get rid of tinea vesicolor fungus white spots

how do i get rid of tinea vesicolor. i  have the white spots lighter than my surrounding brown skin. i been using selsun blue, and ketoconazole cream on my skin but no improvement. should i be patient and wait. please help.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Tinea versicolor is caused by a fungus that lives in the skin of almost all adults. Factors that can cause the fungus to become more visible include high humidity and immune or hormone abnormalities. Treatment involves topical and oral antifungal medicines. Most cases of fungal infections respond to over-the-counter products, which contain any of several basic ingredients: miconazole, tolnaftate, terbinafine, ketaconazole and clotrimazole. You can consult a pharmacist and get any cream or lotion containing these ingredients. Some of them are Lamisil,Selsun, Monistat derm, Mycelex, and Nizoral.
If the symptoms persist then please consult a dermatologist. Oral antifungals may be needed.

I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.