2 Simple Ingredients to Clear Up Skin Fungus (Tinea Versicolor)
4 May
Is it weird we are talking about skin fungus today? Is it too much that I’m sharing with you guys that I even had skin fungus? Ah well.
I went to see a dermatologist a few years ago because I saw a couple of small, light pink patches of skin about 5 inches above my belly button. Not painful, not itchy, barely noticeable, but I thought I should get it checked out.
My dermatologist took one look at it, said, “I bet this is tinea versicolor” and left the room to look at the cells she had scraped off my skin under a microscope.
Rx happy dermo returns. “Yup,” she says, “That’s what it is. Just a harmless skin fungus. It’s pretty common and actually, a lot of people have it without even knowing. Some people have it on their back or in places on your skin where there is a lot of heat or the skin can’t breathe well. It bothers people because they don’t like how it looks and the affected skin won’t tan in the sun. But it’s not harmful and it’s nothing to be concerned about. I’m going to write you a prescription for an oral medication, which should get rid of it for you. You should know though, that even if it goes away it will likely come back again and you’ll need to take the medication again.”
Click here for more information on tinea versicolor.
Timeout a second here. Just to give you a little more information, these two spots on my skin were literally half the size of a dime. I’m not even sure my husband would have noticed it if I hadn’t pointed it out. But already we’re talking prescription medications?
“Is there something else I can do to get rid of it? Maybe something besides taking the medication?” I asked.
“Well I could write you a prescription for a cream, but the oral meds are just easier.”
I left the appointment with a prescription for the cream (which I never filled). I wasn’t about to load up on a bunch of antifungal pills for something that was not harmful at all to my health. C’mon.
When I got home, a quick Internet search brought up a whole bunch of solutions. The first suggestion I tried worked for me.
Like the dermatologist said, it came back and the recipe below worked like a charm again.
Anti-Fungal Skin Treatment
1 Tbsp olive oil
5-10 drops of tea tree oil
Mix olive oil and tea tree oil in a small sealable container. Apply once or twice per day to the affected area. I found the best way to apply it was to dab a Q-tip in the mixture and apply.
This recipe makes a very small amount of treatment oil, but you don’t need much. If you have larger areas of your skin that are affected, double or triple the recipe for application. Some people also apply straight tea tree oil to their skin for a more potent affect. I would suggest starting with the olive oil mixture, especially if you have sensitive skin.
First of all, sorry about my glowing white Wisconsin skin. It’s, like, translucent. Also, the after picture was taken post workout, so it looks a little red and blotchy compared the the first photo. You can see though, compared to the Before picture, the 2 red spots are gone. The Before and After was a two week time period. I was not good about putting it on twice a day and even missed a day here and there. If you follow the twice per day rule, you’ll see results fast!
Please see a dermatologist if you see something questionable on your skin. Do not use my information, descriptions, or any links I provide here to self diagnose.
What home remedies do you use to clear up skin ailments?
