All about Fungal Acne

Fungal acne is a skin condition that happens due to a fungus called Malassezia yeast. Although common and harmless, fungal acne can cause irritating symptoms, such as pain, burning, and itching on the skin. The condition is often confused with regular acne, so it is important to understand its symptoms for the right treatment and care. Read on to know more.

What is Fungal Acne?

Fungal acne is a type of acne that happens due to infection in your skin’s hair follicles. The hair follicles get infected with a fungus called Malassezia folliculitis or Pityrosporum folliculitis and turn into acne-like bumps or small pimples with whiteheads. These bumps may get bigger and develop small pockets of whitish-yellow pus or pustules. The condition can be painful and itchy and may require antifungal medication.

Causes

Fungal acne is caused by an overgrowth of Malassezia yeast on the skin. While the yeast is naturally present on almost everyone’s skin, there are times when it gets inside the damaged hair follicles, thereby causing fungal acne.

Your hair follicles can get damaged due to one or more of the following reasons:

• Rubbing the skin hard

• Rubbing skin against clothes or any other material

• Shaving, waxing, and plucking hair

• Leaving your skin hot and damp after exercise

• Wearing tight clothes

Symptoms

Fungal acne is often confused with regular acne or acne vulgaris, so it is important to understand the symptoms for proper diagnosis and treatment. Many times, people treat fungal acne like regular acne, and this worsens the condition.

The following points will help you understand the symptoms of fungal acne and differentiate it from regular acne vulgaris or bacterial acne.

• Appearance

Fungal acne looks like pus-filled bumps, all nearly of the same size. On the other hand, regular acne looks like pimples or whiteheads of different sizes.

• Clusters

While fungal acne appears in clusters, bacterial acne is usually spread out.

• Location

You can get fungal acne on your face, neck, upper arms, shoulders, upper back, and chest. Bacterial acne is more common on the face.

• Itchiness

Fungal acne can cause itching, pain, and discomfort. Regular acne or bacterial acne rarely causes itching and discomfort.

In addition to these, fungal acne can cause other yeast-related conditions, such as dandruff and psoriasis. Therefore, if you have these conditions along with acne, you probably have fungal acne and not the regular one.

Diagnosis

If you notice symptoms of fungal acne, you must consult a dermatologist for accurate diagnosis and treatment. An experienced dermatologist will do the following:

• Check the bumps on your skin

• Ask you certain questions, such as the symptoms you are experiencing and the treatment you have tried, to understand the condition

For better diagnosis, the dermatologist will do a simple and painless skin scraping test. They will scrape a small part of your skin and check the same under a microscope. If they find yeast in the sample they test, you probably have fungal acne. The dermatologist may also do a skin biopsy, but this is quite rare.

Treatment and Prevention

If you have fungal acne, your doctor may ask you to do the following to keep the condition in check —

1. Wear loose clothes

Tight clothes may not allow your skin to breathe. It will also create friction and encourage further yeast growth. Therefore, it is best to wear loose clothes made from breathable fabrics, especially during hot and humid conditions.

2. Shower regularly

Make sure you shower regularly, especially after working out at home or in the gym. Also, if you have a job that causes you to sweat, it is important to take a shower after work. This will prevent yeast growth and fungal acne on your skin.

3. Use a dandruff shampoo

If you have fungal acne, you can use a good dandruff shampoo on your skin many times a week to get rid of the condition. Once your acne is gone, you can continue using it as a body wash once a week to prevent yeast overgrowth on your skin.

4. Take the prescribed medications

If home remedies do not work, consult a dermatologist and take the prescribed medications. The dermatologist may also prescribe an antifungal cream or ointment that can help you get rid of fungal acne.

The following tips can help prevent fungal acne:

• Be careful when you are shaving, waxing, or plucking hair

• Wear loose and clean clothes

• Shower regularly

• Avoid poorly maintained swimming pools

• Use a shampoo containing selenium sulphide to wash your face and body once a week

• Consume a healthy diet and avoid sugary carbohydrates as they support yeast growth