What is pityriasis: the cause of the disease

Peregrine lichen, the cause and methods of treatment which will be considered further, is a common form of skin fungus. It appears mainly on the chest, shoulders, neck and back in the form of promiscuous multicolored spots. They can be reddish, pink, coffee and almost white and cause slight itching and flaking of the skin at the lesion sites.

Pityriasis: the cause of

What this type of skin disease appears is reliably unknown. Yeast fungus of the genus Malassezia can be found on the skin of any person, but for some reason it starts to grow in individual people, hitting the skin with small spots, which eventually merge into large areas. Obviously, this is responsible for the predisposition of this organism to skin diseases or a general decrease in the immune background.

Who strikes and how does the multicolored lichen in man

Abnormal lichen, as it turned out, affects more often people with increased sweating, oily skin, and also living in a warm, humid climate. It can become aggravated every summer, practically disappearing in the cold season. It is often called "beach" deprivation, implying that the skin lesions are especially visible on the tanned body. This is caused by exposure to sunlight on the fungus, which in turn releases chemicals that destroy pigment cells (melanocytes) in human skin.

Is contagious lichen contagious?

The cause of this disease led the doctors to the conclusion that this skin condition is conditionally harmless. It is not associated with poor hygiene and is not transmitted from person to person, since 90% of people on the skin already have a yeast Malassezia fungus.

Diagnostics

Diagnose pityriasis, a photo of which you can see here, by external signs and using the ultraviolet light of a lamp known as a Wood lamp. It helps to detect a typical yellow-green fluorescence of a multicolored lichen. In some cases, scrapings are made to ensure the presence of a yeast fungus.

Treatment and prevention of relapses of pityriasis

The disease under discussion can be treated with antifungal gels, shampoos, creams and tablets. Gels and shampoos should be left on the affected areas for 5-10 minutes, and then washed off. This procedure is repeated every day for a week. Burning and a slight itching during the application of these agents are normal reactions.

For the treatment of small areas, an antifungal cream is used. It is applied to the skin twice a day for several weeks. If the shampoos and cream are not effective, the dermatologist prescribes special pills. They are taken once a day from one to four weeks.

In general, the disease can be cured in a few months, but relapses are possible. To avoid them it is necessary to periodically use the above mentioned means, especially in the summer, when the risk that the pityriasis, the cause and symptoms of which have been examined, is significantly increased.

Do not be ill!