Tinea Versicolor

Medical Revising Author: Alan Rockoff, MD
Medical Revising Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

• What is tinea versicolor?
• What causes tinea versicolor?
• What other conditions resemble tinea versicolor?
• How is tinea versicolor treated?
• What happens after the tinea versicolor has been treated?
• Read what your doctor is reading:
  Tinea versicolor - on Medscape

Next time you're at the beach, if you see people with lighter or darker patches of skin on their shoulders, back, or chest, chances are they have tinea versicolor.

What is tinea versicolor?

Tinea versicolor is a fungus infection that commonly affects the skin of young people, especially the chest, back, and upper arms and legs. It doesn't usually affect the face, though. This fungus produces spots that are either lighter than surrounding skin or reddish-brown. There may be just a few spots or many.

What causes tinea versicolor?

Tinea versicolor is caused by a fungus that lives in the skin of almost all adults. This fungus exists in two forms, one of which causes visible spots. Factors that can cause the fungus to become more visible include high humidity and immune or hormone abnormalities. However, almost all people with this very common condition are perfectly healthy.

Because the tinea versicolor fungus is part of the normal adult skin, this condition is not contagious. It often recurs after treatment, but usually not right away.

When tinea versicolor produces lighter-colored spots, it may take up to several months for the color to even out between skin areas that are affected and not affected. It always eventually does, however. Tinea versicolor does not leave permanent skin discoloration.

From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

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