640 replies to this topic

[kc_meow]

You had it for 6 months until you used prop. glycol? what else had you tried before that?

I've had it for a year now and it drives me insane. It wasn't so bad for the winter months but now it is raging again so I went to a dermatologist and he put me on oral anti-fungal in addition to ketoconazole shampoo. This is really supposed to work but I doubt it all because I have had it for a year and I'm almost sure it will come back.

It's making me depressed...

[stevo396]

Hey kc meow,

When i first went to the doc and got some recommendations, he just gave me the name of an effective anti fungal cream i could apply to the "rash" and it would get rid of it. I mean it was a daft idea for pity foll. This is often something you cant see until the skin is disturbed...by being rubbed or scratched. Thats to say in some places you may not think its there but it is, so applying the cream to the all affected area is impossible.

What was happening was id apply it to where i knew there was an infection, it would go away but then afew weeks or watever later it would come back and spread further. Eventually it covered my chest, stomach and back going down to the inner legs. It was impossible to get rid of this infection with a 20ml tube of antifungal. So i did my research and found propelyene glycol, and different anti dandruff shampoo's (the best one for this in aus is called selsun anti dandurff), and i THINK the active ingredient u want in the shampoo is called selenium sulfide.

Anyway, i bought all these different attack strategies to fight pity foll but ended up only needing a 500ml bottle of propylene glycol. If i remember correctly i got all of the stuff from the chemist and it was all pretty cheap, especially the prop. glycol.

Id give it a go, this stuff is absolutly 100% safe, i guess unless ur allergic to it which i highly doubt. I remember its regarded as safe to use in food by the FDA.

So wat i did with the glycol was mixed it with an equal amount of water in a spray bottle. Would have a shower and gently scrub the skin all over with a face towel or something kinda roughish, dry off, then just spray the glycol water mix all over, rub it in, wait about 10 minutes for it to soak in and thats it.

It took a couple of weeks i cant remember how long exactly. Any questions, just let me know.

Cheers,
Steve

[LK2507]

Are most of you talking about havnig it on you body? I only had it on my forehead. Im off my oral Antifungal and it wiped it out good. I asked the doc (why he didnt tell me this the 1st time) if I needed to maintain with a was or cream he told me to wash my face with ZNP soap. I wonder if the Nizoral Shampoo can be used on the face. I wonder which workes best to keep it away.

[Booker43]

Where can I get the Propylene Glycol?? From the chemist isnt really a help lol

[stevo396]

hey? im not sure where to get it from other than a chemist. You dont have access to a chemist?

[Booker43]

well im not sure, where would I find a chemist??

[notadoctor]

Has anyone had a proper diagnosis of this?

I have and the best treatment that has worked for me is Oral Ketoconazole pills. I have had the PF come back multiple times, but after a few weeks on the Ketoconazole it goes away for a few months and slowly comes back.

I have it on my face sometimes along with my body but the Ketoconazole pills and the Nizoral Shampoo over all affected areas seems to help alot.

[LK2507]

my observation is Stevo is from Australia and A Chemist (and please correct me if Im wrong) Might either be something we dont have here in the states OR is equivalent to say a Pharmasist. ?? I dunno. I mean we have Chemists but.. I cant imagine getting something from that kind of chemist for your skin. OR I may know nothing about this Chemist stuff. Id like to know where to get it myself. I thought Pro Glycol was just a vehicle in other products, soaps and deodarents, why does it help with fungus?

Any one have good luck controling mild cases of PF with ZNP soap? So far I like it but Ive only used it a few times so..

[stevo396]

sorry guys i shouldve put my "international" hat on. When i say chemist i do mean drug store or a pharmacy. Here in Aus they have all types of chemicals and stuff so i dont see why they wouldnt in the U.S. Cant hurt to go in and ask if u wanna try it.

Btw, when i was looking for my cure to P.F i did it through dermatological organisations (official websites etc) and wat ive told u guys is wat i found to be a solid and recommended treatment.

They work by basically killing the excessive amounts of yeast built up in the skin.

And remember if u dont know why u got it in the first place, u will probably get it again even if these treatments work. So it might be antibiotics (my reason) or being in humid conditions etc.

Cheers,
Steve

[curiousz]

steve0, can you post a link to the site you found that information about?

the reason I started getting it was due to antibiotics.

[LK2507]

Also I have a question. does it work for the face? how do you apply it there?

[stevo396]

nup sorry i wouldnt be able to find the website as it was more than a year ago. Just type in something like dermatology pityrosporum folliculitus treatments and im sure something will come up.

LK2507, im positive u can use propelyne glycol/water mix on the face, however ud obviously do a test patch on ur neck for example to be sure for urself.

HEYYYYYYY look at that i typed in my suggestion and got a site detailing it:

http://www.aocd.org/...orum_folli.html

[kc_meow]

The thing is, I dont know what caused it. I have lived in Panama before (the hottest and most humid place on earth) and never had this. Then all of a sudden I go to NYC (in the summer) and it comes on. huh?? I think they also said it can be stress related, but come on, stress is a part of life. Could it really have caused this?

I only have it on chest/back and upper stomach. Has anyone hear of diet being a factor? Like too much sugar, carbs etc. I am not diabetic (or this might make more sense).

For those of you who have been on oral ketoconazole, how long were you on it? I have been on it for 2 weeks now with HUGE improvement but I'm positive this is going to come back once I'm off it. Right now I still get new little red spots even thou I'm on meds. I just get much less of them.

I will try the prop. glyc. Thanks for that suggestion!

k

[notadoctor]

I usually go on it for 2-4 weeks. My PF is usually not gone after 2 weeks, but my doctor is hesitant to keep me on it for longer because of the liver problems. I am considering trying Itraconazole, but it has a risk of Congestive Heart Failure. Even though it is incredibly rare, I already have a pre-existing heart condition and I don't know if I want to risk it.

[EK1]

well looks like i cant use ketocanozole. I tried the Nizoral shampoo on my body and the next morning i woke up with an allergic reaction all down my arms!!!

Is there anything else i can use???
I'm not even sure if this is what i have, but i will hopefully find out Tuesday.

[noplacelikehome]

Hi all:

I am brand new to these boards, but am so glad I found you all. I was just diagnosed with PF a little over a week ago. My primary affected area is my face - mostly my forehead, but also along the sides and jawline as well as part of my neck. It is very itchy and uncomfortable. I am 35 years old and frustrated that I am still dealing with skin issues. I had acne as a teenager and well into my 20s and early 30s. That seems to be gone, but now this!! I am definitely glad to have a diagnosis though so at least I can start treating it properly. The derm only prescribed Loprox 1% Shampoo for me. There was a different one she wanted to prescribe but could not since I am actively trying to get pregnant. The only thing worse than having this mess on my face, is not being able to treat it with the better stuff. The Loprox does not seem to be working. After a week of using it, I have not noticed any difference at all and my scalp is now itchy, whereas it was not before I started using it! I do not have dandruff. After reading this board and doing a little research, I have ordered the ZNP bar and will begin shampooing with Head and Shoulders daily. I am also going to try steaming my face with sea salt. Does this sound like a good way to start? Has anyone used the ZNP Bar on their face and had positive results?

Also, fruity, I read your post and see that you are pregnant. Please let me know what you do and don't do to keep yourself and your baby safe. I see that you love Tea Tree Oil and apparently that is a no-no while pregnant? As an aside, when I was pregnant with my first child (4 years ago) my skin was the BEST it had ever been in my life!!! Imagine that!! I guess my hormones kicked into gear for the better at that time. It stayed clear for almost a year after she was born, but she is now 3 1/2 and my skin is awful. I just can't take the itch anymore!! Any insight, advice, support would be fantastic. Thanks!

ASB

[kc_meow]

Are any of the women on this thread taking oral contraceptives? I know they aren't supposed to affect pityrosporum... so one of my dermatologists say... but I really wonder if it doesn't do something, because it does alter hormones and change sebum/oil. maybe it makes it less on your face, but who knows about on the rest of the body...
I just got off mine to see if it helps.

anyone?

[kc_meow]

hi all,

i've had PF for over a year, off and on and have driven myself crazy with trying to get rid of it. There have been times where i've been totally covered on my back and chest and some down my stomach. Other times (in dry climates) I'm 97% clear. I couldn't understand what was making it come back.
But the last 4 months have been consistently the worst.
I've tried almost everything. But I think I finally found a trick to the regimen, in case it interests any of you that have also had a very hard time getting rid of this forever.

This summer I went to a dermatologist again, and he put me on ketaconazole. It worked in the beginning, but really wasn't doing much after 2-3 weeks and i had only about 60% clearing. Then I switched to itraconazole. I've been on it for 5 weeks (200 mg a day) and the results are 90% clearing. (you should get liver tests after the first 2 weeks, then every month.) It took awhile to work well, and up to 10 days ago I still had maybe a handful of new spots each day. Although it was working better, I was so frustrated so I started looking for other remedies. This is what has worked amazingly well:

1) I started using ZNP bar 5 days ago. Almost an overnight difference.
2) discovered 100% tea tree oil, just a dab on each spot or a very light coverage over an area, and it completely stops the spots from becoming larger. They just start to fade and disappear. Amazing.
3) make sure you aren't zinc deficient. take zinc (zinc picolinate, 22mg/day) in addition to a daily multi-vitamin (which probably doesn't even give you enough daily value of zinc anyway), because some research says it increases the skin's ability to heal. google that to read more.
4)If you live in humidity, use Gold Bond powder. I acts as a barrier between your skin and the humidity and soaks up extra moisture. This really helped me during mild times when I didn't need to use skin creme.
5)I don't know if this has any effect, but i got off my oral contraceptive this month too. Just in case.

I know everyone's skin and condition is different, but this yeast is very stubborn. So for those of you who are looking for something new to try, try those and let me know what happens.

Other advice i have had from dermatologists:
what shampoo are you using? Some have ingredients that will block your pores (runs down your skin when washing) so use something that is dermatologist recommended.
Drink lots of water.
Only wear cotton clothes. cotton bed sheets. Wash frequently in mild detergent.
Take cool showers, no hot baths, no sauna, no hot tub.
If you sweat during the day or exercise, rinse off afterwards asap. (with one of the recommended ZNP or Nizoral)
Alternate anti-fungal body wash with over-the-counter benzole peroxide or something that will help unblock pores. (I use Neutrogena Clear Pore)
Tanning might increase your susceptibility, creates a layer of dead skin, esp. if you burn (which blocks pores) and also tanning causes you to sweat in the sun.
Don't use cremes, oils, lotions, etc on your skin other than Rx for the rash.
Cut back on caffeine/alcohol which dehydrate you.

good luck

[willow569]

What is ZNP?

I'm thinking I have some kind of folliculitis, as I posted a thread on it and didn't realize there already were so many.... I'm thinking mine may be fungal, atleast on my ass/ thighs, because it popped up after a month course of antibiotics, along with other known fungal infections (which I haven't been able to rid myself completely of, either. Augh!)

Is this stuff contagious?

I don't think it is contagious, since everyone has the yeast on their skin. People with PF just have an overgrowth of the stuff. It can spread across your body though. I have this crap too - its a real pain to deal with. It started to clear with topical Nizoral shampoo, but that only lasted a few weeks, then it came back again. I started on oral fluconazole a week ago, so I am hoping this helps. If it doesn't, I am going to try going to a different derm.


Thanks to KC_meow for the treatment advice. My case of PF sounds a lot like what you've experienced. I have had it for about a year, it sort of came and went, but never totally went away. Topical ketaconazole worked for 2-3 weeks, then stopped working. Its so frustrating! I've been curious about the ZNP bar - it sounds like it is helping you. I e-mailed my derm about it, so I'll wait to see what he says.

The one recommendation that I'm not sure I totally agree with is using benzoyl peroxide on folliculitis. From what I have read, if the folliculitis is caused by yeast then using acne meds that kill bacteria (BP or antibiotics) can make the condition worse. Everything else you mention though are all things I have seen recommended - the loose, cotton clothing, avoiding humid environments, using gentle detergents, etc.

Thanks again for this very helpful post!!!!

[LionQueen]

I found a place to order propylene glycol online:

The Chemistry Store

Looks like it's fairly safe ... if you buy "non-toxic antifreeze" this is basically what you are buying (as opposed to ethylene glycol, which IS toxic).

On the other hand, someone out there is clearly worried about this stuff, cuz there are dozens of "natural" deodorants proudly proclaiming themselves to be propylene-glycol free.

I'm going the Nizoral 2% route for now, and am seeing some progress ..... but if it doesn't work, I think this is my backup plan.

oh, and you can buy Nizoral 2% on Amazon.com ...