Tinea Versicolor is also known as pityriasis versicolor is a skin infection caused by fungus. It is found mostly in young people. Any person infected with this will have discolored patches on his skin. These patches can be light or reddish-brown in colour. It is neither a permanent nor a serious infection. Tinea versicolor mainly affects skin on the chest and back. It affects only the top layer of the skin. It is a non-contagious disease.

Causes of Tinea Versicolor

The cause of the Tinea Versicolor is yeast called Pityrosporon orbiculare. The fungal infection is localized to the stratum corneum. If the skin is oily enough, warm enough and moist enough, it starts to grow into small "colonies" on the surface of the skin. In these colonies the yeast grows like crazy and leaks out an acidic bleach. This changes the skin color. Most individuals with tinea versicolor complain of cosmetically disturbing, abnormal pigmentation.

Symptoms of Tinea Versicolor

The symptoms of tinea versicolor are light brown or white patches on the skin. These patches are most noticeable during summer season. Rashes on the trunk are one of the symptoms. Generally rashes of tinea versicolor do not appear on the face. Itch on the patches, which become more intense with sweat or overheating.

Treatment of Tinea Versicolor

The treatment of tinea versicolor is such as clotrimazole, miconazole, and selenium sulfide shampoo, the ingredient found in Selsum Blue. Since many different over the counter medications contain these medications, it’s important to read the labels carefully. Also, remember that these solutions may become difficult to apply to larger infected areas, so missing spots can be quite easy to do. For that reason, it may be simpler to use an oral medication such a one-time dose of Nizoral or five daily doses of Sporanox, both prescriptions to be recommended by your physician.

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