My doctor told me that 1% hydrocortizone cream is not much of a worry. He said it is safe for pregnancy so the cortisol is minimal.

HapaMommy, glad to see you are having good luck with the Cetaphil. I had to stop using it because it caused my SD to get even more red. There must be something in it that my skin does not like.

Now I use CeraVe and it is much, much better at cleaning and calming my skin. It has helped with the redness.

HapaMommy, glad to see you are having good luck with the Cetaphil. I had to stop using it because it caused my SD to get even more red. There must be something in it that my skin does not like.

 

Now I use CeraVe and it is much, much better at cleaning and calming my skin. It has helped with the redness.

 

Have you tried Noble Soap? I just started using it and it dried up the PF on my back. It's amazing! It's also for SD. I get SD on my earlobes and behind my ears. I use it once or twice on my ears and it cleared up quickly. I use it after workouts and now if I get PF spots they dry up and heal so quickly. I heard your skin could get resistant to it so I used it daily on active SD and PF till it cleared up and then now after workouts (2-3 times a week). It's also good for the face. Maybe you could use it once or twice a week and then use your CeraVe.

I did use that for a while because the ZNP bar was not available.

I didn't feel it did anything for me, but it certainly did dry me out. It's hard to say because I alternated that with Selsun Blue and FungaSoap.

One thing that should be done with with this (Malassezia Folliculitis, or MF) is to make sure you are using an anti-dandruff shampoo. Use Selsun Blue and/or Head & Shoulders. Maybe Nizoral as well, and rotate them. The reason is if you have it on your scalp (very likely) it will just wash down and recontaminate your chest/shoulders/back every time.

For this reason you should wash your pillow cases and bed sheets more often as well.

Hi All. I'm new to the forum and I was hoping I could get some advice.

I was diagnosed with MF which has most likely been causing nasty pustules across my scalp, back and chest for years and even my face.

I had previously been diagnosed with reoccurring Tinea Versicolor and when I first saw the dermo he put me on a regime of daily use of Pevaryl Foaming Solution and Selsun for months to treat both. This did clear up my MF a bit and has seemingly CURED the Versicolor. He said at the time tho that the MF might not be causing all of my folliculitis tho and I assumed some was acne related. I had meant to go back sooner, but due to money issues it took me longer than I expected. I finally got around to it a week or so back (about 1yr after my initial visit) and this time saw a different dermo.

He took a look and visually diagnosed the folliculitis as MF again but this time told me that he thought that topical treatment wasn't enough. So prescribed me with 3 months worth of 200mg Nizoral (Ketoconozole) tablets. To be taken as 400mg once a week.

However this is where I get a little worried, because I have oily skin and produce a larger than average amount of sebum and have a small amount of acne in the form of a small amount of blackheads, he also decided to prescribe me 3 months worth of daily 100mg Doxycycline and gave me a prescription for Epiduo acne cream.

But from what I'm reading here and across similar websites is that apparently taking antibiotics liky Doxy can make the MF worse!?! I really don't want to go back just to question his treatment for another $180 on an internet suspicion. I think he said at the time the idea behind the Doxy was to help dry out the skin and sebum which feed the MF or something similar.

I'm booked in to see him again in 3 months, but I think the antibiotics have been upsetting my stomach (had the runs for a couple of days) and from what I'm reading they might actually make the MF worse and I'm not sure I want to wait to see what damage is done in 3 months.

Any advice would be much appreciated!!

Now, I only get one or two bumps on my chest. i don't know whether it's MF or acne. I used Duac and it helps. We can't say that we will be free from MF. Funny thing is Selsun Blue doesn't heal MF on my scalp, only selsun yellow (2.5% Selenium Sulfide) and Nizoral 1% Ketoconazole help with MF on my scalp. I used Selsun Yellow every day and I thought it migh be immune so I changed to Selsun Blue. Well, one tiny bump appear on my scalp. I'm gonna get a haircut and I hate this, it looks like I have some kind of strange disease on my scalp. tea tree oil shampoo also sucks, they don't help with MF on scalp.

Well, since your taking oral anti fungal meds along with the doxy hopefully it'll work out. I used doxy from time to time (only for 1-3 days) to help with acne cysts and folliculitis that became bacterial in addition to fungal. Oily skin can feed the MF but using the antidandruff shampoos will help. I'm am almost 100% clean of MF. I have only one small spot but I found that recently when I get a spot they are not as bad and heal quickly. I use Noble soap and hit any active lesions hard by scrubbing the, with the soap and then lathering twice a day (as suggested by another user here). In addition I use ketonconazole 2% cream twice a day no the spot. When I workout I immediately wipe down any spots with propylene glycol 50/50 with tea tree oil and change my shirt and pants (before going home to shower). I also recently started taking multivitamins, iron and flax seed oil. The flax seed helps with the healing I found. I can't take omega-3 supplements because it caused me to break out but I found eating fish a couple times a week helped to remedy that. Good luck! I had mild to moderate MF but I believed it wouldn't resolve. I've had it for a year and after changing my regimen and not relying solely on topicals it has almost completely resolved.

Thanks HapaMommy. I'm still al little worried. But I'll continue with the doxy and trust that he knows what he's doing. Funny that he didn't explain it tho, he was also the one that gave me the link to go check out the condition on the interent and first thing it said under "what provokes Malassezia?" was broad spectrum acne anitbiotics!

When I see him again (which won't be for nearly 3 months) I'll post back here and tell you what his reasoning is.

BTW something I haven't seen mentioned here and I've had good success with for both Tinea Versicolor and Malassezia is "Pevaryl Foaming Solution" which has 1% econozole. Anyone else used it?

Hi All. I'm new to the forum and I was hoping I could get some advice.

 

I was diagnosed with MF which has most likely been causing nasty pustules across my scalp, back and chest for years and even my face.

I had previously been diagnosed with reoccurring Tinea Versicolor and when I first saw the dermo he put me on a regime of daily use of Pevaryl Foaming Solution and Selsun for months to treat both. This did clear up my MF a bit and has seemingly CURED the Versicolor. He said at the time tho that the MF might not be causing all of my folliculitis tho and I assumed some was acne related. I had meant to go back sooner, but due to money issues it took me longer than I expected. I finally got around to it a week or so back (about 1yr after my initial visit) and this time saw a different dermo.

 

He took a look and visually diagnosed the folliculitis as MF again but this time told me that he thought that topical treatment wasn't enough. So prescribed me with 3 months worth of 200mg Nizoral (Ketoconozole) tablets. To be taken as 400mg once a week.

 

However this is where I get a little worried, because I have oily skin and produce a larger than average amount of sebum and have a small amount of acne in the form of a small amount of blackheads, he also decided to prescribe me 3 months worth of daily 100mg Doxycycline and gave me a prescription for Epiduo acne cream.

 

But from what I'm reading here and across similar websites is that apparently taking antibiotics liky Doxy can make the MF worse!?! I really don't want to go back just to question his treatment for another $180 on an internet suspicion. I think he said at the time the idea behind the Doxy was to help dry out the skin and sebum which feed the MF or something similar.

 

I'm booked in to see him again in 3 months, but I think the antibiotics have been upsetting my stomach (had the runs for a couple of days) and from what I'm reading they might actually make the MF worse and I'm not sure I want to wait to see what damage is done in 3 months.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated!!

 

Hi I don't know if I am replying to this correctly as this is my first time on this website. I wanted to share I have been on non stop antibiotics for year for frequent sinus infections/fluid in my ears etc. Doxycycline, cipro, amoxil, bactrim, k-flex, prednisone, etc. Anyway I started to notice folliculitis which i thought was acne. I did not realize all of these antibiotcs were causing this. After using aloe, znp bar, dandruff shampoo, and everything under the sun I found the best treatment that actually cured it. Because this is a yeast based problem and years of antibiotics were killing my good bacteria I started probiotics. I get the $4 ones at dollar general which are 100 million live culture, or the 8 billion chewable ones from the health food store. You can use any brand or kind, but they are the only thing out there that actually cures my pityrosporum folliculitis within days. Doxycycline was the first antibiotic to make me have this folliculitis so I am surprised to see doctors prescribe this to treat it. Probiotics are so easy to get and affordable. I highly recommend anyone to try them. If your folliculitis is yeast based then probiotcs replace your good bacteria and will rid you of yeast.

After having great success with Sea Salt baths (see other thread).......I noticed the following:

 

Observation:

Remaining occasional blemishes were focused on borders of hair......on face, back of neck, underarm, and inner thigh.....first thing came to mind is longtime assumption that I had some sort of folliculitis.

 

Next Step:

Researched the subject.....and found a medical paper on eMedicine.com ( http://www.emedicine...RM/topic338.htm ) that said "Pityrosforum Folliculitis" is regularly misdiagnosed as acne......and is successfully treated with a chemical known as "Ketoconazole", the main ingredient in a dandruff shampoo called "Nizoral". Over-the-Counter is 1% strength and sold at Target, Walgreens, etc....it comes stronger with a prescription.

 

Bought it and have been using as a shower gel.....letting it sit on my body for 5 minutes before washing off.

 

As of the date of this post it has only been one week, but I have never seen my quality of my skin improve so much so quickly.....

 

Does anyone know anything about this beyond what little I have found?

 

Thanks.

 

-RBS

 

Hi yes absolutely, dandruff shampoos or ingredients are designed to kill fungus. This type of folliculis you mentioned is caused by yeast. I have been on antibiotics for years for ear/nose/throat related problems when i first realized I had folliculitis. I tried dandruff shampoo & the znp bar and they were by far the best topical treatments. I was prescribed ketoconazole tablets which also helped a great deal. Wanted to share nothing helped as much as probiotics, as they replace your good bacteria and kill yeast much better tthan ketoconazole in my opinion. As I posted below in reply to someone probiotics are cheap and they do no harm to your body. You could get gas or something along those lines if you took a huge amount. I take the 8 billion daily chewables. When i am on antibiotics I take 24 billion ( 3 tabs a day)

I would sometimes get this rash from my head down to my legs, as I was often on antibiotics 3 times a day for 2 weeks, for a year at a time. I tried everything, and I tried leaving it natural. I could rarely get doctors to give me enough ketoconazole tablets to make a dent in my physical appearance/rash. I discovered probiotics on my own and they are truly a God send. Everyone on this page should try them if they dont already. Yogurt has probiotcs and live cultures but if you have this rash you need a lot more than yogurt or kefir offers. Start off with 100 million 3 times a day and see if you can go higher without getting gas. The good thing is they will never hurt your body because it's just replacing good bacteria

Tonight is my first time on this website. I found it doing google search for pityrosporum & malassezia folliculitis. Hoping I am replying in the right spots.

I've been on daily live probiotics tablets for a good year or so now. Ever since I had a severe food poisoning and took antibiotics to nuke my stomach. But never noticed any difference in my MF.

I guess for those whose MF has come on because of antibiotics it is probably a very good idea to get on the probiotics if for no other reason than to give the flora in your stomach enough of "the good guys" to break down oils and fatty acids and stop bloating and wind issues.

Is anyone having any progress with facial PF? Besides prescriptions I haven't found anything OTC that helps. I've tried most of the products discussed besides the Noble Soap. It gets expensive after a while! I'm still debating a skin biopsy but the derm says if it's folliculitis then I could just be the type of individual that's affected by it. I may just have to live with it. I'm a bit more strong willed than that. But I thought PF was due to an overgrowth of your natural flora...It's all so confusing. I know this is a long stretch but I wonder if completely eliminating hair will work if it's caused by that type of inflammation...that's expensive but if it fixes things, I'd say it's worth it.

Stack all the PF treatments. Job done.

H&S CC Shampoo, DHS Zinc Shampoo, Nizoral 2% Shampoo, Selsun Selenium Sulphide 2.5 Shampoo, ZNP bar, Mandelic Acid, Oral Keto.

Stack 'em all, then say nothing worked for you. If you use them all, be prepared to see your pf completely disappear in 3 days. Use nizoral and H&S, and mandelic Acid for maintenance. Remember to leave the products on for a long time before rinsing.

Has anyone at all been able to cure their PF/MF? I have heard that a 3 month course of pulse itraconazole can cure it, but I'm having serious problems getting my dermatologist to prescribe it to me.

I have had great success using ciclopirox shampoo (prescription only in the US) but I have been hesitant to overuse because I do not want the fungus to become resistant.

What brand of product are people using for a mandelic acid wash?

i think salicylic acid is the best bet. first, it is unlikely for your skin to get immune to it. second, it seemed to work for me, although not overnight.

despite using terbafinine, travocort, and canesten on my face in rotation, the pf still stays (it does clear up a bit) and is pretty stubborn. i just let it sit there now, and slap some SA on it.

i even resort to taking chinese meds, which cleared up my acne but not pf. eventually, i declared white flag towards PF. the fact that i had bad acne and pf is no coincidence i feel. your skin does become weak with all the inflamed stuff.

I'm about 2 months into Terbinafine and it has cleared up my nail fungus...but I'm not so sure it is having an effect on the skin. If it is, it's subtle. At least no side effects so far (250mg/day).

I recently started using M2 Exfoliating Cleanser and Refinishing Serum with Mandelic and Malic Acids. It's only been a few days so I can't say how well it's working yet.

I recently started using M2 Exfoliating Cleanser and Refinishing Serum with Mandelic and Malic Acids. It's only been a few days so I can't say how well it's working yet.

I like the looks of that stuff, I just wish it wasn't so expensive...

On 3/23/2012 at 3:22 AM, micheniche said:

i think salicylic acid is the best bet. first, it is unlikely for your skin to get immune to it. second, it seemed to work for me, although not overnight.

despite using terbafinine, travocort, and canesten on my face in rotation, the pf still stays (it does clear up a bit) and is pretty stubborn. i just let it sit there now, and slap some SA on it.

i even resort to taking chinese meds, which cleared up my acne but not pf. eventually, i declared white flag towards PF. the fact that i had bad acne and pf is no coincidence i feel. your skin does become weak with all the inflamed stuff.

What salicylic acid product are you using?

On 4/1/2012 at 8:10 PM, NothingToFear said:

On 3/27/2012 at 9:18 AM, HapaMommy said:

I recently started using M2 Exfoliating Cleanser and Refinishing Serum with Mandelic and Malic Acids. It's only been a few days so I can't say how well it's working yet.

I like the looks of that stuff, I just wish it wasn't so expensive...

I found a website that had it on sale called [Edited link out]. Check it out and see. It was the cheapest I found M2.

Also, I have still not been able to completely fight off the PF 100%. Went back to the derm today and they recommended using Neutrogena Body wash with SA after every workout. They also put my on Fluconazole (generic for Diflucan). I was afraid of oral antifungals but this is a milder one. This sounds gross but they're having me take one pill and hour before a workout. After I workout and sweat I have to sit in my sweat for 12 hours before showering. They said this way the antifungals can work from the inside out. I have to wait a week and repeat. I'll let you know how this goes. So far the M2 has been doing great and helps minimize PIH and gets rid of old PIH. It helps heal the active spots of PF but doesn't do much to prevent new ones. The serum also is improving my skin tone. It's more even and I don't even need foundation I just spot conceal. I love it because unlike Differin I can go out in the sun without feeling like my skin is itchy or needles are shooting through my pores.

That's an interesting idea...maybe I will move my anti-fungal back to before my workout. Thanks!

So the PF that I have has gotten extremely bad lately. It's all over my back, chest, stomach, and arms. It itches like hell and is not responding to any type of anti-fungal topical treatment. I have used 2% ketoconazole shampoo, 2% selenium sulfide shampoo, 2% zinc pyrithione, 2.5% coal tar shampoo, and I even broke out the secret weapon, 1% ciclopirox shampoo. This recent breakout has not been responding to anything at all. It's literally everywhere, itches like crazy, and looks absolutely awful.

I hate to say it, but this condition is seriously affecting my life. I can't work out without it flaring up and breaking out all over my upper body. I can't tan without breakout all over my upper body. I have had 4 different women who I have been seriously dating pose pretty awkward questions that I can't answer: "What is that on your chest? Is it acne? Do you have measles? Do you have shingles? Oh my god do you have bedbugs???" I can't really tell them the correct answer either, which is "Don't worry baby, it's just a yeast overgrowth" which is pretty much the last thing a woman who is getting intimate with you wants to hear. And the final question is the killer which is: "Is it contagious?" which no one seems to have an answer to.

I don't know what to do. This is really absolutely demoralizing, more than my adolescent acne ever was. It's destroying my self esteem, my health, and my dating life. It's not something I can just ignore either - I need to find a way to cure or control this or else I'm going to lose it.

Please - everyone share what you can about this disease. I need to find something to stop it soon.

Up until last year my acne was fairly mild on my face (thanks to Differin) and on very rare ocassions I would break out on my back or chest. A few months ago my face went haywire and I began getting cysts on my chin. So, my Derm put me on 100mg Doxycycline which I've been taking for the last 3 weeks. My face is much better. But, my chest is filled with these tiny red bumps that sometimes itch (especially when I get out of the shower) and my back is a total wreck, as well. I'm wondering if it is Pityrosporum Folliculits or just acne. I'm scheduled to go back to the derm next week. Should I ask for a biopsy? It's difficult to see the detail in this pic. But, does anyone have an opinion on what this could be? I'm so frustrated!!!

 

 

I recently started using M2 Exfoliating Cleanser and Refinishing Serum with Mandelic and Malic Acids. It's only been a few days so I can't say how well it's working yet.

 

I like the looks of that stuff, I just wish it wasn't so expensive...

 

 

I found a website that had it on sale called shimmerskincare.com. Check it out and see. It was the cheapest I found M2.

 

Also, I have still not been able to completely fight off the PF 100%. Went back to the derm today and they recommended using Neutrogena Body wash with SA after every workout. They also put my on Fluconazole (generic for Diflucan). I was afraid of oral antifungals but this is a milder one. This sounds gross but they're having me take one pill and hour before a workout. After I workout and sweat I have to sit in my sweat for 12 hours before showering. They said this way the antifungals can work from the inside out. I have to wait a week and repeat. I'll let you know how this goes. So far the M2 has been doing great and helps minimize PIH and gets rid of old PIH. It helps heal the active spots of PF but doesn't do much to prevent new ones. The serum also is improving my skin tone. It's more even and I don't even need foundation I just spot conceal. I love it because unlike Differin I can go out in the sun without feeling like my skin is itchy or needles are shooting through my pores.

 

Unfortuantely, it worked but only for a couple days and then I had a PF outbreak worse than before. Thanks to the M2 I don't get PF my face but as for my body it's coming back. Went back to the derm and the last resort is low doses of Accutane. She has only patient much worse than me (her back and chest were completely covered with PF) and one month of Accutane cleared her. I had to do this whole government pledge thing and must wait 30 days to begin once I get government approval. I basically have to promise not to get pregnant because of the noted side effects on unborn babies. I'll be starting mid May. I'll let you know if it works out. Supposedly, this is the cure. We'll see.

I think I may have this condition on my chest...however mine never really itches. Hopefully I can get it diagnosed next week.

 

 

 

I recently started using M2 Exfoliating Cleanser and Refinishing Serum with Mandelic and Malic Acids. It's only been a few days so I can't say how well it's working yet.

 

I like the looks of that stuff, I just wish it wasn't so expensive...

 

 

I found a website that had it on sale called shimmerskincare.com. Check it out and see. It was the cheapest I found M2.

 

Also, I have still not been able to completely fight off the PF 100%. Went back to the derm today and they recommended using Neutrogena Body wash with SA after every workout. They also put my on Fluconazole (generic for Diflucan). I was afraid of oral antifungals but this is a milder one. This sounds gross but they're having me take one pill and hour before a workout. After I workout and sweat I have to sit in my sweat for 12 hours before showering. They said this way the antifungals can work from the inside out. I have to wait a week and repeat. I'll let you know how this goes. So far the M2 has been doing great and helps minimize PIH and gets rid of old PIH. It helps heal the active spots of PF but doesn't do much to prevent new ones. The serum also is improving my skin tone. It's more even and I don't even need foundation I just spot conceal. I love it because unlike Differin I can go out in the sun without feeling like my skin is itchy or needles are shooting through my pores.

 

 

Unfortuantely, it worked but only for a couple days and then I had a PF outbreak worse than before. Thanks to the M2 I don't get PF my face but as for my body it's coming back. Went back to the derm and the last resort is low doses of Accutane. She has only patient much worse than me (her back and chest were completely covered with PF) and one month of Accutane cleared her. I had to do this whole government pledge thing and must wait 30 days to begin once I get government approval. I basically have to promise not to get pregnant because of the noted side effects on unborn babies. I'll be starting mid May. I'll let you know if it works out. Supposedly, this is the cure. We'll see.

 

I don't mean to discourage. I tried accutane before for my misdiagnosed PF (the derm thought it was a usual back acne). Nothing happened. accutane just made my skin burned because I have sensitive skin. my skin is itchy, dehydrated and burned. But, people are different (it didn't work for me, it may work for you). what works for me is daktacort and 2.5 % selenium sulfide selsun for my PF if it comes back.