Fungal Acne: what is fungal acne? how to get rid of fungal acne Causes, Symptoms and Home Remedies

Seekmyhealth
7 min readJul 24, 2022

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Fungal acne is associate overgrowth of yeast inside the hair follicles. oily glands within your skin turn out an oil known as “sebum.” These glands will overproduce oil, and your pores and hair follicles can become clogged with oil still as bacterium and yeast that are naturally found on your skin.

How to identify Fungal Acne & Treat it:

Fungal acne is not hard to treat at all if you know that it is “fungal acne”. The only hurdle is that fungal acne can look pretty much the same as regular acne. In short, the result of an overgrowth of yeast is almost the cause of fungal acne. it is also known as “Pityrosporum Folliculitis” (malassezia folliculitis).

“Fungal acne is also called papular acne they are sort of like (red bumps),”. fungal acne can occur due to excess sebum secretion of “Malassezia yeast”. Malassezia yeast is a part of natural flora which lives on human skin. However, due to some factors, it overgrows which blocks the hair follicles and results in acne lesions that are very much similar to acne vulgaris.

And if you spot whiteheads or blackheads that are a millimeter big, there are many chances that it could be fungal. This type of acne mostly shows up on the back, chest, or upper arms, but sometimes it can also occur on the face, just like how simple acne occurs, making it difficult to identify!.
That’s why it is important to understand what fungal acne looks like and how it develops. Read on to learn more about its causes. Symptoms and treatment.

What is the cause of Fungal Acne:

Unlike acne, fungal acne is not caused by oil and bacteria in pores, although oil and sebum production plays a big role in helping feed the bacteria that cause fungal acne.

Instead, the pimple-like bumps and irritated skin which is also a type of fungal acne are caused by an overgrowth of yeast.
Increased sebum production from sebaceous glands which results in causing yeast overgrowth is considered to be the primary cause of fungal acne.

There are some factors due to which fungal acne may occur. The following causes are following:

Fungal acne is closely related to the places where the climates are hot and humid. According to many types of research the United States and many more countries are seen at much higher rates where the weather is always warm, and because of this rising temperature, the yeast that causes fungal acne thrives in because of excessive sweat and heat.

The yeast thrives on sebum and sweat. Bodies that produce more sweat are more likely to have fungal acne.

Oral tablets and many antibiotics such as tetracyclines and corticosteroids can stimulate the occurrence of fungal acne. This happens because these antibiotics can destroy good bacteria on your skin that help fight the overgrowth of yeast and In their absence, your skin is left vulnerable to fungal infections.

fungal acne can be also spread through physical contact with the person who is affected! It may spread through shared clothes, electric razors, shaving machines, towels, makeup brushes, etc.

Wearing sweaty clothes after a workout for too long can play an important role in yeast growth. Or that clothes without washing can also expose your skin to fungi and it may lead to fungal acne on your body.

People with a low or weak immune system are more likely to develop fungal acne.

Diet changes can play an important role in developing fungal acne. There are many carbohydrates by which you can get fungi or yeast into your body. so one must balance his intake of sweets and carb-rich foods which may help slow fungal growth.

One of the biggest reasons that fungal acne can last for soo long is because fungal acne is very much similar to acne vulgaris or bacterial acne. People with fungal acne may not identify it correctly knowing the differences and may treat it with regular acne skin care products. These treatments don’t work and may it worsen the acne!.

There are some symptoms by which you can differentiate between bacterial acne and fungal acne:

Size: In fungal acne, the acne is filled with pus and it is a bumpy type. The size is nearly the same. While on the other hand bacterial acne can vary in different sizes. It may cause pimples and white heads.

  • Location: Fungal acne can show up on the chest, arms, and back. Bacterial acne can most commonly occur on the face.
  • Itching: Fungal acne causes itchiness. Bacterial acne causes rare.
  • Clusters: Fungal acne is often in clusters of bumpy whiteheads. Bacterial acne is less clustered compared to fungal acne and more distributed.

How fungal acne can be diagnosed?

If you believe that u might have symptoms of fungal acne, you may want to see a dermatologist. Dermatologists are specialized in diagnosing and treating various types of acne!
=>Dermatologists may ask you some questions such as:
=>from how long you have had the breakout?
=>What have you used to treat?

=> Or what symptoms you are experiencing?

In rare cases, the doctor may also perform one of the following methods:
They may do a simple painless skin scraping and examine the scraping under a microscope to look if there is any yeast responsible for the fungal acne.

They can also take a skin sample or maybe a biopsy. This process can be done in the office. Then the sample is sent to a lab where the diagnosis can be confirmed.

How Fungal acne can be treated?

Fungal acne is treated improperly many times because it sometimes looks like regular acne. Many people use anti-acne ointment and it doesn’t work instead it will worsen the fungal acne.

To treat with proper medication and hygiene, you must have to balance between yeast and bacteria.

Some ways of treatment

Shower more regularly:
If you regularly work out in a gym there are many chances of occurrence of fungal acne due to the formation of yeast because of the sweaty clothes. One must regularly wash their clothes after a workout This can help wash away excess yeast that may have started growing in the warm, moist environments that develop in sweaty clothes.

Wear looser clothes:
If you wear tight clothes more frequently friction and low airflow can be the cause of yeast growth on your skin.
You should Opt for loose, breathable fabrics regularly because it will help your skin get proper blood circulation and balance bacterial & fungal growth.

wash your skin several times a week with different dandruff shampoos while you’re having a fungal breakout.
You can also use it regularly, about twice a week, to help maintain a healthy balance of yeast and bacteria on your skin. Let the shampoo sit on your skin or body for several minutes before rinsing it, for the best result.

Try prescription oral antifungal medicine:
If home treatments don’t help control the breakout then you should make an appointment with your dermatologist.

Your dermatologist may prescribe you an oral medication, such as itraconazole or fluconazole, to mark the hair follicles and get rid of the infection.

The following home remedies are tested and the results are superb. They are efficient!

  1. To treat fungal Acne on the face, apply a nice layer of raw turmeric paste. You can add milk or honey to it for more benefits. Honey is antimicrobial and milk aid to clear your skin of debris that can block your skin pores. Both milk and honey can help clear acne scars, it can give you a clear, appearance skin tone.
  2. Guava Leaves:
    There are numerous benefits of guava leaves. Applying a paste of guava leaves on the skin can help prevent fungal infections. It can help build immunity for those whose immunity is weak. These numerous abilities make them able to fight against fungal infections.

Due to their antifungal properties and ancient ways of treating fungal infections. Ayurvedic treatments are well known for their benefits! The followings are some ayurvedic treatments for fungal acne:

  1. Ayurvedic topical lepa:
    Neem And Cumin Lepa Neem leaves and their oil have been trustworthy. Ayurvedic home remedies for a definite quantity of microbial skin conditions. Cumin extract can demolish the fungal infections on your face and skin. You can prepare a paste of cumin and neem leaves and apply it to the affected area as your daily routine.
  2. A strong antifungal, terpenes, or terpenoid phenol which are present in tea tree oil, makes it an essential fungal acne cure. It attacks the fungal cells and forbids them from multiplying. Tea tree oil also includes powerful antioxidants that help in improving your overall skin condition in very less time!

Originally published at https://seekmyhealth.com.

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