Most people are not even aware that there are different types of acne. If you all of a sudden have an outbreak of pimples you will most likely treat them the same way you always have without thinking twice.
It is important before treating acne to make sure it is traditional acne and not fungal acne. If you treat fungal acne with regular treatments it will only make it worse. There is nothing worse than trying to fix a problem and just making it worse.
Fungal acne is caused by the overgrowth of yeast in the hair follicle. It happens when something causes the balance of your skin’s chemistry to be off. Fungal acne will appear in the form of whiteheads.
Chapter Overview
Is It Fungal Acne?
Fungal acne does look a lot like traditional acne. It appears on the surface as whiteheads. The whiteheads will be uniform in size.
Fungal Acne also appears in clusters. It is most often found on the arms, chest, and back. It also itches— typically that is the giveaway. Normally, traditional acne does not itch.
What Causes Fungal Acne?
When you get moisture trapped in your clothes it can cause an increase in yeast growth. One example is gym clothes. When you work out your clothes become wet and you may throw them in a gym bag. Once this has happened they need to be washed again before you wear them.
If you are taking an antibiotic it can kill the healthy bacteria you need on your skin to maintain balance and this can cause the yeast to become overgrown. This will cause an outbreak of fungal acne.
Splurging on sweets and carby foods can also cause a fungal acne outbreak. Yeast feeds on carbs and simple sugars. Be mindful of how much sugar you are consuming so you can avoid an outbreak of fungal acne.
Tight clothing can also cause moisture to get trapped and irritation to occur. This can also produce a fungal acne outbreak. The tight clothing can also make an outbreak worse because it will continue to irritate the hair follicle with friction.
If you have a suppressed immune system you may also suffer from outbreaks of fungal acne. The best way to avoid this is to do all you can to keep your immune system healthy.
How to Avoid and Treat Fungal Acne
There are several steps you can take to avoid fungal acne. If you do have an outbreak there are also easy ways to treat it and get rid of it quickly.
You need to make sure to shower daily to avoid fungal acne. Also making sure to shower immediately after doing activities that cause you to sweat.
If you are treating or trying to avoid a fungal acne outbreak, make sure you are wearing loose clothing and fabrics that can breathe. You need to stay away from tight clothing that can cause parts of your body to become warm and moist.
If you get a breakout of fungal acne you can use dandruff shampoo as a body wash and this will help to kill and remove the excess yeast. You need to make sure the shampoo lists pyrithione zinc or selenium sulfide as one of its ingredients. If it does not contain one of these it will not do the job.
Another over-the-counter remedy for fungal acne is anything that is marketed for athlete’s feet. This will be an antifungal and will kill the yeast and help to return balance to your skin.
To summarize, fungal acne has to be treated differently than traditional acne. Anti-fungal medication will be the only medication you can use to treat an outbreak. There are also several steps you can take to avoid an outbreak. Keep all of this in mind the next time you have an outbreak.