Tinea versicolor is a type of ringworm skin fungus caused by a yeast that is found on everyone’s skin. When the skin is excessively oily, warm and moist enough the yeast starts to grow into small "colonies" on the surface of the skin. The yeast starts to hyper-grow in the colonies and begins to leak out an acidic bleach. This is what changes the skin color and produces the rash type of spotting on the skin. They are most often seen on the neck, upper arms, chest and back. The patches do not tan but tend to be reddish brown on very pale skin. On darker skin they take on a more pale look due to their lack of tanning.

Sometimes the fungal infection can have a few symptoms such as itching, especially when perspiring occurs. As the weather warms the condition gets worse. The disease is easy for a dermatologist to recognize but it can be mistaken for other skin conditions. There is no known medical reason why it occurs in some people and not others. The dermatologist can perform a "KOH prep" which is a common test done quickly in the office to make sure of the diagnosis.

The infection is treated with either topical or oral antifungal medications. In very mild cases, non-prescription antifungal creams will work. Prescription antifungal lotions and sprays may work better. The most economical effective treatment is to apply an antifungal shampoo (Nizoral, Loprox) to the body as if it were soap, but leave it on for some minutes before rinsing.

For severe, extensive or recurrent cases, a few tablets of Nizoral pills will clear things up. A newer pill, Sporonox, may replace Nizoral for this problem. These will eliminate the fungus and relive any itch and scale. The