.
- Stress! always tends to effect your immune system and send your skin in a whirl-wind of crazy
- Oil cleansers or even oil from your moisturizer makes it worse!. Just a head up malassezia yeast grows amazing well in oils.
Good warning signs that it may be a fungal over bacteria acne is that it's itchy or sometimes feels like it burns. The appearance is rounded pink pimples with an occasional tiny whitehead. You may also have dandruff because it's caused by the same kind of yeast.
How do you treat this type of acne?
The best thing to do is seek a medical professional to first help you establish if it is fungal and then to give you some guidance on the best approach. They may even prescribe an oral anti-fungal medication depending on the severity of your infection and the frequency of it. Anti-fungal shampoo ( AKA dandruff shampoo) like Selsun Blue or those that contain ketoconazole are suggested. Even though it's described as "shampoo" it also works great as anti-fungal body wash. Use every other day and even after fungal acne is clear it is still suggested to use once a week for a couple of months to avoid a relapse. Ultimately it's best to see a doctor or derm if you are unsure and they can plan the best course of treatment.