Spotted lichen treatment at home. Lichen colorus

The skin is a natural barrier to a fairly large number of dangers. However, she herself also needs protection and can be hit.

The most common disease, which, in turn, is divided into many types, is lichen.

What is color lichen?

Color (pityriasis) versicolor- This is one of the names of a skin disease.

Other name - solar fungus. This name is due to the fact that most often the disease occurs in people who live in areas with a humid and very warm climate, where, among other things, their skin is affected a large number of sunlight. The fungus itself, which affects the skin, manifests itself after prolonged exposure to the sun.

Russia clearly does not belong to countries where a humid tropical climate prevails, so this dermatological disease occurs relatively infrequently in our country. It affects five to ten percent of the population.

The disease affects a certain group of people who are prone to ringworm. Moreover, the lesion is distinguished by its undulating course, characterized by periods of remission followed by periods of relapse. Relapses in the vast majority of cases occur in the warm season, when solar activity is the strongest.

Lichen color can be called a benign disease that does not pose a serious threat to human health and does not lead to irreversible complications. At the same time, such a skin lesion is quite easy to treat. However, at the same time, the presence of spots on the surface of the skin gives its owner a lot of inconvenience, not to mention the unaesthetic nature of this defect.

(it is also called spotted, blooming, pityriasis) refers to a skin disease caused by the fungus Pityrosporum oval. Pathogenic agents live in most people, but are activated only when created favorable conditions. For many, the microorganisms that cause spotted lichen do not manifest themselves throughout life.

Varieties and atypical forms

The fungus is activated and multiplies in the surface layer of the skin and hair follicles. Under microscopic examination, it looks like a bunch of massive wavy threads. Mycosis in the affected areas proceeds with periods of extinction and relapse.

Blooming lichen does not pose a threat to health, is easily treated, but causes psychological discomfort, gives rise to complexes.

There are three types of structure:

• Yellow. Spots of the corresponding color of different saturation appear.
• Pink. It is expressed in the manifestation of pink, beige, brown shades.
• Achromic. Has no color.

Color lichen is expressed in three forms:

• Typical. The top layer of the epidermis is destroyed without causing inflammation. The color of the skin changes, rounded white spots up to 1 cm in diameter appear on a tanned body or pink, brown - on a light one. Their outline is clearly visible. The focus is usually the back, shoulders, chest.
• Inversion. The ability to grow spots, damage to larger areas of the body is manifested. The color of the skin changes at the bends, on the back of the knees and elbows, in the groin, under the chest, on the face, on the back of the palms and between the fingers.
• Follicular. There are nodules with abscesses.

Causes

Spotted lichen is more common in people in regions with a humid hot climate. And in another locality, certain factors create a favorable environment in which the fungus emerges from its “dormant” state.

External:

• wearing clothes made of fabrics that are poorly breathable (especially in hot weather);
• insufficient hygiene;
• trip to the sea.

Internal:

• diabetes;
• chronic respiratory diseases;
• weak immunity;
• vitamin deficiency;
• increased sweating;
• hormonal changes;
• individual predisposition to dermatological mycoses;
• prolonged depression;
• obesity;
• hereditary predisposition (there are facts of a family disease);
• long-term use of contraceptives.

Symptoms

The disease is determined by the manifestation of colored spots of different sizes. Most often, the back, shoulders, chest, and armpits are affected. But it is possible to change the color of the skin in other parts of the body: arms, neck, abdomen, and very rarely on the face.

On the open area, the spots are light, as if the skin has faded. They look especially unaesthetic on a tanned body. Under clothes - pink and brown. Over time, the size of the spots increases, an increasing area is affected. Sometimes the spots are accompanied by fine peeling and create the appearance of flour.

The scalp may be affected, but the hair is not affected at all.

The spots do not cause itching, but are not always treatable, and after some subsidence, the disease may worsen again.

Pityriasis versicolor got its name because of the ability of the spots to change color with the seasons. In summer, they turn white (the skin does not change even during tanning), and in winter they darken, turning pink or brown. In addition, even one spot can stand out in different shades.

Photo of color lichen: what it looks like

Appearance dark spots does not always cause the patient to suspect a colored lichen. Especially if the changes are not accompanied by itching. This complicates subsequent treatment, because without proper treatment, the spots affect large areas of the body.

On the face and neck, the symptoms of lichen color appear less often, but cause more trouble, because they are always in sight.

Lichen colorus may appear after a trip to the sea. No wonder it is also called solar. The pigment on tanned skin disappears in spots that grow and increase in size. Gradually, they can cover a large area.

The disease causes aesthetic discomfort. In summer, to mask the color lichen, the spots have to be hidden under closed clothing so as not to experience constant curious looks. Cancellations require the usual activities (sports, parties).

Diagnostics

It is an erroneous opinion that visually diagnosing lichen color is not difficult, and the patient will cope on his own.

Symptoms are similar to those of other fungal infections:

• Syphilitic roseola. Pink spots appear, which disappear when pressed. The skin does not peel off.
• Vitiligo. In humans, melanin is destroyed, the skin loses pigmentation.
• Deprive Gibert. Pink elongated or diamond-shaped spots appear.

Therefore, only a doctor should diagnose the disease. It uses different methods:

• Makes a Balzer test. The affected area is lubricated with a 0.5% iodine solution. With lichen color, the spot darkens.
• Determines the correspondence to the symptom of Besnier. With light scraping, the skin exfoliates like flour.
• Illuminated with Wood's lamp. The spots glow blue-green.
• Performs microscopic examination.

Treatment of colored lichen

Many people do not attach any importance to skin changes if they are not accompanied by itching. But it is necessary to treat color deprive. The disease can last for years, and in order to quickly cope with the disease, it is necessary to undergo a course of treatment.

There is different forms medical preparations and effective means traditional healers. For the best result, it is worth carrying out a complex effect. Placement of the patient in stationary conditions not required, but medical advice and examination are necessary.

Self-prescribing pharmaceuticals can be harmful. Medicines that have the same effect are perceived differently by the body. Some help, for others they are a severe allergen.

Ointments

For external treatment of affected areas, antifungal ointments, creams, gels are used:

• clotrimazole,
• miconazole,
• Ketoconazole
• Mikoseptin,
• terbinafine,
• fungoterbin,
• salicylic ointment,
• Sulfuric ointment.

Ointments can be replaced with salicylic alcohol 5%, Lamisil spray, Iodophors (Iodovidon, Iodonate, Iodoform, Iodosul, Aquazan, Vokadin, Betadin), if the patient is not allergic to iodine.

The product is applied to the affected area and slightly rubbed. In this case, a slight tingling sensation may be felt. This is a common skin reaction and does not require discontinuation of the drug, but the doctor still needs to be told about it.

The duration of treatment is determined by the dermatologist depending on individual features organism and the complexity of the course of the disease.

Tablets

If the external treatment of the affected areas is not enough or the disease is long and extensive, in addition to ointments, the doctor prescribes tablets:

• Terbizil,
• Rumikoz,
• intraconazole,
• fungavis,
• Oronazole,
• Nizoral,
• Ketoconazole
• Orunit,
• orungal,
• Mycosist,
• diflucan,
• Flucostat,
• Griseofulvin.

Before prescribing tablets, the doctor must exclude the possibility side effects. Many drugs adversely affect the body of people who are diagnosed with liver and kidney disease, heart failure.

Shampoos

If struck hairy part head, the doctor prescribes medicated shampoos Nizoral or Ketoconazole.

You can use shampoos containing selenium, zinc, tar. Such therapy will not only speed up recovery, but also strengthen the follicles, improve the condition of the hair.

Diet

The development of pathogenic fungi is facilitated by some products that enter the body. Therefore, during treatment, it is necessary to make a menu of healthy meals. You won't have to starve.

Exclude:

• lard, fatty pork and fish;
• spicy seasonings;
• cakes and pastries, pastries;
• canned food.

Restrict:

• salt,
• sugar,
• bread.

Leave or add:

• vegetables, fruits, juices;
• greens;
• cereals;
• bran bread;
• dairy and dairy products(yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, kefir, sour cream, milk, cream, ryazhenka);
• lean meat, fish, poultry;
• natural honey.

Much attention should be paid to raw vegetables. They can be eaten at any time, along with the main course and as a snack. Getting into the body without heat treatment, vegetables “cleanse” the stomach and intestines. Between meals, drink water (not mineral) - at least 1.5 liters per day. Eat porridge every day. They will not spoil the figure, supply the body essential vitamins and minerals, will establish work digestive system.

Treatment with folk remedies at home

Traditional healers have compiled many recipes for getting rid of colored lichen. The funds do their job well, and therefore have not lost their relevance over the centuries.

To treat affected areas 3-4 times a day

1. Use alcohol tincture of calendula. Pour the flowers with vodka in a ratio of 1:5 and leave for two days. Or the second way: prepare a decoction of calendula, cool, strain, dilute with vodka in a ratio of 1: 1.
2. Undiluted apple cider vinegar. Wipe the skin or make lotions.
3. Turnip juice. Make a hole in the middle of the fruit and place in a glass to drain the liquid. Keep refrigerated.
4. Cranberry juice. Squeeze the berries in gauze, the resulting juice can be diluted with water in equal proportions.
5. A decoction of string and eucalyptus. Herbs take in the same amount, pour boiling water and insist until completely cooled.

For applications 2 times a day

1. Grind burdock with calendula flowers and licorice root, mix with vegetable oil.
2. Grind St. John's wort flowers, combine with petroleum jelly or baby cream.
3. Fry the bean fruits in a pan or in the oven, grind into powder, dilute with vegetable oil to a mushy state.
4. In the summer, apply sunflower sheets, after dipping them in boiling water and cooling to a temperature comfortable for the body. You can make blanks for treatment at other times of the year. To do this, the leaves must be dried and stored carefully so that they do not crumble.
5. Onion juice. Make masks for the scalp. Onion kills the fungus and strengthens the hair follicles, ensuring the beauty of the curls.

For baths

1. Boil currant leaves and leave to extract for 1 hour. The intensity of the infusion can be adjusted to your liking.
2. Combine 1 liter of coniferous needles and tansy flowers. Boil for 15 minutes, strain and add to the bath.

In the prepared solution, you need to lie down for 15-20 minutes, then rinse in the shower. If it is not possible to carry out daily procedures, then it is necessary to use them in combination with other more accessible methods.

For oral administration

At chronic course diseases, you can prepare a tincture for oral administration.

1. Grind 200 g of celandine, including flowers, leaves and stem. Pour the same amount of sugar, place in a gauze bag. Warm the yogurt until curd lumps appear, pour into a three-liter jar and put a bag of celandine into it. Insist for a month, daily removing the film from the surface. Then refrigerate and take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day with meals.
2. The simpler option is fruit and vegetable juice. It is necessary to squeeze the juice from 1 lemon and 1 medium-sized beet, dilute with drinking water 1: 2 and take 100 ml 3 times a day before meals.

Habitual actions can speed up recovery or, conversely, prevent it. This must be taken into account.

• It is recommended to sunbathe during treatment. It is better not to go to a public beach, because it can cause disapproving glances, but to choose secluded places. Sunbathing can completely defeat the fungus, but discolored spots persist for several more months. This manifestation is called pseudoleukoderma.
• Wash the floor several times a day, wash things in water with high temperature close to boiling, ignite underwear, bedding with an iron. Change the washcloth frequently.
• Wear cotton clothing.

Prevention

After eliminating the disease, you must adhere to the rules that prevent the return of the fungus:

• Eat right, follow a diet that helped to heal.
• Ensure restful sleep. Walk in the evening with an energetic step, then drink milk with natural honey.
• Avoid stress and depression. In a critical situation, you can drink sedatives.
• Go in for sports, but without heavy physical activity.
• Do not wear synthetic or tight underwear.
• Wash with acidified water.
• More scrupulous about hygiene. Do not use an old washcloth, take a shower often.
• Drink water to cleanse the body.
• Take vitamins in courses or constantly.
• For people with excessive sweating, wipe the skin with salicylic alcohol.

Complications and consequences

The main complication of the disease is a cosmetic defect and inconvenience in self-treatment of the affected areas.

If untreated, blooming lichen can turn into a follicular form. It happens rarely.

Is it contagious and how is it transmitted

The disease is conditionally contagious. Sometimes transmitted through everyday contact, but not all people manifest in clinical form. To avoid infection, it is necessary to monitor hygiene, do not use other people's household items (towel, washcloth, comb).

Features in children

Colored lichen also appears in children. They have weaker immunity and cleanliness on a walk is far from ideal. It can occur upon contact with soil, objects used by the patient.

An infected child may not show symptoms until 2 months later. Most often, spots appear on the back, chest, shoulders, forearms, head. They grow in the same way as in adults.

The child is usually prescribed Nizoral, treatment with tar and salicylic ointment, iodine solution.

Apply pharmaceuticals, and also it is impossible to prepare funds according to folk recipes without the approval of a dermatologist.

In children, the disease is characterized by a long course and frequent relapses.

During pregnancy

Pregnant women are at risk. The disease can manifest itself against the background of hormonal changes and a decrease in immunity. This does not necessarily have to be in contact with an infected person.

Lichen color does not pose a danger to the woman and the fetus. In the first trimester of pregnancy, you can treat the affected areas with apple cider vinegar or onion juice. On the second and third, the doctor prescribes antifungal ointments.

During this period, it is important to support immunity by taking vitamins for pregnant women, monitor hygiene, choose underwear that is suitable in size as the body volume increases.

Video about lichen

How to cure color lichen at home, you can watch the video. It details the symptoms of color lichen and gives a description of the causes of the disease.

The video tells how to identify the disease by outward signs. Attention is focused on the fact that people perceive the appearance of spots as the consequences of sunburn. Thus, they delay the start of treatment, allow the defeat of large areas of the body. The possibilities of transmitting lichen to a healthy person are considered and a review of drugs for treatment is presented. Recipes for the preparation of remedies for treatment at home are given, helpful tips for disease prevention.

Forecast

In most cases, lichen color responds well to treatment and passes without a trace with full observance of the doctor's recommendations.

When colored spots appear, it is important to pay attention not only to the elimination of symptoms and the correction of an aesthetic defect. The real reason must be established. It could be serious illness internal organs, which signals itself by a similar manifestation.

Infection with a fungus, namely color lichen, is not so a rare event. This disease is far from fatal, but brings the patient quite a lot of aesthetic problems, significantly lowering his quality of life.

Multicolored lichen is one of the varieties of chronic skin disease belonging to the keratomycosis group. It is characterized by damage to the cuticle of the hair and skin.

Causes

There are a lot of theories about the occurrence of multi-colored lichen, but they are all similar in one thing - this is the result of the vital activity of two types of fungi: Malassezia and Pityrpsporum, "living" in the hair follicles and the subcutaneous layer of the epidermis.

Also, hardening procedures and ultraviolet irradiation will not interfere. Additionally, you can use the prophylactic drug "Clotrimazole" 2 times a day for a month to consolidate the effect (see " Medical treatment lichen color").

Beets and cocklebur decoction

Some patients are helped to cope with the fungus by ordinary red beets. It can be grated and applied to the damaged area of ​​​​the skin in the form of a compress, changing them as they dry.

Simultaneously with beets, you can be treated with a decoction of cocklebur. The recipe is quite simple, and the ingredients are always at hand: pour 1 tablespoon of chopped herbs into any enamel bowl, then add 0.5 liters of water, boil and hold on fire for 10 minutes. Infuse for about two hours and strain the resulting essence through gauze. Take 50 grams before meals for one week.

Celandine

If colored lichen is diagnosed, treatment with folk remedies can be carried out using celandine. To prepare the tincture, you will need leaves, stems and flowers of celandine. It is better to collect it away from roads and city limits.

Grind the collected ingredients and mix with sugar in a ratio of 1/1 (to prepare one serving, you need 200 g of celandine). The resulting slurry must be wrapped with gauze in a bag. Then yogurt or cottage cheese is taken, poured into a two-three-liter jar, where the prepared bag with chopped celandine is lowered.

The resulting composition should be infused for a month at room temperature. When a film appears in the jar, it must be removed, and if the bag begins to float, then it must be pressed down with something. After a month of infusion, the resulting essence must be filtered and stored in the refrigerator.

You can take tincture 3 times a day, one tablespoon after meals. If during or after administration there is discomfort in the stomach, dizziness or nausea, then the dose should be reduced.

Sunflower

With a disease such as color lichen, folk treatment recommends using sunflower. At the beginning of infection with a fungus, a small brownish spot may appear on the skin, later their number increases and additional peeling of the affected area appears.

At the time of active spread of the fungus, a sunflower helps a lot. To prepare a compress, you will need fresh petals of a blooming sunflower (200-300 gr). Then they must be steamed in boiling water and applied as a compress to problem areas of the skin. You need to repeat the procedure day after day until the complete victory over the fungus.

Beans

Treatment of colored lichen at home can be done with the help of beans. It perfectly cleanses the skin of the fungus and has a preventive component. The recipe is quite simple and affordable.

A handful of beans (20-30 grains) must be fried in a pan before it starts to darken, then it is doused with water and ground with a mortar or coffee grinder into powder. Then add a few drops of vegetable oil and mix thoroughly.

Apply the resulting slurry to damaged skin once a day for a week. After treatment with beans, the fungus should disappear.

Burdock and elecampane

What else can treat lichen color? Treatment with folk remedies using burdock root and elecampane is very effective. When affected by a fungus, itching on the skin is insignificant, but nevertheless causes some discomfort. Helps to deal with unpleasant sensations the root of one of the above plants.

A small root must be boiled in water until a soft consistency, then the composition is cooled, infused and ground until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Problem areas are treated within one to two weeks, and after the entire procedure, color lichen disappears. Treatment (ointment based on these roots) is very effective and is often used for patients of all ages.

In addition to the ointment, you can make a decoction or tea from the same burdock root and elecampane, it is slightly less effective, but it has proven itself as a preventive measure.

A complex approach

Only a doctor can correctly explain what to do with such a disease as color lichen. The causes and treatment of this disease are closely related. If one of the reasons contributing to the appearance of the fungus is sweat, then simultaneous prevention, coupled with the treatment of the disease itself, will help here.

Intense exposure in several ways to combat lichen will not leave the fungus the slightest chance. Apple cider vinegar, euphorbia and horsetail will help not only get rid of excessive sweating, but also exterminate the disease.

To make apple cider vinegar, you will need a bucket of crushed apples and sugar. Apples must be poured with boiled water, adding one tablespoon of sugar there. Then leave for 2 weeks to ferment, stirring them from time to time.

After the composition has fermented, the thick can be thrown away, and the strained essence must be insisted for another 2 weeks. The resulting vinegar is diluted with water and washed with damaged skin.

Horsetail tincture is prepared very quickly: one tablespoon of the herb is brewed in boiling water and then the body is washed with the head.

An infusion of milkweed will help defeat colored lichen. Treatment (euphorbia ointment, coupled with warm lotions of horsetail and apple cider vinegar), carried out competently and carefully, will permanently save you from the fungus. To prepare the ointment, you need to add 1 cup of milkweed to 1 liter of boiling water and insist for about an hour in a warm room, then you can apply the resulting slurry to diseased skin areas.

Calendula

Treatment of colored lichen with calendula will help the skin not only get rid of the fungus, but also fill the body with carotenoids and flavonoids. They will reduce the secretion of sebum. In addition, calendula has an anti-inflammatory and disinfectant effect, as well as a host of other beneficial properties.

To prepare a tincture of calendula, you will need 100 grams (1-2 tablespoons) of a crushed flower, poured over half a glass of boiled water. You can insist in any glass container in a cool room for about a week.

The resulting essence must be lubricated with problem areas once a day. Alternatively, you can buy calendula tincture at the pharmacy.

Black currant

Together with other means for the prevention and treatment of colored lichen, you can take baths with a decoction of blackcurrant. It will weaken the action of the fungus and disinfect the skin, allowing the rest of the medicines to fully realize themselves.

A decoction can be prepared from both fresh and dried blackcurrant leaves. It is enough just to wash them (fresh, of course), pour water, boil for 15 minutes and insist for one hour.

Hellebore Lobel

The speed and result of treatment depends on individual characteristics. human body, therefore, if none of the above recipes helped, then you can resort to one very effective, but at the same time dangerous method getting rid of colored lichen - use a decoction of hellebore Lobel. It is considered dangerous because the roots of this plant are very poisonous, and during cooking it is important to exclude any contact with the mucous membranes of the mouth and eyes.

To prepare a decoction, you need to take 10 g of hellebore root, after cutting them, and brew in a glass of boiling water. Then soak in boiling water for about half an hour and then cool slightly. With the resulting essence, rub problem areas in the morning and at bedtime for a week. Ingestion is not allowed!

Medical treatment of color lichen

When all the signs of the disease are present, the first step is to contact a specialist. This is necessary in order for the doctor to accurately diagnose and determine the correct course. complex treatment. Someone independently takes all kinds of antifungal agents without visiting a dermatologist. This is completely unacceptable! Only a competent specialist can diagnose and prescribe therapy, otherwise you can get a chronic effect and a lot of other troubles.

So, what is the treatment for the diagnosis of "color lichen"? Tablets, ointments, solutions - which is better to use? Only a doctor can give an exact answer.

• As local antimycotic agents, the doctor can prescribe ointments, sprays and solutions - "Bifonazole", "Clotrimazole" or salicylic gel with shampoo, with a general course of about two weeks.
• In advanced cases or with extensive lesions, dermatologists prescribe systemic therapy with the use of antifungal drugs. These are Flucanazole, Ketoconazole, Itroconazole and other analogues.
• As a preventive measure, doctors always advise, along with taking medications, to sunbathe more often (in moderation!), Every day to carry out wet cleaning in the room and change old washcloths to new ones every two days.

After the fungus is completely "expelled", the patient should pay serious attention to the causes that served as a catalyst for the onset of the disease, and try to eliminate them as soon as possible. Wash bed and underwear more often at a temperature of at least 100 ° C and follow the rules of personal hygiene. Avoid public baths and "family" saunas, otherwise the fungus will go from person to person in a circle.

Strengthening immunity will help reduce the risk of relapse: hardening, healthy lifestyle life and proper nutrition, especially since it is much more profitable to prevent a disease than to treat it - medicines for colored lichen are far from cheap, and the discomfort that you get from a fungus is unattractive.

Color (pityriasis) versicolor is a skin disease that does not cause physical discomfort in a person’s daily life, however, psychological experiences due to its external manifestation force many to take extreme measures in the form of disguise under foundation or completely covering the body. Let's figure out what it is, what "colored lichen" looks like, and how to deal with it.

External evaluation and localization

Pityriasis versicolor is a skin lesion characterized by the appearance of macules (spots) on the surface of the skin. People say - "like a leopard." They are most often localized on the chest and back. Then gradually they begin to spread to the neck and descend to the stomach. Quite rarely, patients are found in whom the network of maculae is localized on the face, and in exceptional cases - on the limbs (hands and feet). Visually, the rash resembles a network of "continents" with small islands along the edges.

Separately localized spots ranging in size from a peppercorn to a five-ruble coin can also be found. Depending on the type of skin, they can peel off (dry, combination skin) or remain in their normal state without breaking the surface of the skin (oily, normal skin).

Factors affecting the progression of the disease

The comparison with "continents and islets" is not in vain. Another common feature with geographic features is their rather slow growth in most cases. In some clinical cases, months or even years pass before they merge into one. However, this rule is not universal.

The more concomitant diseases and conditions a person has, the faster the foci of infection develop, and hence their visual manifestation. Reduced immunity, no matter how trite it may sound, is the main culprit in the high rate of spread of the disease.

Newfangled diets that cause beriberi can play a big negative role. A weakened body is the optimal environment for the activation of ringworm. But even more at risk are patients with untreated or active stage of syphilis and (quite often in practice) tuberculosis.

Stages of the disease

When evaluating fungal skin diseases it is quite difficult for a specialist to be guided by the same parameters for assessing the damage to the body as in chronic diseases. Particularly complicates the expert assessment of frequent recurrences of colored lichen. Therefore, experts distinguish, mainly, two stages of the disease:

1. Primary. At the first occurrence of the disease.
2. Recurrent. With the recurrence of the disease.

Methods of pre-medical and medical diagnostics

It is impossible to visually determine the presence of the disease at the stage of spore contact with human skin. The type and specificity of keratomycosis is determined by manual microscopy. A dermatologist first takes a sample using a scarifier (a tool for cutting and scratching the upper skin) from the affected area of ​​the skin. In standard blood tests given for a medical examination at work, markers and spores of a pathogenic fungus are not detected.

Pathogenic fungus (mycelium) is localized exclusively in the upper stratum corneum of the human epidermis. As a rule, the main criterion for contacting doctors with this problem is a visual assessment of the human skin.

A superficial examination with a Wood's lamp can with a high probability help to make the correct diagnosis - the lesions have a reddish-yellow tint when illuminated by this device.

You can try at home! An additional diagnostic method that can be done at home is the Balzer test. It consists in rubbing the affected area of ​​the skin with iodine, and then with alcohol. If the affected area turns dark, different from healthy skin, color, then this is another reason to seek help from a doctor.

Long stay in the risk zone (unsanitary conditions; conditions that cause excessive sweating) and problematic skin should be a reason for regular visits to a dermatologist. Many bring home lichen color from a holiday spent in a hotel or inn. Unwashed sheets, dirty sun loungers and public showers are ideal breeding grounds for fungal microorganisms. Together with sweating and a hot climate, the likelihood of mycelium activation increases.

It's important to know! According to statistics, this disease young people are more susceptible - men. It is connected with hormonal changes in a growing body, in particular - with sweating. The conclusion suggests itself: excess sweat secretions are an excellent environment for the development of infection. And the conclusion is also obvious - you can also bring your “leopard spots” from a country with a cold climate, if you regularly wear insulated clothing without changing the one that is close to your body.

In this video, an experienced dermatovenerologist told about the main causes of pityriasis versicolor and the basis of its diagnosis. The probability of the presence of concomitant diseases in people who are not predisposed to it is also considered in detail.

Treatment

Treatment methods for lichen can be divided into two types: drug and non-drug. Medical practice shows that the combination of both principles gives a significant result and reduces the percentage of relapse (recurrence of the disease) among the sick. Among the medicines, of course, antifungal drugs have the greatest effectiveness. They are classified into oral (tablets, oral administration) and external (ointments, liniments, personal hygiene products).

The main drugs used in the treatment

• Clotrimazole ointment. Inexpensive and well-known drug in the fight against fungus. Easy to use, there is no standard wide list of contraindications for this group of drugs. The price fluctuates around 40-80 rubles. per tube with 30 mg 1% liniment.
• Bifonazole. Known as antifungal drug wide spectrum. Available in the form of ointment and powder. It penetrates well into the deep layers of the skin due to the good solubility of the drug in fats.
• Salicylic acid. A non-specific drug that is widely used in dermatovenereology and cosmetology. alcohol solution salicylic acid has good antiseptic and exfoliating properties.
• Fluconazole. A fairly effective fungicide with a wide spectrum of action. However, the list of side effects is very wide. The drug for external use is found in pharmacies in the Russian Federation quite rarely.

It is known that fungal diseases are most effectively treated according to the principle "once and for all". combination therapy and proper care and disinfection - all this is effective together, not separately.

So, the main drugs used internally:

• Ketoconazole. antifungal agent broad spectrum, applied internally.
• clotrimazole(in tab). Inexpensive drug for internal use with the active substance Clotrimazole hydrochloride.
• Itraconazole. Systemic fungicide, care should be taken when taking the drug simultaneously with antibiotics and anticoagulants.
• Fluconazole. Preparations with the active substance Fluconazole hydrochloride are potent and forms for internal use are best used in cases frequent relapses(recurrence) lichen. Independent experiments with this drug are extremely risky and expensive.

Traditional medicine in the treatment of color lichen

Experience in folk healing can also be useful in an integrated approach to the treatment of the disease.

• Insolation. Treatment with the UV rays of the sun (when walking outside or when sunbathing). Particularly effective this method along with hardening. The disadvantage is the possible uneven insolation of the entire surface of the skin.
• Calendula flowers. Tincture. Alcohol tincture is made from a ratio of 1 to 5 with flowers and vodka, respectively. You can lubricate the affected areas up to 3 times a day.
• Onion(juice). Onions contain many derivatives of sulfur, which is effective in the treatment of fungal infections when applied externally. Some substances are volatile and have good absorption (suction), which ensures good bioavailability of natural fungicides contained in onions. The disadvantage of use is the smell and strong corrosiveness. The scaly edges of the spots may turn an unnatural lemon yellow or greenish tint. Rub onion juice up to two times a day.
• Vinegar. Most representatives of the kingdom Mushrooms are very vulnerable to changes in the pH of the environment, from alkaline to acidic. This phenomenon was noticed by our ancestors, who used fermentation products in everyday life. Apple cider vinegar is applied externally up to 6-7 times a day on the affected areas.

Traditional medicine offers a fairly extensive list of techniques, including homeopathy, balneotherapy (water from springs) and general rules personal hygiene, aimed at preventing relapse.

Most modern doctors, if they do not agree with its postulates, then at least have no arguments against using the knowledge of healers. The only exceptions are "fans" of drug treatment.

Disease prognosis. What happens if you don't treat

Despite the fact that it is rather difficult to calculate the probability of a disease, and pityriasis versicolor is detected only visually and after the fact, the prognosis is positive in most cases, and with proper treatment it disappears completely.

Those who refuse to be treated are usually aware that the fungus is not fatal. It just looks awkward. If the sick person for any reason does not worry about his illness ( elderly age, personal views), it does not lead to significant changes, except for visual ones. This disease does not carry any contraindications and restrictions, with the exception of uncontrolled self-treatment using aggressive substances.

Question answer

What is the cheapest but most effective tool?

The most effective tool is free, and money cannot buy it - this, no matter how trite it may sound, is a healthy lifestyle. Those people who significantly changed their diet, movement level and approach to life achieved greater results than those who relied solely on medicine.

Is it possible to get rid of lichen forever?

Yes, it's possible in theory. But to carry out the prognosis of the disease in practice, on an individual basis, only an experienced dermatologist can.

Is pityriasis (color) contagious? How is it transmitted?

No. The fungus that causes it also lives in normal skin. healthy person, and refers to conditionally pathogenic microflora. Its activation is possible only with the above factors.

Does iodine help with colored lichen?

It is a common misconception that iodine is effective tool in the treatment of lichen. It originated due to the use by doctors of the Balzer test using iodine. Many do not understand that in this case, its use is preventive, and not curative purpose. Iodine helps in the treatment, but is not the main tool used in this.

Summarizing the above, we can safely say that the main weapon of a person in the fight against colored lichen, as with any other disease, is vigilance and attention to one's health.

A disease detected in time can be cured with the help of external medicines. At the first suspicion, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Multi-colored (colored, sweaty, bran lichen) is a skin disease caused by yeast-like fungi. The main difference between the pathology is that an infected person is not able to infect others. Apart from the aesthetically unattractive appearance the disease does not give any unpleasant symptoms.

What is this article about?

The main causes of color deprivation

One of the main risk factors is a violation of the body's immune defenses. Reduced immunity contributes to the active reproduction of the fungus, the development of foci of infection.

The risk category includes people who are exposed to chronic diseases, for example, diabetes, tuberculosis, oncology, HIV. Changes in hormonal levels can aggravate a health problem, especially in adolescence and during pregnancy.

Mycosis may be due to increased sweating, changes in the structure of the patient's sweat. For this reason, rashes of pityriasis versicolor appear after hard physical labor, stress, nervous experiences, poor nutrition, beriberi, lack of sleep.

With multi-colored lichen, the fungus is located on the chest, arms, shoulders and neck, scalp. Dark brown spots appear on the skin, prone to:

1. peeling;
2. the formation of scaly crusts;
3. severe itching.

The color of the rash varies depending on the type of skin, season. So, in dark-skinned people, pink spots appear, on light skin they are brown or yellow.

Pityriasis versicolor is called because of the scaly scales that visually resemble bran. Despite the quality and long-term treatment an increased risk of permanent relapses cannot be ruled out.

Due to the fact that the infection violates the integrity of the integument, under the influence of ultraviolet rays, the lichen does not darken, but appears as white spots. The affected areas differ significantly in color from healthy skin.

The disease develops for a long time, in the absence of adequate therapy, large foci of infection form. Quite often, multi-colored lichen develops due to a genetic predisposition to the disease.

In such cases, it is almost impossible to permanently cure the pathology, but there is high chances slow down progression.

Methods for diagnosing lichen

Bright specific symptoms clearly indicate the presence of the disease, but the doctor needs to differentiate lichen color from other dermatological diseases with a similar clinical picture.

The main diagnostic methods: examination of skin scrapings under a microscope, Balzer's test for latent peeling, the use of a Wood's lamp, in which lichen color begins to glow brown or yellow. Additionally, the patient donates blood and urine.

These techniques make it possible to distinguish color lichen from similar pathological conditions:

1. syphilitic roseola;
2. pink lichen;
3. syphilitic leukoderma;
4. dry streptoderma.

Syphilitic roseola is characterized by spots of the same size, but they do not have the ability to merge together, as is the case with multi-colored lichen. pink lichen manifested by the presence of maternal plaque, pink spots different size.

With syphilitic leukoderma, white spots with clear contours appear on the integument, and with dry streptoderma, the patient notices single large light-colored spots.

Treatment Options

Any remedy for depriving a person is used after diagnosing and determining the type of pathogen. When pityriasis versicolor is confirmed, drugs directed fast elimination skin rashes, cupping inflammatory process, destruction of pathogenic flora.

Oral tablets, antifungal ointment, cream, gel, spray, shampoo are used with equal effectiveness. Topical antimycotic drugs work especially well in the initial stages of the disease. Tablets are recommended for lesions of large areas of the skin, will become part of complex therapy.

Additionally, the doctor may prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics, which is important if a bacterial infection is attached. It can be the usual Gentamicin ointment, Clotrimazole. In order to prevent allergic reactions organisms take antihistamines, their names can be obtained from the doctor.

Antiseptic agents are used to relieve inflammation:

• talkers;
• rubbing;
• spray can;
• solutions.

They all soften skin, exfoliate the affected areas of the epidermis.

For successful treatment, combined methods are used, including several options for medicines at once.

Tablets

Because pills, like others medications, with the wrong dosing regimen, they can cause side effects and overdose, it is important to follow the doctor's instructions as accurately as possible.

Contraindications to oral agents are diseases of the blood, kidneys, organs of the digestive system, liver, the presence of malignant neoplasms, the period of pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Mycozoral

The drug acts at any stage of pityriasis versicolor of the skin. The medicine is also produced in the form of shampoo, ointment, suppositories. Active substance ketoconazole destroys fungal spores, the symptoms of the disease disappear after a few applications.

As part of the combined drug therapy Mycozoral is taken separately from other drugs, ideally in the morning or late in the evening.

Fluconazole

The undoubted plus of the funds is an affordable price, high efficiency. With multi-colored lichen, the patient must take 150 mg of the drug once a week.

There are contraindications, the exact period of therapy is agreed on an individual basis, depending on factors:

1. health status;
2. age;
3. patient weight.

Reception of tablets is repeated after 7 days.

Triderm

Triderm is prescribed in severe cases of the disease, the drug has a powerful anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial effect. Tablets fight the manifestations of mycosis, eliminate lesions of large areas of the integument. Before use, you should read the instructions, on average, the course of treatment lasts 10-14 days.

Fungoterbin

The tool is allowed to be used for no more than two weeks in a row, suitable for the treatment of patients of any age. May be used for preschool children. Tablets from lichen are washed down with a large amount pure water without gas.

Griseofulvin

The drug has proven itself in the treatment of fungal infections of the skin. The drug is taken twice a day, washed down with a small sip of vegetable oil. This method contributes to a better effect on the source of infection. An adult can be prescribed a loading dose of medication - take 8 tablets during the day.

Topical products, shampoos, sprays

How to smear lichen? Various external agents are prescribed against a fungal infection, if there are no contraindications, the medicine is used according to the instructions. Funds can be domestic or imported.

Cyclopirox

• relieves inflammation;
• spots pass;
• spores of pathogenic fungi are destroyed.

Ointment from colored lichen can be combined with other means.

Sebozol

The preparation for washing the head, relieves depriving the hair. The tool works ideally as one of the components of combination therapy. Hair is treated no more than twice a week, optimally in the evening. After the procedure, the hair should dry naturally.

Nizoral

Another good antifungal shampoo, which independently copes with the initial stages of the disease, is used as part of a comprehensive treatment for advanced lichen. The frequency of application depends on the severity of the pathological process.

Salicylic alcohol

Means in its pure form wipe the skin several times a day. The technique helps to disinfect the focus of the inflammatory process, remove scales with fungal spores. Against multi-colored lichen, 1% salicylic alcohol is used, it can be easily used at home.

Chatterbox

The talker prepared in a pharmacy according to a doctor's prescription is not inferior in effectiveness. The most popular at the moment are the milk of Vidal, Tsindol. Therapeutic solutions are made on the basis of alcohol, the composition includes:

1. zinc;
2. talc;
3. glycerol;
4. water.

Means inhibit the activity of infection, do not allow fungi to spread further.

Boric acid

A cheap and easy way to overcome the disease is to use boric acid. It is not difficult to prepare a treatment solution, you need to pour a bag of the product (10 g) with a glass of boiling water and mix until a homogeneous solution is obtained.

The skin must be lubricated every day for 5-10 days. Boric acid is safe for the body, does not cause allergic reactions.

Aerosols

Sprays are used for various types depriving, basic active substance- terbinafine. It destroys dermatophytes, yeast-like fungi. First, the covers are cleaned, thoroughly wiped, then the product is sprayed onto the affected areas.

Possible development adverse reactions: itching, peeling, redness, irritation. The pharmacy sells many similar medicines: Termikon, Fungoterbin, Terbinafine.

The patient will notice a noticeable improvement in the condition after the first applications.

Alternative Medicine Recipes

You can successfully deal with the manifestations and causes of multi-colored lichen with the help of folk recipes. Most often use tar soap, Birch tar, sulfuric ointment, tincture of celandine, calendula, lemon balm.

Hellebore water received positive feedback; medical alcohol and hellebore rhizome are taken to prepare the tincture. When collecting raw materials, care should be taken, as the plant is poisonous. The tool can be purchased at the pharmacy in finished form. Treatment lasts 2 weeks.

Therapy of multi-colored lichen involves the use of fresh sorrel juice, it is treated with foci of fungal infection several times a day. To wipe the body use:

1. ash;
2. milkweed tincture;
3. sulfur.

An effective way is to use lilac tincture. It is prepared from 200 g of dried flowers of the plant, filled with alcohol. The product is kept in a dark place for 10 days, used to treat integuments.

Patience is essential in treatment, as folk remedies start working a little later than drugs. But the likelihood of adverse reactions of the body and overdose is minimal.

To overcome the pathogenic fungus helps regular observance of the rules of personal hygiene. A sick person several times a day must cleanse the skin in the shower. Each time, be sure to put on fresh underwear, use only clean, ironed towels.