# Diagnosis: Tinea Versicolor, Prescription: ?



## Lady Lilya (Jan 27, 2007)

Greetings to all:

My midwife noticed a strange skin condition at my last exam, which I had dismissed as being pregnancy-hormone caused, but she said was unusual. It is on my upper chest, neck, and upper back. I went to a dermatologist to diagnose it. He said it is Tinea Versicolor. It is caused by a yeast that is normally on the skin, but the person becomes somehow sensitive to it and it takes hold. He said it is very common. He said that if I do nothing, it will spread, but it is not dangerous to ignore it for a while since I am pregnant.

He prescribed Loprox, and anti-fungal, which he said he thought was safe for pregnancy, but I should confirm that because he never prescribed it to a pregnant woman before. He said the usual dosage is to apply 2 times a day for 2 months, but he thought 1 time a day for 2 weeks would be sufficient. He said if I didn't want to use it, I could wait until after the birth. But, I should stay out of the sun or I will get permanent damage. (I really liked this guy. He seemed truly concerned and not after my money, which is unusual.)

So, I looked up Loprox, and it is not safe for pregnancy or breast feeding. That means I can't use it for years. I have 4.5 months left in this pregnancy, plus I plan to BF for 2 years. By that time, I will probably have another baby. So, Loprox is not a solution.

Any ideas? Wikipedia mentions that some people have found a difference from using hydrogen peroxide on it.

I am just wondering if anyone has had experience with it before and knows a safe and effective method.

TIA for your help.


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## Strong Mama (Feb 7, 2006)

Hi!! I have that condition, I use over the counter selsun blue. I rub it on the spots when they start. I apply it before bed and leave it on. I dont wash it off until the next shower. I do it again the next night and then that usually takes about a week and my spots start disappearing. They usually stay away until I get out in the sun a lot or get really hot. Then I just reapply as needed.


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## Lady Lilya (Jan 27, 2007)

Awesome!

Thanks!


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## Lady Lilya (Jan 27, 2007)

I am not sure I feel comfortable using Selsun Blue while pregnant.

A friend of mine said I should wash the area with baking soda, and apply apple cider vinegar. (she also warned me to avoid sun exposure to that area while using the ACV)

Does anyone have any reasons why this might not be a good course of action? I have BS and ACV already on hand.


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## kimtonyk (Mar 26, 2007)

I just found out that I have this same problem on my chest under my breasts. I too first noticed it during pregnancy with my first son. After asking several healthcare professionals, no one could tell me what it was until 3 and a half years later when I went to see a new dermatologist and was told that it was tinea versicolor. The nurse practitioner told me to use Selsen Blue shampoo and that it might help, but any medication related treatments would have to wait until I was finished breastfeeding my 12 month old (which will most likely be for another year.) However, I live in Arizona home of the 115 degree summer that lasts from May to October, and the condition is worse during the summer and exasperated by the fact that I wear both my children on my front in wraps quite often. I have also battled with Thrush while breastfeeding my second baby, and although the doctors tell me the two illnesses are unrelated, I wonder if they aren't related somehow.

When in doubt about what medications are and are not safe for use during breastfeeding (and pregnancy) check out the book Medications and Mother's Milk by Thomas Hale. I am a certified Breastfeeding Counselor and am active in the lactation community so I know that most meds are safe to use during breastfeeding. The book is also great to have when you go to a doctor's appointment since most of the time they reach for the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) when checking to see if a medication is safe to use during lactation. And the PDR is woefully inadequate. So even if you choose not to treat it until after the baby is born, you should still be able to use the meds safety while you are lactating. It is also good to know things like the fact that the medication in some OTC sinus medications can greatly lower your milk supply. Really, the book is invaluable to breastfeeding and pregnant women alike.

As for the Nurse Practitioner that gave me misinformation about just what drugs are and are not safe to use while breastfeeding, I left her a detailed message saying that I had checked Medications and Mother's Milk as well as spoken with my pediatrician, and it would be safe for me to use Terbinafine a while breastfeeding. According to the book, it is actually an L2 (L1 being safest and L5 being contraindicated) and is actually safer than the topical that she prescribed for my acne. So we will have to see whether or not she prescribes the medication for me. If she doesn't, I will be going somewhere else; I have suffered with this itchy rash long enough!

HTH!


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## Lady Lilya (Jan 27, 2007)

Thanks for the info!

I started washing with BS paste and dabbing on ACV after the shower. It didn't itch before, and it just tingles a little bit now. I hope that means some work is being done by my body to eliminate it, and not that I have activated it.

I am also concerned about after the baby is born (August) that this could turn into thrush. I don't want to just leave it alone.

I am really cautious about what I put on my skin. My rule is that if I wouldn't eat it or let my child eat it, I shouldn't put it on my skin.


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## onandon (Jan 7, 2005)

I have tinea versicolor also and have for nearly 9 years. It started when I moved to a new climate (vermont to california). I've tried a pretty toxic antifungal pills before I got pregnant the first time, all the antifungal creams, selsum blue, raw cut up garlic paste, vinegar, and tea tree oil without permanent relief. I'm pregnant again and expect to be pregnant/nursing for another 3 or so years. With my last pregnancy it got really bad on my back, I was almost all red at the birth and it got better again over time. I'm seem to get yeast infections pretty easily, but haven't had thrush (knock on wood).

Next stop for me is an appointment with a classical homeopath who might have some new ideas.

I'm subscribing for ideas!


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## Bunnybee (Jan 16, 2007)

I searched for this condition and fouond this thread b/c I have Tinea versicolor pretty bad and have had it off and on for years. Anybody ever find something safe that works? I like the baking soda and vinegar idea. Anyone?


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## ASusan (Jun 6, 2006)

I'm joining the discussion because my son was dx with tinea versicolor just this past Monday. I had never heard of it before, and I was going to post here, but I hadn't had a chance. I don't have an experience-based advice, but I can tell you what we are doing.

DS is 4 mos old. He developed a spotted red and whitish rash on his trunk, and also his neck about 2 months ago. As he also had cradle cap and really dry skin, I thought perhaps it was the start of eczema. I went off all dairy, we tried natural products, etc.. The rash on the trunk did not go away, and it spread to his armpits, so we finally took him to our family dr.

The doc diagnosed him with tinea versicolor and prescribed selenium sul sha 2.5%, to be slather on daily, wait 10-15 minutes, then wash off. To be used for 2 mos. The doc said that it may take several months for the markings to go away. The alternate diagnosis is vitiligo, which we won't know unless we treat it as tinea versicolor and wait for it to go away. We don't particularly want a vitiligo diagnosis, so I'm hoping that it is tinea versicolor (even if that seems to be somewhat permanant, according to some of you).

When I read that it was a fungal reaction, I would have preferred to treat it naturally, but DH is more Western-med oriented, and we've been trying natural things on his skin without complete resolution. So, we're sticking with the prescription for now.

I'm off to research more about it, because I am breastfeeding, and I *know* that DS has inadvertantly eaten some of this lotion because his hands are everywhere and then in his mouth. In addition, I've been the one to rinse him off in MY bath most evenings, so essentially I am lightly treating myself, as DS' lotion gets in the bathwater. I may stop that if I don't like what I read about it. I'm also thinking that we may swaddle him for the 15 minutes of treatment, although he will protest.

OP - If I were you, I would treat it with TTO or ACV or other "natural" things known to help with yeast.


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## Bunnybee (Jan 16, 2007)

I would scared of using the prescription on a baby so young. Heck, I don't want to use it myself b/c I'm afraid any residue that didn't rinse off would get in DS mouth too. (from nursing) Please post if you find alternative treatment. I hope your son doesn't have vitiligo.!


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## iloveikey (Apr 30, 2008)

Hi, just wanted to pass along some info that has helped me.
I bought the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle after my naturopath told me she thought my Tinea Versicolor was caused by a gluten allergy. I have since noticed that whenever I eat gluten or white sugar I get super itchy. When I'm consistent with the diet it's gone completely. That diet, combined with a cream I use made of Boric acid, lanolin, calendula, & lavendar, as well as using a fragrance-free all natural powder (when I'm not eating perfectly) has really helped a lot.
Hope this helps.


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## Ornery (May 21, 2007)

I've suffered with Tinea Versicolor for 13 years, ever since my first pregnancy (at age 16). While pregnant or breastfeeding, I could find nothing to help it. I tried completely changing my diet, all sorts of natural remedies, etc. It just came and went depending on what my hormones were doing. While not pregnant or breastfeeding, I would treat with Selsun Blue, but it always came back. After my pregnancy last year (that ended with a stillbirth so I wasn't breastfeeding), it was so bad that the patches were purple. My back, shoulders, neck, lower part of my face and chest were covered. I looked like an alien. I finally took one Nizoral pill (the cream hadn't worked) sometime last September. It went away completely within a few days and has not returned. I plan on taking one Nizoral at the first sign of it returning. I hate putting toxins into my body but that rash makes me absolutely miserable.

As far as I know, all of the medical treatments for it, including Nizoral, are NOT safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding.


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## BerryMac (Apr 29, 2007)

Hi everyone,
Just subscribed to this thread, as I too am a sufferer. I first developed TV after I moved to a warm, humid city. After treating it (unsuccessfully) with Selsun Blue, I was prescribed a 1-pill course (oral) of Diflucan. It's usually prescribed for yeast infections. It cleared up my rash and it didn't come back - until I got pregnant.

I didn't treat the TV with Selsun or Diflucan this time, as I was pregnant and wary of using any chemicals, but I did try a tea tree oil application nightly. It seemed to stop the spread of the rash, but didn't kill it off completely.

Now I've had my baby, and want to get rid of this. It's summer here, and the TV has now spread to my neck and most of my upper torso. It's terrible, and I'm really pale, so the rash is flaming red against my white skin when I get hot. It makes me terribly self conscious, and I'm afraid my baby will get it too, since she sleeps so close to me, AND she's always hot. I know the doctors say it's not contagious, but at the time I first developed tinea, my boyfriend had it too.

Hopefully someone finds something that is safe to use while breastfeeding...


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

Ughhhh I have this too- really bad on my back. i used to have it on my chest/neck/under breasts too, but antifungal cream took care of that. I felt ok using that during PG. But there is just too much of it on my back to try to treat with antifungal. The spots on my upper back faded away- went away on its own. also, I had a loss of pigment from a lot of the spots, but it healed and now looks normal. I plan to take some kind of oral medication once i am done bfing because nothing else seems to work.

Dermatologist said it is NOT contagious btw.


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## traycanadian (Jul 26, 2004)

I've had TV for a couple of years now but just had it diagnosed this past winter. I only have one spot and it has never spread, fortunately. My doc prescribed Selsun Blue shampoo but I never tried it, opting instead to use something natural. I put *coconut oil* on it twice a day and it usually disappears in a week or two. I almost always stop the coconut oil when it seems like it's pretty much gone but it always comes back. This time, I'm about a week into coconut oil treatment and I'm just going to keep putting it on even though I can barely see it anymore.


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## khalidaf (Jun 15, 2021)

Lady Lilya said:


> Greetings to all:
> 
> My midwife noticed a strange skin condition at my last exam, which I had dismissed as being pregnancy-hormone caused, but she said was unusual. It is on my upper chest, neck, and upper back. I went to a dermatologist to diagnose it. He said it is Tinea Versicolor. It is caused by a yeast that is normally on the skin, but the person becomes somehow sensitive to it and it takes hold. He said it is very common. He said that if I do nothing, it will spread, but it is not dangerous to ignore it for a while since I am pregnant.
> 
> ...





Lady Lilya said:


> Greetings to all:
> 
> My midwife noticed a strange skin condition at my last exam, which I had dismissed as being pregnancy-hormone caused, but she said was unusual. It is on my upper chest, neck, and upper back. I went to a dermatologist to diagnose it. He said it is Tinea Versicolor. It is caused by a yeast that is normally on the skin, but the person becomes somehow sensitive to it and it takes hold. He said it is very common. He said that if I do nothing, it will spread, but it is not dangerous to ignore it for a while since I am pregnant.
> 
> ...


Hi all, I am breastfeeding and have this around my chest area. It's worse in the summertime no matter how many showers I take. I don't want to apply any creams bc though minute, a trace amount can enter the breastmilk. So I found a simple solution. Before changing my baby's diaper, I take the baby wipe and wipe around my breasts. That way, I'm freshening the area up every two hours, ensuring no sweat buildup. I use the diaper changes as a reminder and I reuse the wipe on my baby. Within a day or two, my condition improved dramatically.


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