Fungal Acne on Back, Chest, & Arms Vs Regular Acne: What Is It?
Do you suffer from acne-like symptoms that simply won't go away, no matter what you try?
If you've tried all of the best skin care products and acne treatments out there but your skin is still suffering from breakouts, you might have fungal acne. Fungal acne, otherwise known as Malassezia folliculitis or Pityrosporum folliculitis, looks and feels a lot like normal acne. The crucial difference is that it needs a completely different style of treatment to keep the symptoms at bay.
In this article we'll cover everything you need to know about fungal acne, explaining how to identify and treat it so that you can say goodbye to breakouts and get back to feeling like yourself again!
What Is Fungal Acne?
Fungal acne is a type of yeast infection in the hair follicles that causes blemishes and inflammation of the skin. Although we call it "acne" it's very different from bacterial acne (acne vulgaris) which is caused by excess oil in your pores.
Fungal acne is also known in medical terms as Malassezia folliculitis or Pityrosporum folliculitis. 1
What Causes Fungal Acne?
Fungal acne is caused by an overgrowth of yeast that leads to an infection in your hair follicles. Yeast is a type of fungus that occurs naturally on everyone's skin. In healthy skin, there is a balance of yeast, bacteria, and other fungi. The symptoms of fungal acne start to appear when an imbalance of bacteria and yeast occurs, and yeast becomes too dominant.
Conditions that can lead to this imbalance include:
Moisture-Clogged Hair Follicles
The main thing that causes fungal acne is the build-up of moisture on your skin. In warm, moist environments, sweat can become trapped in your hair follicles and encourage an overgrowth of yeast.
This is common when wearing tight clothes, sweaty workout clothes and other synthetic, nonbreathable clothes. If you live somewhere with a hot and humid climate you will also be more prone to sweat becoming trapped and throwing off your skin's bacterial and fungal balance.
Yeast infections can also build up anywhere you might have skin rubbing against skin e.g. chafing in the thighs or armpits.
Basically, heat, humidity, and sweat are your skin's worst enemies if you experience fungal acne!
Compromised Immune System
You may be more prone to a yeast infection on your skin if you have any health conditions that affect your immune system, such as diabetes, lupus, leukemia, viral hepatitis, or AIDS. 2
When your immune responses are weakened, your body is less able to fight off infection, and this includes yeast infections like fungal acne.
Diet
Yeast is a type of fungus, and fungi feed on carbs, especially sugar. So if we have a diet that is high in sugar and processed carbohydrates, we are feeding the yeast in our bodies which may lead to an overgrowth.
This doesn't mean that all carbs are bad, and there's no need to cut them out of your diet. But if you struggle with regular yeast infections and fungal acne, cutting back on sugar and balancing your diet with more proteins and healthy fats may help improve your skin health.
Medications
Antibiotics are helpful and effective treatments for bacterial infections, but they can also lead to an imbalance in your yeast vs. bacteria levels.
While antibiotics reduce bacteria throughout your body, including the bacteria on your skin, they may lead to yeast overgrowth in the long term. While this is good for treating certain types of infections and bacterial acne, it can also reduce some of the "good" bacteria that balance your skin, allowing for excess yeast to take over and cause fungal acne.
It can be a good idea to take some high-quality probiotics after you have finished your course of antibiotics, to build up some good bacteria and get your balance back.
Fungal Acne Symptoms
Let's take a closer look at the signs and symptoms of Pityrosporum folliculitis a.k.a. fungal acne:
Skin Blemishes
The main sign of fungal acne is consistent and persistent breakouts that aren't alleviated by normal acne treatments.
These blemishes are clusters of pimple-like bumps, typically seen during fungal acne breakouts, usually red spots or pus-filled bumps that look like whiteheads. These blemishes can look quite similar to those of bacterial acne. Fungal acne's little bumps can appear on the face, upper arms, chest, and back, making it crucial to treat the affected area carefully to prevent further irritation.
Skin Inflammation
Inflammation is an immune response to an intruder, and it's a common bodily reaction to infections. A hair follicle infection can cause redness, tenderness, and warmth on your skin thanks to this inflammatory immune reaction.
Skin Itching
Perhaps the most uncomfortable symptom of fungal acne is itching! This skin condition not only causes pimples but also creates itchy red bumps that can be seriously uncomfortable.
Fungal Acne vs. Regular Acne: What's the Difference?
Fungal acne and regular acne (bacterial acne) are two conditions that look similar and have similar symptoms, but they can't be solved with the same treatments.
Typical acne treatments won't work for fungal acne, in fact, they may make it worse.
If you're not sure which type is causing your breakouts, or if you suspect you may have fungal acne, here's what you can look out for:
- Persistent pimples that don't get better with the typical acne treatments like retinoids, antibiotics, or exfoliating acids.
- Pimples that appear in clusters of red bumps – fungal acne tends to cause concentrated clusters of blemishes, while bacterial acne will likely spread out more.
- Uniformity in the size of your pimples – fungal acne breakouts tend to cause pimples that are all similar in size and shape.
- Itching – bacterial acne typically isn't itchy, but fungal acne is.
- Pimples that appear on your chest, arms, and back as well as your face.
All of the above are characteristic signs of fungal acne vs. bacterial acne. One last thing to look out for is the appearance of other yeast overgrowth-related conditions like dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, or psoriasis, as an imbalance of yeast in your body will often show in more places than one.
If you think you check all the boxes for fungal acne, you can visit a board-certified dermatologist who can take a skin sample (biopsy) for testing, which will help provide a diagnosis.
Fungal Acne Treatments & Prevention
So how is fungal acne treated? Unfortunately, typical acne treatments such as retinoids won't work for fungal acne, you'll need to take a different approach. Here are our expert tips for fungal acne treatment that will help you bid those pesky spots good riddance!
Regular Showering & Bathing
Sometimes the best treatment starts with the simplest lifestyle habits. Because one of the main triggers for these blemishes is clogged hair follicles, basic hygiene practices become extra important when you are dealing with a skin condition like fungal acne.
If your skin is struggling with fungal acne, try showering and bathing more frequently, especially on warm and humid days. It's also important that you shower straight away after a workout, to avoid getting sweat trapped in your hair follicles.
When showering and bathing, you can also try using an anti-dandruff shampoo as a body wash, as these types of products are designed to clean your hair follicles and reduce yeast. You can also find an antifungal body wash at your local pharmacy, which will help combat yeast overgrowth.
Loose Clothing
Let your skin breathe! Avoid wearing tight sweaty clothes if you want to prevent fungal acne and keep your skin's balance in check, as they seal in moisture and encourage yeast overgrowth in your follicles.
Avoid synthetic fabrics like nylon, rayon, and polyester when possible, especially in hot, humid, or moist environments. Opt for loose, airy clothing and natural, breathable fabrics like linen and cotton wherever possible.
Non-Comedogenic Skincare Products
If you're experiencing a flare-up of pimples and blemishes, You should avoid pore-blocking skincare products that can clog pores and trap moisture where it isn't wanted. This is most common with thick moisturizers and SPF creams. For lighter products that won't block your pores, look for those labeled as non-comedogenic – these products are also a staple in skincare for oily skin.
Hydrating your skin from the inside out can help keep your skin's natural balance where it needs to be. Taut Hydrate, a hyaluronic acid supplement from RenewSkin Inc., can help hydrate, smooth, and soften your skin without clogging pores or hair follicles.
We use a plant-based and pure hyaluronic acid, which attracts and retains water in the lower layers of your skin, keeping skin hydrated and soft without affecting your pores.
Our formula also contains grape seed extract, a potent antioxidant that can help even skin tone and reduce inflammation, helping you to keep red and irritated skin at bay.
Antifungal Creams
When it comes to tackling a persistent fungal infection, your dermatologist may recommend some topical treatments such as antifungal washes and creams. These topical antifungal treatments will usually contain ingredients like selenium sulfide, pyrithione zinc, ketoconazole, butenafine, or clotrimazole, which can stave off excess yeast.
These antifungal treatments tend to use the same ingredients that are used for athlete's foot or dandruff because all of these products are designed to combat the overgrowth of yeast on your skin.
When applying a fungal acne cream treatment, it helps to apply the product in the direction that hair grows from the hair follicle.
Oral Antifungal Medication
For prolonged symptoms over long periods of time, your dermatologist may prescribe oral medication as a treatment to tackle the yeast infection.
Antibiotics will only work for bacterial acne, but they can't tackle yeast or fungal acne. Fungal acne is caused by yeast in the hair follicle, so your dermatologist will need to give you antifungal medication in this case.
Oral antifungal medications like terbinafine, ketoconazole, clotrimazole, or miconazole are some of the acne treatment options to treat a skin infection caused by yeast. They work by either killing fungal cells or by preventing those cells from growing. 3
How to Boost Skin Health & Treat Fungal Acne From All Angles
We know just how frustrating and uncomfortable fungal acne can be, which is why we advise you to explore all of the treatment options mentioned above and speak with a dermatologist if your symptoms persist.
If the skin redness, irritation, and blemishes are getting your confidence down, we have some serious skincare that can help you.
Ms. Magnifique is our expert skincare bundle designed to treat uneven skin tone, redness, pigmentation, dead skin and acne scars, from the inside out and the outside in. This three-week transformation program combines three of our top products:
- Taut Liquid Collagen: Our collagen supplement that strengthens your skin from the inside out, using 7 active ingredients to support skin health: marine collagen peptides, elastin, hyaluronic acid, grape seed extract, ceramide, vitamin C, and vitamin B6.
- Taut Bright: An antioxidant supplement with 7 active ingredients that fight hyperpigmentation, scarring, redness, and inflammation.
- Taut Collagen Mask: Five luxurious sheet masks infused with a rich collagen essence that soothes, hydrates, and protects your skin.
This winning combination of marine collagen and antioxidants can help calm inflammation while building up the strength of your skin from the dermis layer, offering vital structure and support to an acne-ridden complexion. By boosting your natural collagen production, our signature collagen drink can also help slow down and reduce signs of aging, visibly reducing fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging.
We've included our collagen mask in this three-week program as an added treat for your complexion. Give yourself the gift of 15 minutes of relaxation while this hydrating, softening, and restorative treatment gets to work. The best news if you're struggling with fungal acne symptoms is that its rich infusion of vitamin C will even out your skin tone and reduce redness.
Use Ms. Magnifique as a supplementary skin treatment program to your antifungal creams or medications, and you'll get a daily dose of nutrients that can help keep fungal acne away and give your skin a healthy, radiant glow!
Find personalized skincare solutions tailored to your unique needs! Need more advice? Try our skincare quiz to find out what works best for your skin type! This quick quiz helps you choose the right products and treatments to keep your skin healthy, clear, and glowing.
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