Tinea versicolor

I have been getting more and more "white spots" on my arms and legs and chest for about 7 years now. At first I was told it was sun damage "the opposite of a freckle" and there was nothing I could do about it. At another dermatologist, I was told to "just use sunless tannin lotion" to cover the spots. Is there any chance this is tinea versicolor? I think I have finally found the answer, obviously without the help of the doctors. I have been self-treating with anti-fungal creams and Selsun Blue for 3 weeks now. So far, I have seen no changes.

Could this really be irreversible sun damage? Or is tinea versicolor so rare, my doctor's hadn't even heard of it?



This discussion is related to White Spots.

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
Tinea versicolor or pityriasis versicolor is a common skin infection caused by the yeast Malassezia furfur . This yeast is normally found on the human skin and only becomes troublesome under certain circumstances, such as a warm and humid environment.

Generally oval or irregularly-shaped spots of 1/4 to 1 inch in diameter, often merging together to form a larger patch, which commonly affect the back, underarm, upper arm, chest, lower legs, and neck.

Topical antifungal medications - containing either 2.5% selenium sulfide  or 2% ketoconazole (Nizoral ointment and shampoo) applied to dry skin and washed off after 10 minutes, repeated daily for 2 weeks is the treatment.

Recurrence is common and may be reduced by intermittent application of topical agents (such as tea tree oil) or adding a small amount of anti-dandruff shampoo to water used for bathing.
The diagnosis can be made  within the lesions, under the microscope where the fungi  typically have a so called "spaghetti and meat ball appearance" .

ref:

[Dr_Aparna]

ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinea_versicolor