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Fungal Infections Of The Skin
A fungal infection, also called mycosis, is a skin disease caused by a fungus.
There are millions of species of fungi. They live in the dirt, on plants, on household surfaces, and on your skin. Sometimes, they can lead to skin problems such as rashes or bumps.
Bacterial vs. Fungal skin infections
The key difference between bacterial and fungal infections is how doctors treat them. You'll take an antifungal medicine for a fungal infection, which could take a while to treat. Doctors prescribe antibiotics to treat bacterial infections, and these medicines work more quickly.
A fungal skin infection might cause:
Fungal skin infections can happen anywhere on your body. Some of the most common are athlete's foot, jock itch, ringworm, and yeast infections.
Athlete's foot
Athlete's foot, or tinea pedis, is a fungal infection of the foot. Fungi thrive in warm, moist environments such as shoes, socks, swimming pools, locker rooms, and public showers. This infection is more common in people who wear tight shoes, don't change sweaty socks, and use public baths and pools. The fungi responsible for athlete's foot live on the dead tissue of hair, toenails, and outer skin layers, with Trichophyton rubrum being the most common culprit.
Jock itch
Jock itch is also known as tinea cruris. A type of fungus called tinea causes this infection. This fungus thrives in warm, moist areas such as the genitals, inner thighs, and buttocks. Infections are more common during the summer or in warm, wet climates. Jock itch appears as a red, itchy, ring-shaped rash.
Jock itch is only mildly contagious, spreading through direct contact or indirectly via objects carrying the fungus. Symptoms include:
Ringworm
Ringworm, or tinea corporis, is a fungal skin infection named for its ring-shaped rash with a worm-like edge. Ringworm is contagious and can spread through direct contact with infected people or animals or by touching tainted clothing or furniture. Heat and humidity can help the spread of the infection. Symptoms include a red, circular, flat sore with scaly skin — where the outer part of the sore might be raised, while the middle appears normal. Red rings or patches may overlap.
Yeast infections
Yeast infections of your skin are called cutaneous candidiasis. A type of fungus called candida causes these infections when it grows too much. Yeast infections aren't contagious. They're most common in warm, moist, creased areas of your body, including your armpits and groin. They often happen in people with obesity or diabetes. Also, if you're taking an antibiotic, you are more likely to get a yeast infection.
Onychomycosis
Onychomycosis is a fungal infection that affects the nails on your fingers or toes. It causes your nails to become discolored, thickened, and sometimes separate from the nail bed. The condition is more common in older adults due to issues such as poor blood flow, immune system problems, and diabetes. Onychomycosis impacts toenails more often than fingernails because they grow more slowly, have less blood flow, and are usually in dark, moist conditions.
You're more likely to get a fungal skin infection if you:
To treat a fungal skin infection, you'll need antifungal medications, which can be topical (applied directly to your skin) or tablets (oral).
Topical antifungals
These medications come as creams, lotions, and shampoos. You can usually buy them from a pharmacist without a doctor's prescription. Examples include:
You may need to continue treatment for fungal nail infections for up to a year. For other types of infections, you should add up to 2 weeks of treatment after your symptoms have disappeared to make sure the infection doesn't return.
Always read the leaflet with your medication and ask a pharmacist any questions.
Antifungal tablets
If your infection doesn't get better after using an antifungal, it covers a large part of your skin or affects your nails or scalp, your doctor may prescribe antifungal tablets. Examples of antifungal tablets include:
You'll take this medicine for up to 6 months to completely get rid of your infection.
Here are steps you can take to lower your chances of getting a fungal skin infection:
Athlete's foot, also called tinea pedis, is a fungal infection of your foot.
The fungi grow best in warm, moist places such as shoes, socks, swimming pools, locker rooms, and public showers. They're often found in the summer and in hot, humid climates. It happens more often in people who wear tight shoes, don't change their sweaty socks, and use public baths and pools.
Athlete's foot causes
The fungi that cause athlete's foot live on the dead tissue of your hair, toenails, and outer skin layers. At least four kinds of fungus can cause the infection. The most common is Trichophyton rubrum.
Athlete's foot symptoms
Signs of athlete's foot vary from person to person. You might have:
Types of athlete's foot
Interdigital. This is also called toe web infection. Most people with athlete's foot have this form. It usually occurs between your two smallest toes. The infection can spread to the sole of your foot.
Moccasin. This form can begin with irritation, dryness, itching, or scaly skin. Over time, your skin may thicken and crack. This infection can involve your entire sole and extend to the sides of your foot.
Vesicular. This is the rarest kind of athlete's foot. It usually begins with a sudden outbreak of fluid-filled blisters, often on the underside of your foot. They also can appear between your toes, on your heel, or on top of your foot.
Athlete's foot diagnosis
Not all itchy, scaly feet are caused by a fungus. Your doctor may scrape off a bit of skin and look at it under a microscope to check for a different condition.
Athlete's foot treatment
Your doctor might give you antifungal medicine to put on your skin or, in severe cases, another kind to take by mouth. Be sure to keep your feet clean and dry.
Athlete's foot prevention
To keep from getting athlete's foot, wear shower sandals in public showering areas, wear shoes that let your feet breathe, and wash your feet every day with soap and water. Dry them thoroughly, and use a quality foot powder.
A type of fungus called tinea causes jock itch. The infection is also known as tinea cruris. Tinea loves warm, moist areas such as your genitals, inner thighs, and buttocks. Infections happen more often in the summer or warm, wet climates.
Jock itch is a red, itchy rash that's often ring-shaped.
Is jock itch contagious?
It's only mildly contagious. It can spread from person to person through direct contact or indirectly through objects with the fungus on them.
Jock itch symptoms
Symptoms of jock itch include:
Jock itch diagnosis
Doctors can usually diagnose it by what it looks like and where it is on your body. They might look at a sample of skin under a microscope to be sure.
Jock itch treatment
Keep the affected area clean and dry. Over-the-counter antifungal medicines can treat most cases of jock itch. In severe cases, your doctor might need to give you a prescription cream. No matter your treatment, be sure to:
Ringworm, also called tinea corporis, isn't a worm but a fungal skin infection. It's named for its ring-shaped rash with a winding, worm-like edge.
Is ringworm contagious?
Ringworm can spread through direct contact with infected people or animals. You can also pick it up off clothing or furniture. Heat and humidity can help spread the infection.
Ringworm symptoms
Ringworm is a red, circular, flat sore that can happen along with scaly skin. The outer part of the sore might be raised, while the skin in the middle appears normal. Patches or red rings may overlap.
Ringworm diagnosis
Your doctor can diagnose ringworm based on your symptoms. They might ask whether you've come into contact with infected people or animals. They might also take samples from the area and look at them under a microscope to be sure.
Ringworm treatment
Treatment usually involves antifungal medications that you put on your skin. You might use an over-the-counter cream such as:
In more severe cases, you might need prescription medications to put on your skin or take by mouth.
Yeast infections of your skin are called cutaneous candidiasis. A type of fungus called candida causes these infections when it grows too much. Yeast infections aren't contagious.
The infections are most common in warm, moist, creased areas of your body, including your armpits and groin. They often happen in people who are obese or who have diabetes. People taking antibiotics are also at higher risk.
Candida can cause diaper rash in infants. It can also cause infections in your nails, vagina, or mouth (oral thrush).
Yeast infection symptoms
Signs of a yeast infection on your skin include:
Signs of a yeast infection in your nail beds include:
Signs of thrush (yeast infection of your mouth) include:
Signs of a vaginal yeast infection include:
Yeast infection diagnosis
Your doctor will ask about your medical history and do a physical exam. They might also take a sample from the affected area to look at under a microscope.
Yeast infection treatment
Treatment depends on the infection. Medicated creams can treat most skin yeast infections. For a vaginal infection, you can usually use medicated suppositories. A medicated mouthwash or lozenges that dissolve in your mouth may treat oral thrush. If you have a severe infection or a weakened immune system, you might need anti-yeast medications that you take by mouth.
Fungal infections, or mycoses, are skin diseases caused by various fungi that live in warm and wet environments. Common types include athlete's foot, jock itch, ringworm, and yeast infections, each presenting with specific symptoms such as itching, redness, and rashes. These infections are often not serious but can be irritating and are easily spread through direct contact or shared items. Prevention involves good hygiene practices, such as keeping skin clean and dry, avoiding sharing personal items, and wearing protective footwear in public areas. Treatment typically involves topical antifungal medications, with more severe cases requiring oral antifungals.
Man Left With 'no Face' After Contracting Infection That Has 50% Mortality Rate
A Kentucky man was left with almost no face after he contracted a rare fungal infection with a 50 percent mortality rate.
Mark Tatum was in his early 40s when he contracted the infection, which can develop after contact with things like soil or rotting food.
After Tatum developed the infection, Dr Wayne K. Stadelmann, a plastic surgeon with the University of Louisville Medical Center, admitted doctors initially 'didn't think he was going to survive'.
Mark Tatum's face was reconstructed with skin from his leg. (FindAGrave)"The prognosis was extremely grim," he added, as per CNN.
Known as mucormycosis or 'black fungus', the infection can come from inhaling or coming into contact with mold spores called mucormycetes, and can affect everything from the sinuses and skin to the lungs and brain.
The fungus had already infected Tatum's nose, eyes, cheekbones, upper jaw and teeth, and the doctors had to take action if they were going to stop it from killing him.
To prevent the fungus from traveling to his brain, doctors removed the infected areas of Tatum's face - leaving behind very little of his original features.
Looking back, Tatum said two things saved him when he was close to death: the love of his wife, and a dream he'd had in which his granddaughter reached out for his help.
After doctors removed the infected areas, Tatum then began a long process of undergoing surgeries to reconstruct the features of his head.
Doctors initially used skin and tissue taken from his leg to reconstruct the roof of Tatum's mouth so he could speak and eat.
Mark managed to survive the infection. ( SAM UPSHAW JR. PHOTO via Moldhelp)Later, medics took a bone from Tatum's leg and put it into his face before building titanium bridgework, which in turn could hold a new prosthetic 'face'.
The prosthetic was created by prosthodontist Zafrulla Khan, of the University of Louisville, who described the work as the most extensive he'd ever made.
Two years after his ordeal began in 2000, Tatum commented: "Look at me now. I may not be beautiful, but I'm damn near it."
Tatum sadly passed away in 2005, but Dr Stadelman previously praised his resilience through the traumatic experience, saying: "He is a true testament to the human spirit."
Worryingly, infection from black fungus can happen to anyone at any age.
In fact, most people will come into contact with the fungus at some point in their everyday lives, according to WebMD, but those with weakened immune systems are more at risk of falling ill from contact with the spores.
Symptoms of infection include chest pain, swelling on one side of your face, sinus congestion and stomach pain.
The infection can be deadly, with the CDC noting that 'depending on the patient and body site(s) affected, mucormycosis may be associated with >50% mortality rate'.
Do I Have A Vaginal Yeast Infection Or Something Else?
Yeast infections can be uncomfortable, but they're usually not serious. You may have itching or irritation in or around your vagina, as well as a thick, white discharge. In many cases, an antifungal treatment will clear up your symptoms.
If you're not sure whether you have a yeast infection or something else, it's important to see a doctor for the right diagnosis and treatment. If you don't have a yeast infection, antifungals won't help you get better. They can actually prolong the problem because the real cause will continue to get worse.
A yeast infection is a fungal infection of the vagina and vulva — the outside parts of the vagina. Anyone with a vagina can get a yeast infection. These infections are so common that up to 75% of people who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) will get at least one vaginal yeast infection in their lifetime. Around 45% will get two or more of these infections.
The fungus candida causes yeast infections. Candida naturally lives in the vagina. Normally, bacteria in the vagina keep the yeast in balance. But if the yeast gets out of balance with the bacteria and grows too much, you could get an infection. This imbalance can happen if you:
A yeast infection causes symptoms such as:
Many other conditions that affect the vagina and vulva cause symptoms like these. That's why it's important to see your doctor for a diagnosis, especially if you've never had a yeast infection before.
Yeast infections are not sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but having sex could increase your risk for a yeast infection. That's because sex sometimes creates breaks in the skin of the vagina where yeast can get inside and grow.
You might confuse an STD such as chlamydia, trichomoniasis, or gonorrhea for a yeast infection because they cause some of the same symptoms, including:
The main difference is the type of germ that causes these infections. Bacteria or viruses cause most STDs, while a fungus causes yeast infections.
Because the symptoms are so similar, often the only way to know for sure which type of infection you have is to see a doctor. The doctor will examine you and take a sample of discharge from your vagina to confirm whether you have a yeast infection. To diagnose STDs, your doctor tests a sample of your pee.
Yeast infection vs. Herpes
Herpes is a type of STD. Herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) such as HSV-1 and HSV-2 cause the infection. Herpes spreads through skin-to-skin contact during sex.
Like a yeast infection, herpes causes symptoms such as vaginal discharge and pain when you pee. But with herpes, you may also have small blisters around your vagina, anus, or mouth. Those blisters may break open and bleed or ooze liquid, and then form scabs as they heal.
Most yeast infections usually clear up after you take an antifungal medicine for a few days. You can treat herpes with an antiviral medicine, but it's not curable. Symptoms may go away with medicine, only to return in the future.
Yeast infection vs. Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a very common STD. The bacteria that cause chlamydia can spread from your partner to you during unprotected vaginal, oral, or anal sex. This infection causes symptoms such as white discharge and burning or pain when you pee or have sex, but most people with chlamydia don't have any symptoms.
You can have chlamydia without showing symptoms; so, if you're sexually active, ask your doctor if you should get screened. Your doctor will take a sample of your pee or fluid from your vagina. A lab will then test the sample for the bacteria that cause chlamydia.
Antibiotics should cure chlamydia in a week or two. It's important to treat this infection. Untreated chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which could damage your fallopian tubes and make it difficult or impossible for you to get pregnant.
It's normal to have bacteria in your vagina. Usually "good" and "bad" bacteria balance each other out. But in bacterial vaginosis (BV), there is an overgrowth of "bad" bacteria, and they outnumber the "good" bacteria. This imbalance can sometimes happen if you douche or have unprotected sex.
Bacterial vaginosis can affect anyone with a vagina. About 1 in 3 people AFAB will get this infection.
Most people with BV don't have symptoms. When it does cause symptoms, one of them might be discharge from the vagina and a burning feeling when you pee, similar to the symptoms of a yeast infection. The difference is that with BV, the discharge is off-white, gray, or green, and it has a fishy smell.
Your doctor can confirm whether you have BV with a pelvic exam and a test of fluid from your vagina. If you do have BV, you can't treat it yourself like you might do with a yeast infection. Your doctor can prescribe an antibiotic that you take by mouth, such as metronidazole (Flagyl) or tinidazole (Tindamax). Some antibiotics come as a cream or gel that you insert into your vagina.
Another condition that's easy to confuse with a yeast infection is a urinary tract infection (UTI). This infection is in your urinary tract, which includes the:
You get a UTI when bacteria travel up your urethra and multiply in your bladder, kidneys, or other parts of your urinary tract. You're more likely to get a UTI after you have sex, during pregnancy, and as you get older. People who were AFAB are more likely to get UTIs than those assigned male because they have a shorter urethra.
A burning sensation when you pee is a symptom of both yeast infections and UTIs. With a UTI, you'll also have symptoms such as:
If the infection travels to your kidneys, possible symptoms include:
Your doctor can diagnose a UTI by testing your pee. They may send your pee sample to a lab for a urine culture to find out which type of bacteria caused your infection. Knowing the bacteria type will help your doctor know which antibiotic is most likely to work against it. You may need to take antibiotics for a week or longer to fully clear up the infection.
Redness and itching in your vulva might also be a sign of a skin condition called vulvar dermatitis. It includes:
You can get vulvar dermatitis if you're sensitive to products such as:
Pain during sex is a symptom of both a yeast infection and dermatitis. With dermatitis, you might also feel pain when you insert a tampon or get a pelvic exam from your OB/GYN.
Vulvar dermatitis also causes symptoms such as these in the vulva:
To get a diagnosis, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and examine you. They may test a sample of discharge from your vagina or do patch testing of your skin to see if you have any allergies.
Treatment starts with avoiding whatever substance is irritating your skin. Your doctor might prescribe a corticosteroid ointment or anti-itch medicine to relieve symptoms such as redness, swelling, itching, and burning.
Redness, swelling, itching, and discharge can also be symptoms of an allergic reaction of the vulva called vulvitis. Vulvitis isn't an infection, but a reaction to products such as soap or laundry detergent. Sometimes an infection causes vulvitis.
With vulvitis, the itching is intense. Plus, you may have:
To diagnose vulvitis, your doctor will do a pelvic exam. They may do blood and urine tests and check you for STDs. You might also have a Pap test, which not only screens for cancer but also helps diagnose infections and inflammation.
To treat vulvitis, first avoid the irritating substance that caused it. Cortisone creams can ease itch and irritation. Sitting in a sitz bath helps with itching.
Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the rectum or the skin around the anus. They sometimes cause itching, swelling, and pain in and around the vagina. But mainly, you'll feel the itching and discomfort around the anus. With hemorrhoids, you can actually feel a swelling around your rectum and you may have some bleeding.
Yeast infections are less common as you get older. If you have symptoms such as vaginal irritation and you're past menopause, they could be due to low estrogen.
As you get older, your level of estrogen goes down. This causes changes in your body, such as thinner skin in your vagina called vaginal atrophy. With atrophy, you can have symptoms that mimic an infection, such as vaginal burning or itching and pain during sex.
Other low estrogen symptoms are very different from those of a yeast infection. Look for signs like these to help you tell the two conditions apart:
What does discharge look like with yeast infection and low estrogen?
Discharge from a yeast infection is thick and white, and it doesn't smell. With low estrogen, the discharge is thin, watery, and yellow.
Because the symptoms of so many other conditions resemble a yeast infection, it's better to see an OB/GYN or other doctor for a diagnosis and treatment, especially if you've never had one of these infections before. Your doctor can do tests to confirm which condition you have. Then if you do have a yeast infection, they can prescribe an antifungal medication that's stronger than ones you can buy over the counter.
While you can treat a yeast infection yourself if you've had them before and you know what medicine works for you, don't use antifungal medicines if you're pregnant. Some of these medicines can harm your growing baby.
If you get frequent yeast infections, a chronic condition such as diabetes might be behind them. Your doctor can diagnose the cause and recommend treatments to prevent these infections in the future.
Yeast infections are so common that most people who have a vagina will get at least one of them in their lifetime. These infections cause symptoms such as burning, itching, irritation, and vaginal discharge. Many other conditions also cause similar symptoms. So, see your primary care doctor or OB/GYN for a diagnosis and treatment if you have symptoms like these, especially if it's your first yeast infection.
What is the fastest way to get rid of a yeast infection?
Take an over-the-counter or prescription antifungal medication. These medicines can clear up a yeast infection in 3-7 days.
Will a yeast infection go away on its own?
Some mild yeast infections do go away on their own, but not all. Most of these infections will clear up after you take an antifungal medicine for a few days. Others will need longer treatment.
Should I treat a yeast infection myself?
If you've had these infections before, you could try to treat them yourself using an over-the-counter antifungal medicine. But if this is your first yeast infection or your symptoms don't improve with over-the-counter treatment, see a doctor.
How can I be sure I have a yeast infection?
The only way to know for sure that you have a yeast infection is to get a diagnosis from your doctor. The doctor will do a pelvic exam and test fluid from your vagina to make the diagnosis.
Can a yeast infection cause back pain?
Back pain isn't a usual symptom of a yeast infection. The cause of back pain is more likely to be a muscle, ligament, or joint problem such as arthritis or a bulging disc.
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