Dear Doctor
Any treatment for this kind of skin?
Dear Patient
This skin condition is known as Tinea Versicolor and it is a fungal infectioin.
Tinea versicolor teatment includes:
Topical medications or those which are applied on the skin and used to treat Tinea versicolor include:
1. Selenium sulfide shampoos like Selsun Blue Shampoo can be used for 10 days and should be left for 10 minutes until they dry on the skin before being rinsed off.
2. Products containing pyrithione zinc like Noble Formula Pyrithione Zinc Soap can also be used.
3. Nizoral shampoo which contains the antifungal ketoconazole can be applied on the affected area for 5 days and should be left for 5 minutes on the skin before being rinsed off.
4. Clotrimazole creams (Lotrimin) can be applied daily for 2 weeks.
Oral medications or those taken by mouth to treat Tinea versicolor include:
1. Ketoconazole
2. Fluconazole
3. Itraconazole
After completing treatment it may take from 1 to 3 months for the discolored patches to regain their normal color. To make the discolaration less apparent, sunscreen should be used every day since it prevents the normal skin from tanning.
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