Fungal acne is caused by yeast (a fungus) that inflames the hair follicles on your skin, causing bumps that look like pimples. It shows up in areas where you typically produce a lot of oil – like your t-zone, hairline, chest, back, and upper arms.
Fungal acne can look like regular bacterial acne, but there are a few key differences. Regular acne varies in size and usually shows up as cysts, blackheads, and/or whiteheads. Fungal acne typically appears as uniform red bumps and tiny white pustules. These bumps don’t usually come to a head and they can sometimes feel itchy. Your dermatologist may refer to it as pityrosporum folliculitis or malassezia folliculitis. Unfortunately, no typical acne treatment alone will treat these breakouts, but we have a few tried and true remedies (see below).
It’s normal for this type of fungus to be living on your skin, but when it gets out of control, it can lead to fungal breakouts or even seborrheic dermatitis. If you are experiencing these breakouts and have other signs of fungal overgrowth like dandruff, psoriasis, eczema, or tinea versicolor it may be more likely that you are dealing with fungal acne.
There are a few causes for fungal acne. Normally there is a balance of bacteria and fungus on your skin. Though if something wipes out the bacteria (like from taking antibiotics), an overgrowth of fungus can develop. Also, fungus grows in moist environments, so be mindful not to wear sweaty workout clothes for too long etc. Unfortunately, some people are genetically predisposed to overgrowths of yeast and those who have conditions that affect the immune system will also be predisposed to fungal acne.
Treating fungal acne depends on the severity of the breakouts, but to start we always suggest altering lifestyle and diet.
• Make sure to keep your skin clean/dry and wear breathable clothing. Keep your pores clear by using acne medications such as salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide.
• Yeast feeds off oils (with the exception of tea tree oil), so avoid oils on the affected areas during this time.
• Now, you’ll want to treat the fungus itself…For a more natural treatment route you may try using a topical tea tree oil body wash and consuming two cups of spearmint tea daily as is these are both anti fungal.
• Finally, start a candida diet (a diet that eliminates sugar, gluten, alcohol, and some dairy products).
If these changes don’t completely clear your breakouts, you can then try an over-the-counter topical treatment...
• Surprisingly, the anti-dandruff shampoo, Nizoral contains ketoconazole, an ingredient that will act as an antifungal body or face wash. Leave the product on the affected area for five minutes before rinsing off. Use every other day for approximately 2 months. Once the breakouts have cleared, continue to use the shampoo once a week for another three months to prevent the breakouts from coming back.
Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure if your acne is bacterial or fungal is to have a Dermatologist test your surface skin cells, but there is no harm in experimenting with our above recommendations while you wait for the results.
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