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Acne Is (Mostly) A Fungal Infection

MemberMember
8
(@kaitidid)

Posted : 06/07/2015 2:13 am

Hi there. I felt strongly that I need to share this information with anyone who may have had the experiences I've had with acne. Perhaps this has all been mentioned somewhere before, but the overwhelming information I'm seeing isn't including what I've learned, or at least not in full.

 

I am a medical laboratory scientist, currently working toward postgraduate degree(s) in molecular & cellular biology and molecular pathology, respectively. Despite my initial disinterest in microbes during my formal education, it happened to be that I was naturally very skilled at microbiology (go figure.) I tried to resist it, but at one point, I was assigned a humongous project called "The Bug Book" in which I was assigned over 100 species of pathologic bacteria and fungi and needed to compile comprehensive data on each species in a large (massive!) binder. I got very into the project and spent over three months completing it, and in the process, I unlocked both fascinating knowledge I was completely unaware of and some sort of odd passion for the little buggars that cause so many problems for humankind.

 

Background:

I never had facial acne as a teenager. What I did have was "backne," that disgusting, painful, cystic acne on the upper back. I assumed it was from greasy, sweaty back conditions and teenage hormones, perhaps. No topical treatment worked and the orally administered treatments carried warning labels that would scare any female of reproductive age. I spent some years trying to hide the nasty stuff under my clothing and avoiding looking at my back.

Upon graduating high school, I developed my first ever zit on my face. It was a typical-looking, surface whitehead. But it was an ominous sign of things to come. Before long, the deep, cystic acne that plagued my back was also present on my face - seemingly in mixed company with my newly-acquired, more typical-looking "hormone acne" (that I do still get to this day, during ovulation and the first couple days of menstruation.)

While shopping for my wedding dress at age 21 (I do NOT recommend getting married at 21, as a side note ;),) the one I absolutely loved was cut low in the back and I was more than a little displeased that it would not allow me to hide my dirty, oily backne secret. My sister, two years older, strongly recommended that I visit a tanning bed because it would "cure" my backne. I hadn't considered this before, but it seemed to make sense - the drying effect of the UV lights would at least dry out my back and maybe prevent some of the gross pustules. What could it hurt? We went straight to a local tanning bed that very day and I had my first (of maybe 8 total) tanning bed visits. [As a disclaimer, it is probably not good practice to go tanning regularly, as tanning beds are associated with risk of skin cancers and other dermatologic damage. I have not returned to a tanning bed since those visits; I have not needed to. I am okay with my pasty, Irish skin - especially backne-free pasty, Irish skin.]

Within four tanning sessions, my back had no open sores, my skin was no longer greasy, and the backne was fading FAST. I bought the coveted wedding dress, and my upper back looked clear (and tan!) at my wedding.

I did, however, make a grave error. Because the facial acne was still somewhat new (and I was still somewhat young and dumb,) I was exceedingly embarrassed by it and tried to hide it as much as thick foundations would allow. My sessions at the tanning bed generally were squeezed in between one job and the other, or late in the day after I'd been wearing foundation for hours. I was not about to go anywhere in public without my foundation on, (someone might SEE my acne!) so I simply left the foundation on while tanning. Ugh. The stupid kills me. Foundation has UV protectors built in, along with many other chemical mysteries. So I was essentially baking that crap into my face. Needless to say, the facial acne didn't go away. But this wasn't as profound of a problem for me because I could cover my facial blemishes with makeup, but applying foundation to your entire upper back is a bit more challenging (and expensive; foundation isn't cheap!) After my tanning sessions were behind me, the backne was totally gone (and there is no scarring from it today, which blows my mind,) but the facial acne persisted. Within a few months of my wedding, I became pregnant for the first time and thus begun a series of hormone acne + cystic acne + pitted scars on my face that would continue throughout all my child-bearing process (four living children and nearly 10 years later.)

 

Discoveries:

All four of my kiddos had "cradle cap" as newborns or infants. This is a common condition in babies where they get scaly, yellowish patches on their scalps - from "maternal hormones," was the going theory at the birth of my first kid. No big deal - you dab some Head & Shoulders on it, scrub a bit, and rinse. The scales rub off, and while it persistently came back, eventually it was either gone or their hair was long enough that I no longer noticed it. It wasn't a major concern of mine, or of anyone else I know. My son (only boy - poor child), however, always seemed to have an extra hardcore version of cradle cap that never really subsided. He's nearly six years old now, and only recently am I aware of exactly why he still has scaly patches on his scalp.

My youngest daughter is three, and last summer, I noticed a small patch of hypopigmented skin on her upper back/right shoulder area. Where my son inherited my pasty, Irish skin, my youngest daughter inherited her father's olive skin that seemingly tans on stormy days. She is a bronze goddess all summer and a pale cherub all winter. I wrote off the white patch as some oddball thing that people with dark skin just get, probably harmless, congenital maybe, who knew? But when I saw the white patch a few weeks ago, as the sunlight returned to this foresaken Ohio landscape, I was a bit alarmed. Not only is it still there, it's gotten bigger since last summer - and is a bit speckly in appearance. Still flat and seemingly benign, but what IS this?

Being a scientist, research is my thang. I usually have too much other research going on to bother with benign, common things like hypopigmented skin on my toddler (believe me, it isn't even possible to research EVERY single ailment or whim four children manage to acquire.) But I recently finished an intensive internship and don't have a ton of other research going on as I prepare for boards. So, I started researching.

I ruled out several possibilities right off the bat, pushed some to the back burner as being pretty unlikely, and then I happened upon this annoying little genus of fungus called Malassezia, which commonly colonize human skin, usually without causing any pathological conditions, but sometimes they win out over the immune factors that keep them in check - at which point, they cause a condition called Tinea (Pityriasis) Versicolor. Or, hypopigmented patches on human skin. Whoops. Ignoring my toddler's fungal infection for over a year wasn't part of my resume plan.

As it turns out, the Malassezia genus of fungi come in several pathogenic species, most notably Malassezia globosa (which is the mycelial form that presents only on the trunk of the human host.) There are several risk factors involving systemic disease, but generally, they just overpopulate to the point where the immune system kind of ignores them and adopts a live and let live attitude. They are, after all, normal skin flora. The mechanisms through which they cause the hypopigmentation are fascinating. They block UV rays by filtration and produce phenolic compounds that inhibit tyrosinase, an enzyme that acts on tyrosine and allows melanin to pigment the skin normally. This particular species of Malassezia (globosa) happens to look like "spaghetti and meatballs" under the microscope, so I lightly scraped the patch, prepared it appropriately, and examined it under the scope. I don't know that I would've described it as spaghetti and meatballs, but I see what they were getting at. Fortunately, this particular infection is easily treatable, so I can probably slaughter the suckers (within a couple more weeks) and spare my kid growing white patches on her back. Woot woot.

In my research, however, I discovered some interesting overlaps between some other species of (also normal flora) Malassezia that cause sebaceous hyperplasia (also known as "newborn acne.") And from there, it became apparent that anytime any species of Malassezia overgrows, it infects in a similar pattern - infected sebaceous glands. Malassezia feed off lipid secretions in sweat and skin oils, so the oiliest parts of the skin are ideal for it to colonize and overgrow.

While normal, teenage acne is generally caused, in part, by a bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes, the acne I've had has never been normal, teenage acne. I don't get blackheads, or even whiteheads so much (except for those hormone zits, which are sparse and only occur maybe three days per month.) I get deep, painful, cystic, discoloring, scarring pustules deep below the upper skin layers. Not the WORST cases I've seen, but enough to be majorly not cool. These are sebaceous dermatitis cysts and they answer to no one.

As it turns out, Malassezia fungi are largely responsible for dandruff, baby acne, cradle cap, Tinea Versicolor, and many variations of acne - that are misdiagnosed as bacterial etiologies colonizing oily skin, when they're actually fungal microbes - little Malassezia babies gone wild! And naturally, traditional acne treatments - geared at bacterially-caused acne- generally aggravates Malassezia and makes it worse. Rather than using salicylic acid or antibacterial ointments, we should be using hydrogen peroxide, colloidal silver, tea tree oil (tea tree oil kills nearly EVERYTHING within the microbe realm, but it's not often discussed because it's not really an option for physicians to prescribe, solely because pharmaceutical companies cannot hold a patent on an essential oil - but that's a story for another time. Tea tree oil even kills MRSA, with nearly 100% efficacy (there are a lot of peer-reviewed studies of tea tree oil's bada$$ery, if you don't believe me; PubMed it up!) Or if holistic treatments aren't up your alley, appropriate antifungals should kill them off in short order (I say "should" because the efficacy rates of many antifungal and antibacterial agents aren't usually as high as we're led to believe.)

For the sake of clarity, Malassezia is synonymous with Pityrosporum (microbial nomenclature is an ever-evolving hot mess, don't ask.)

So here is one JAMA study to outline the general idea, and if you think maybe you're one of those people who have fungal friends rather than bacterial ones, you have plenty of holistic treatment options (low or no side effects are also my thang) as well as commercial treatments (oftentimes, old tubes of topical antifungals used for athlete's foot or the little miconazole tubes that come in Monistat boxes for external relief will do the trick, but I wasn't about to slap vagina cream on my face, so I went the holistic route) to choose from.

One study (there are many):

 

http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/Mobile/article.aspx?articleid=485898

 

Here I am, 10 years after I was tanning to rid my back of the yuck to wear my wedding dress, acne- (ahem, Malassezia-) free! And my son is scaly scalp-free. And I'm treating my daughter for the white patches.

Hope this helps!!

Bird's the word, robinclooney, LyudaJ and 5 people liked
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MemberMember
599
(@delovely)

Posted : 06/08/2015 9:42 am

Interesting your kids had cradle cap as babies. So did my son, and like your one son, took years to get rid of. I thought I was the world's worst mother! :(

 

My son is now in his teens and also very interesting, is battling a major scalp issue. He has patches of teeny rough bumps all along his hairline, and in the hair at the base of his neck. The follicles are filled with hardened sebum, causing the rough bumps. And his upper back is covered with acne (mainly comedonal)!

 

We're treating his scalp with T/Sal medicated shampoo (and also washing his upper back with this), and treating the acne/bacne with the Acne.Org Regimen products. T/Sal contains 3% salicylic acid, which is good for breaking down pore clogs. Two days later the patches of rough bumps seems to be shrinking and his upper back seems clearer. Not sure the cause (hormones, etc.) but could be fungal the way to has populated along his hairline.

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MemberMember
0
(@thereisafungusamongus)

Posted : 08/11/2015 3:54 pm

Hi kaitidid, I can't tell you how glad I am to see more people posting about curing their acne with fungal medication. It never occurred to me that acne could be caused by a fungus and not bacteria. I cured 30 years of acne with a $4 tube of safeway brand and-funal cream.

 

Here is my story:

 

Im 44 years old and have struggled with some kind of acne and bad skin (face only) all of my life. I tried everything: natural remedies and prescription drugs. As of late Ive been getting these whitish bumps under the skin (face and under the chin) that would fester and stay for months unless extracted (by force). I had two different kinds: white balls that seemed to be connected by a rubber band and would slip back into the skin and rubbery, brownish, jagged stuff that wound irritate the tissue around it, get inflamed and never come out.

Last time I saw my dermatologist I got very discouraged - he did not even really look and listen to my problems and prescribed me a $350/month cream. Thats when I lost it! I did lots of research and started using salicylic acid products. It seemed it did its job and pushed out a lot of the bumps under the skin, but my main problem kept persisting. I did clay and glycolic acid masks, scrubs, peels and took frequent visits to my spa for facials. I think it all helped with the all over appearance of my skin, but the bumps and sores would not budge.

Three weeks ago we were on a road trip in the middle Oregon. I could not fall asleep so I researched acne sites - and after about 2 hours I came across a post from 2002 where a lady was describing exactly what I had: white balls slipping back under the skin and jagged brown stuff. I could not get to the end of her post fast enough to find out if she had found a solution to her problem: fungus!

She explained how she used OTC fungus cream like Lamisil to clear up her skin problem in a short period of time. Then next day I went to the local Safeway and bought a tube of Safeway brand anti-fungal medication. I applied it twice a day after washing my face and low and behold within 3 days I saw major improvements. After 10 days I started using it only at night time and my bumps have all cleared up and any remaining irritation healed. Scars are also fading fast. I have one persistent irritation on my left cheek, but that is clearing up with the use of Lotrimin.

I also use a clean, new wash cloth on my face every day and sleep on a towel that I change every 3-4 days. I wash and dry both without the use of fabric softeners.

For my daily skin care I use mostly Dermalogica products which I love!

After 30 years I finally have beautiful skin. If you have also tried everything without major results do yourself a favor and buy some anti-fungal cream. It worked for me.

Quote
MemberMember
32
(@exning)

Posted : 09/25/2015 4:38 pm

I would love to see photos, to possibly compare it to mine

Quote
MemberMember
1
(@pleasednest)

Posted : 10/03/2015 3:54 pm

I'm feeling a little inferior to you kaitidid. But would just like to say what a brilliant read that was. And very insightful :) I may find myself getting some antifungal cream in the very near future. I use Manuka Doctor and have done for 2 years. I'm not 'cured' but it's made a huge difference to my skin as well as my confidence. But I will take your advice and give it a go. Thanks ˜ºï¸

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MemberMember
67
(@kitteechaosyahoo-com)

Posted : 10/06/2015 7:53 am

Interesting! My son had a very flaky scalp when he was born, then all his hair fell out and regrew. His scalp is ok now, but he gets little patches of eczema that nothing seems to help. I wonder if that is fungal? I am also dealing with mild yet stubborn acne on my face. I had already been thinking of trying tea tree oil but am even more interested now. Do you dilute it? My skin is very sensitive. And is it ok to put on a toddler (he is 18 months) or is it too strong?

Quote
MemberMember
33
(@baxtermcdoobinson)

Posted : 10/06/2015 10:27 pm

Not to be a party pooper, but the pathogen that causes acne is completely absurd to be identified as a fungus.

It is a propionibacterium specifically titled in taxonomy as the species propionibacterium acnes.[1] If it was a fungal infection then why would they prescribe antibiotics? There is no such thing as a gram-positive anaerobic fungal.

That study you quoted clearly states, "Pityrosporum folliculitis is a common inflammatory skin disorder that may mimic acne vulgaris."

It mimics acne vulgaris, but has no biological association with it's genus let alone kingdom.

Here is a list of identified strains that are apart of the associated species....

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=1743

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@lyudaj)

Posted : 11/11/2017 7:22 am

On 07/06/2015 at 8:13 AM, kaitidid said:

Hi there. I felt strongly that I need to share this information with anyone who may have had the experiences I've had with acne. Perhaps this has all been mentioned somewhere before, but the overwhelming information I'm seeing isn't including what I've learned, or at least not in full.

 

I am a medical laboratory scientist, currently working toward postgraduate degree(s) in molecular & cellular biology and molecular pathology, respectively. Despite my initial disinterest in microbes during my formal education, it happened to be that I was naturally very skilled at microbiology (go figure.) I tried to resist it, but at one point, I was assigned a humongous project called "The Bug Book" in which I was assigned over 100 species of pathologic bacteria and fungi and needed to compile comprehensive data on each species in a large (massive!) binder. I got very into the project and spent over three months completing it, and in the process, I unlocked both fascinating knowledge I was completely unaware of and some sort of odd passion for the little buggars that cause so many problems for humankind.

 

Background:

I never had facial acne as a teenager. What I did have was "backne," that disgusting, painful, cystic acne on the upper back. I assumed it was from greasy, sweaty back conditions and teenage hormones, perhaps. No topical treatment worked and the orally administered treatments carried warning labels that would scare any female of reproductive age. I spent some years trying to hide the nasty stuff under my clothing and avoiding looking at my back.

Upon graduating high school, I developed my first ever zit on my face. It was a typical-looking, surface whitehead. But it was an ominous sign of things to come. Before long, the deep, cystic acne that plagued my back was also present on my face - seemingly in mixed company with my newly-acquired, more typical-looking "hormone acne" (that I do still get to this day, during ovulation and the first couple days of menstruation.)

While shopping for my wedding dress at age 21 (I do NOT recommend getting married at 21, as a side note |:;),) the one I absolutely loved was cut low in the back and I was more than a little displeased that it would not allow me to hide my dirty, oily backne secret. My sister, two years older, strongly recommended that I visit a tanning bed because it would "cure" my backne. I hadn't considered this before, but it seemed to make sense - the drying effect of the UV lights would at least dry out my back and maybe prevent some of the gross pustules. What could it hurt? We went straight to a local tanning bed that very day and I had my first (of maybe 8 total) tanning bed visits. [As a disclaimer, it is probably not good practice to go tanning regularly, as tanning beds are associated with risk of skin cancers and other dermatologic damage. I have not returned to a tanning bed since those visits; I have not needed to. I am okay with my pasty, Irish skin - especially backne-free pasty, Irish skin.]

Within four tanning sessions, my back had no open sores, my skin was no longer greasy, and the backne was fading FAST. I bought the coveted wedding dress, and my upper back looked clear (and tan!) at my wedding.

I did, however, make a grave error. Because the facial acne was still somewhat new (and I was still somewhat young and dumb,) I was exceedingly embarrassed by it and tried to hide it as much as thick foundations would allow. My sessions at the tanning bed generally were squeezed in between one job and the other, or late in the day after I'd been wearing foundation for hours. I was not about to go anywhere in public without my foundation on, (someone might SEE my acne!) so I simply left the foundation on while tanning. Ugh. The stupid kills me. Foundation has UV protectors built in, along with many other chemical mysteries. So I was essentially baking that crap into my face. Needless to say, the facial acne didn't go away. But this wasn't as profound of a problem for me because I could cover my facial blemishes with makeup, but applying foundation to your entire upper back is a bit more challenging (and expensive; foundation isn't cheap!) After my tanning sessions were behind me, the backne was totally gone (and there is no scarring from it today, which blows my mind,) but the facial acne persisted. Within a few months of my wedding, I became pregnant for the first time and thus begun a series of hormone acne + cystic acne + pitted scars on my face that would continue throughout all my child-bearing process (four living children and nearly 10 years later.)

 

Discoveries:

All four of my kiddos had "cradle cap" as newborns or infants. This is a common condition in babies where they get scaly, yellowish patches on their scalps - from "maternal hormones," was the going theory at the birth of my first kid. No big deal - you dab some Head & Shoulders on it, scrub a bit, and rinse. The scales rub off, and while it persistently came back, eventually it was either gone or their hair was long enough that I no longer noticed it. It wasn't a major concern of mine, or of anyone else I know. My son (only boy - poor child), however, always seemed to have an extra hardcore version of cradle cap that never really subsided. He's nearly six years old now, and only recently am I aware of exactly why he still has scaly patches on his scalp.

My youngest daughter is three, and last summer, I noticed a small patch of hypopigmented skin on her upper back/right shoulder area. Where my son inherited my pasty, Irish skin, my youngest daughter inherited her father's olive skin that seemingly tans on stormy days. She is a bronze goddess all summer and a pale cherub all winter. I wrote off the white patch as some oddball thing that people with dark skin just get, probably harmless, congenital maybe, who knew? But when I saw the white patch a few weeks ago, as the sunlight returned to this foresaken Ohio landscape, I was a bit alarmed. Not only is it still there, it's gotten bigger since last summer - and is a bit speckly in appearance. Still flat and seemingly benign, but what IS this?

Being a scientist, research is my thang. I usually have too much other research going on to bother with benign, common things like hypopigmented skin on my toddler (believe me, it isn't even possible to research EVERY single ailment or whim four children manage to acquire.) But I recently finished an intensive internship and don't have a ton of other research going on as I prepare for boards. So, I started researching.

I ruled out several possibilities right off the bat, pushed some to the back burner as being pretty unlikely, and then I happened upon this annoying little genus of fungus called Malassezia, which commonly colonize human skin, usually without causing any pathological conditions, but sometimes they win out over the immune factors that keep them in check - at which point, they cause a condition called Tinea (Pityriasis) Versicolor. Or, hypopigmented patches on human skin. Whoops. Ignoring my toddler's fungal infection for over a year wasn't part of my resume plan.

As it turns out, the Malassezia genus of fungi come in several pathogenic species, most notably Malassezia globosa (which is the mycelial form that presents only on the trunk of the human host.) There are several risk factors involving systemic disease, but generally, they just overpopulate to the point where the immune system kind of ignores them and adopts a live and let live attitude. They are, after all, normal skin flora. The mechanisms through which they cause the hypopigmentation are fascinating. They block UV rays by filtration and produce phenolic compounds that inhibit tyrosinase, an enzyme that acts on tyrosine and allows melanin to pigment the skin normally. This particular species of Malassezia (globosa) happens to look like "spaghetti and meatballs" under the microscope, so I lightly scraped the patch, prepared it appropriately, and examined it under the scope. I don't know that I would've described it as spaghetti and meatballs, but I see what they were getting at. Fortunately, this particular infection is easily treatable, so I can probably slaughter the suckers (within a couple more weeks) and spare my kid growing white patches on her back. Woot woot.

In my research, however, I discovered some interesting overlaps between some other species of (also normal flora) Malassezia that cause sebaceous hyperplasia (also known as "newborn acne.") And from there, it became apparent that anytime any species of Malassezia overgrows, it infects in a similar pattern - infected sebaceous glands. Malassezia feed off lipid secretions in sweat and skin oils, so the oiliest parts of the skin are ideal for it to colonize and overgrow.

While normal, teenage acne is generally caused, in part, by a bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes, the acne I've had has never been normal, teenage acne. I don't get blackheads, or even whiteheads so much (except for those hormone zits, which are sparse and only occur maybe three days per month.) I get deep, painful, cystic, discoloring, scarring pustules deep below the upper skin layers. Not the WORST cases I've seen, but enough to be majorly not cool. These are sebaceous dermatitis cysts and they answer to no one.

As it turns out, Malassezia fungi are largely responsible for dandruff, baby acne, cradle cap, Tinea Versicolor, and many variations of acne - that are misdiagnosed as bacterial etiologies colonizing oily skin, when they're actually fungal microbes - little Malassezia babies gone wild! And naturally, traditional acne treatments - geared at bacterially-caused acne- generally aggravates Malassezia and makes it worse. Rather than using salicylic acid or antibacterial ointments, we should be using hydrogen peroxide, colloidal silver, tea tree oil (tea tree oil kills nearly EVERYTHING within the microbe realm, but it's not often discussed because it's not really an option for physicians to prescribe, solely because pharmaceutical companies cannot hold a patent on an essential oil - but that's a story for another time. Tea tree oil even kills MRSA, with nearly 100% efficacy (there are a lot of peer-reviewed studies of tea tree oil's bada$$ery, if you don't believe me; PubMed it up!) Or if holistic treatments aren't up your alley, appropriate antifungals should kill them off in short order (I say "should" because the efficacy rates of many antifungal and antibacterial agents aren't usually as high as we're led to believe.)

For the sake of clarity, Malassezia is synonymous with Pityrosporum (microbial nomenclature is an ever-evolving hot mess, don't ask.)

So here is one JAMA study to outline the general idea, and if you think maybe you're one of those people who have fungal friends rather than bacterial ones, you have plenty of holistic treatment options (low or no side effects are also my thang) as well as commercial treatments (oftentimes, old tubes of topical antifungals used for athlete's foot or the little miconazole tubes that come in Monistat boxes for external relief will do the trick, but I wasn't about to slap vagina cream on my face, so I went the holistic route) to choose from.

One study (there are many):

 

http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/Mobile/article.aspx?articleid=485898

 

Here I am, 10 years after I was tanning to rid my back of the yuck to wear my wedding dress, acne- (ahem, Malassezia-) free! And my son is scaly scalp-free. And I'm treating my daughter for the white patches.

Hope this helps!! 

Great work by Kaitie. I have been lately researching the connection between SH, acne and fungi and became convinced that these blemishes have a pityrosporum underpinning. Diet is important- avoid carbs and, whilst you treat yourself, avoid or minimise oils (fatty acids) with the medium carbon chain, as this bug feeds on it. That is difficult! Topical urea formulae help. Supplements - Zn/Cu/Mn. 
Thank you Katie.

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MemberMember
77
(@username110)

Posted : 04/21/2018 5:00 pm

32 male, acne since school.

for many, many years ive had "bad skin", lots of redness, some small spots but nothing like my teenage years. (large, pus filled spots etc)

i had used nizoral on and off for a while, having known about fungal type skin problems. nizoral worked to an extent.

a few days ago, i plucked up the courage to use an anti-fungal cream on my chest, shoulders and face.. i had not used it before just in case i had some sort of extreme reaction.

but a after a few days of using an anti-fungal cream calledcanesten ( containingClotrimazole), i have noticed a positive different. the redness has died down and i dont seem to have any active spots on my chest. (I'm trying to be very careful with this cream as I don't want to get in my eyes) - would be amazing if it cured me.

this is a good post.
http://longhairedatheart.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/yeast-had-caused-my-bad-skin.html

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MemberMember
14
(@turko)

Posted : 04/24/2018 8:04 am

On 21/04/2018 at 7:00 PM, MrBakery said:

32 male, acne since school.

for many, many years ive had "bad skin", lots of redness, some small spots but nothing like my teenage years. (large, pus filled spots etc)

i had used nizoral on and off for a while, having known about fungal type skin problems. nizoral worked to an extent.

a few days ago, i plucked up the courage to use an anti-fungal cream on my chest, shoulders and face.. i had not used it before just in case i had some sort of extreme reaction.

but a after a few days of using an anti-fungal cream calledcanesten ( containingClotrimazole), i have noticed a positive different. the redness has died down and i dont seem to have any active spots on my chest. (I'm trying to be very careful with this cream as I don't want to get in my eyes) - would be amazing if it cured me.

this is a good post.
http://longhairedatheart.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/yeast-had-caused-my-bad-skin.html

How effective is this cream on your face? Need a prescription by a doctor?

I have extreme resistent acne on my face, 4 tane courses and still fighting, maybe all this mess is fungal and i don't know. Please keep us uptated.

Quote
MemberMember
77
(@username110)

Posted : 04/24/2018 7:00 pm

no, that cream can be bought at any supermarket. from what ive read creams with Clotrimazole are one of the best creams for fungal problems(?)

not saying anyone should copy me though.

at the moment its up and down. it could be many factors but i had a bit of a break out today :( 

i plan to keep going with the antifungal cream as ive heard it takes weeks or even months to 100% cure it. ( i guess if i dont have a fungal problem, it wont work :( )
 

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MemberMember
77
(@username110)

Posted : 04/25/2018 7:29 am

- also just wanted to add, ive heard (not sure if its true?) that its possible to have multiple skin problems at the same time.. for example, hormonal acne and a fungal problem etc.

Quote
MemberMember
77
(@username110)

Posted : 04/28/2018 4:30 pm

On 4/24/2018 at 2:04 PM, Turko said:
 Please keep us uptated.

just to let you know, my experiment with antifungal cream has been pretty much a flop and ive given up.

although it didnt cause me any extreme reaction (redness, swelling etc), i did get some blocked pores which created some cysts. although it didnt work for me, at least i can rule out a fungal problem. - my problem must be diet or hormonal  (i will also stop with the nizoral wash as well - been using that on and off for over a year)
 

Quote
MemberMember
14
(@turko)

Posted : 04/30/2018 8:35 am

On 28/04/2018 at 6:30 PM, MrBakery said:
just to let you know, my experiment with antifungal cream has been pretty much a flop and ive given up.

although it didnt cause me any extreme reaction (redness, swelling etc), i did get some blocked pores which created some cysts. although it didnt work for me, at least i can rule out a fungal problem. - my problem must be diet or hormonal  (i will also stop with the nizoral wash as well - been using that on and off for over a year)
 

Thank you.

You already been on Accutane? If yes, how many courses?

I've tried everything, and the only solution left is ULTRA Low dose of Accutane, less suffering, less side effects and high efficacy.

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MemberMember
41
(@incepticon)

Posted : 04/30/2018 9:04 am

On 7/6/2015 at 9:13 AM, kaitidid said:

And my son is scaly scalp-free. And I'm treating my daughter for the white patches.

Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise in this field. What are you treating your children with? Tea tree oil alone? Since these fungi thrive in oily environments, isn't accutane still our best weapon against this disease?

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MemberMember
77
(@username110)

Posted : 05/02/2018 7:13 pm

On 30/04/2018 at 2:35 PM, Turko said:
Thank you.

You already been on Accutane? If yes, how many courses?

I've tried everything, and the only solution left is ULTRA Low dose of Accutane, less suffering, less side effects and high efficacy.

no ive never been on accutant. i read something about low dose accutane being a lot safer now( not sure if its correct?)personally i dont want to try it.

if im honest ive always had a bad sugar addiction, so that probably is one biggest problem regarding diet.. so thats another area i need to sort out.

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