Tinea Versicolor: Symptoms, Causes & 5 Remedies
If you are living in a hot humid climate, there is a 99% chance of tinea versicolor fungus growing and living on your skin, and you really can’t do anything about it, its natural, The name Versicolor indicates the color types of its patches, sometimes they are hyper pigmented, sometimes they are red, white, brown, it all depends on person to person.
This infection is most common in men who are active outdoors, constant sweating and working in hot and humid climates boosts the growth of fungus on our skin.
Tinea Versicolor causes.
Tinea versicolor is caused by a parasite fungus called Malassezia fungal yeast, usually, it is a harmless fungus that lives on our skin feeding on the lipids from our body.
As I said earlier Malassezia starts to create problems when the climate is too favorable for its growth, constant sweating and a hot environment boosts its growth by manifolds,
In many cases of immuno-compromised people, tinea versicolor starts to become a problem.
Tinea versicolor symptoms.
There are commonly 3 types of symptoms of tinea versicolor.
Hyperpigmented Type.
In this the first visible symptoms are brown-colored rash patches, which may form in many numbers, if left untreated it evolves into a colony of different rashes and spreads into each other.
You can spot a very fine brown-colored scaling on your skin. It becomes prominent after any sweat-intensive activity or after a hot shower.
Fungal white spots on skin.
It appears as fungus with white pots on the skin
In this case, you can notice rash patches with a lighter color than your skin. it is mostly visible in people with dark skin color
Most of the time these rashes are plain in texture, but in evolving stage, the fungus starts to create a fine film of scale on top of the skin.
Inflamed Type.
They are pink or red in color and when exposed to sun and the hot climate becomes very itchy in nature. Occasionally they appear with dandruff flakes as Malassezia also causes dandruff on the skin.
Most people often ignore it as in many cases it subsides during winters and reappears during summers. People start to believe that it is incurable.
Tinea versicolor on face.
Tinea versicolor is a location-specific fungus. Most commonly it is found at the back, chest, armpits, elbows, and back of the neck.
Tinea versicolor appears on the face in cases of auto-immune diseases and immunocompromised patients.
Is tinea Versicolor contagious
No, Malassezia is a common yeast that normally lives in human skin, as they are very common parasitic fungus and found in nearly every human skin, they are not contagious.
Diagnosis.
Most dermatologists can easily spot the brown and inflamed red and pink tinea versicolor rashes,
For fungal white spots on the skin, sometimes tinea versicolor mimics the symptoms of vitiligo and leukoderma.
In such cases, dermatologists suggest skin scrapping, skin biopsy, and wood’s lamp examination.
Most commonly doctors might ask you to observe the rash for 1 month and take photos to understand the nature of the growth.
Treatment of Tinea versicolor.
The most common treatment for any skin fungal infection is antifungal shampoo, antifungal creams, and oral antifungals that’s it.
They are good if you are totally healthy, but for immune-compromised people, such medications could lead to other problems.
Tinea versicolor needs a minimum of 1 month of treatment. which is really long.
Here, I’ll be discussing 5 Herbal oils which not only treat any fungal infection but also maintains skin ph and moisturizes it.
Bakuchi Herb Oil
Bakuchi oil is an Ayurvedic medicinal oil prepared from the dried fruits of Psoralea corylifolia L. (Fabaceae) in the base of Sesame oil, it is used widely in the treatment of nearly every skin-related problem.
It is referred to in different names in different Ayurvedic references such as Somvalli, Chandrika, Suprabha, Tvagdoshghani, Chandrashalaka to name a few. Furthermore, the nutritive and curative properties of this herb classify it into the “Shaka Varga” which comprises leafy vegetables as per Acharya Charak and Acharya Vaghabhatta.
All parts of the Babchi plant are useful, roots, stem, leaves, and seeds, but the powder of its seed and the oil are most potent and are widely used as a highly effective antifungal herb for any kind of skin ailment.
Karanja oil
Also, known as Pongamia Pinnata
According to Ayurveda, the oil derived from pongame tree is used to treat eczema, and healing poisonous wounds, The paste of pongame leaves reduces skin inflammation.
Pongamia oil has shown great potency in controlling dandruff and Malassezia growth.
Just add an equal amount of coconut oil with pongame leaf paste or with pongame oil and apply to the affected area.
Indian barberry
Also known as tree turmeric.
The most important part of this plant is its roots, it acts as a tonic as well as a blood purifier and is also used to treat ulcers, skin boils, eczema, and ophthalmic diseases.
Reported clinical and experimental studies showed that the plant possesses various pharmacological properties like antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, and cardiotonic activity.
Make the paste of the powder of its root and apply at the affected area. you can also mix it with sesame oil or coconut oil.
Neem Bark Powder
Neem is a popular herbal medicine. It helps reduce inflammation in your skin and fights fungal infections with its anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties.
The topical application of this herb can work wonders in treating tinea versicolor.
Mix the neem bark powder with coconut oil add a pinch of camphor and apply the paste to the affected area.
Sandalwood oil
Sandalwood has antiviral, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties and comes as a soothing agent for people suffering from itchiness triggered by skin infections such as Eczema, Psoriasis & Tinea versicolor.
Just make a paste of sandalwood powder with pure rose water, it not only treats fungal infections but also controls excess sebum production.
