Tinea versicolor

In tinea versicolor, small round or oval patches of skin appear at first, and later merge into larger patches with irregular shapes. They often occur on the back, chest, neck or arms – sometimes in more than one place at the same time. They may appear on the face as well, particularly in children.

The patches may be yellowish or brownish, or sometimes red or pink. They are often lighter and easier to see on dark or tanned skin. On very light skin, they tend to be darker than the skin around them. The color of the patches hardly changes in the sun.

The affected areas of skin may also be a bit scaly. They rarely itch. If they do, then they only itch a little.

Tinea versicolor is caused by a type of yeast (fungus) that is found on most people's skin, as part of our normal skin flora. It is not clear exactly why the fungus grows and causes visible patches in some people but not in others.

Certain factors increase the risk of tinea versicolor somewhat. These include:

• a warm and humid climate,
• sweating a lot (for instance, in people who generally sweat more or who do a lot of sports), and
• using oils or cosmetics that may clog your skin pores.

Genes probably play a role too.

People who have a weakened immune system are generally more prone to infections, so they're also more likely to develop tinea versicolor. The immune system may be weakened by things like certain types of cancer or medication that suppresses the immune system.

Tinea versicolor is a common skin condition. In countries with a moderate climate, it affects about 1% of the population, and in some tropical countries it affects about 40%. It is just as common in men as it is in women. Most people first get it when they're teenagers.

Doctors can often recognize tinea versicolor just by looking at the typical groups of light or dark patches on the upper body or arms. To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor might use a strip of clear sticky tape to take a sample of the scaly skin and look at it under a microscope. This is usually enough to see whether it is tinea versicolor.

Tinea versicolor may improve a little in cool or dry weather, but it usually doesn’t go away on its own.

There are a number of effective treatments. These mainly include special creams, solutions and shampoo for your body and head. They contain substances that kill the fungus or stop its growth, and are available from pharmacies without a prescription. The cream or solution is applied to all the affected areas of skin. Depending on the exact product used, it needs to be left on for anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Creams and solutions are often put on in the evening and then rinsed off in the shower the next morning. The antifungal shampoo is used on your scalp and hair too, so that the fungus doesn't spread back to other areas of skin from your head.

Treatment with tablets is only rarely needed.

You may have to be patient: Even when the treatment works, it can take up to several weeks or months for the skin patches to disappear.

Tinea versicolor quite often comes back again after successful treatment. If this keeps happening, doctors sometimes recommend using antifungal shampoo on your skin and hair every two to four weeks. There are also medications that can be taken every four weeks to prevent tinea versicolor from returning. Doing either of these things can greatly reduce the risk of it coming back.

When people are ill or need medical advice, they usually go to see their family doctor first. Information about health care in Germany can help you to navigate the German healthcare system and find a suitable doctor. You can use this list of questions to prepare for your appointment.