Summer Skin Care – Dr. Acky Friedman

The fungi enjoy and flourish in situations of heat, humidity, and local dimness. For this reason, it is easy for the problem to recur again and again in the same anatomic locations. It is important to note that different fungi types exist on our body all the time, but given the right environmental conditions, they will flourish and “conquer” near areas while presenting themselves as itching, redness, dry skin, or cuts. We will focus on two of the most dominant problems, “sun” fungus and jock itch.

Sun fungus
It is coined this way but has nothing to do with the sun. Some suffer from it more in the summer due to sweating and heat but some suffer from it all year round. Resulting in light spots (sometimes reddish-brown) on the back, chest, and arms, it is an aesthetic problem more than medical. Since it destroys Melanin (responsible for skin coloring), it is more visible in the summer when we tan more and the differences of skin tone and lack of pigment become more evident. This fungus is contagious but the form of infection is not clear.

Groin fungus – Jock itch
This is a slightly different phenomenon. Several different types of fungi may spur it. Redness, dandruff, itching, and skin discomfort are the most classic traits. There is also the problem of Jock itch, which is an injury due to the rubbing of the thighs against one another. It is a phenomenon that is different from groin fungus but mostly we may see a combination of both.

Method of treatment
The easiest, most efficient, and simplest solutions are a variety of anti-fungal treatments that can be applied by cream, spray, or via therapeutic shampoo. You must continue the treatment and in the case of using shampoo, it should be left on the area of treatment for 15 minutes for it to kick in. There is also the option of pill treatment. In some cases, the pills have risks and side effects that should be considered before administering the medication. In every treatment, there are good chances to heal but the treatment does not guarantee a lifelong solution, it is probable that the fungus will reappear at some point in the future.

Prevention
It is hard to discuss prevention since not all factors for the growth of the fungus are known. However, reducing sweat, good ventilation, reduction of mechanical factors (rubbing) and keeping to basic hygiene rules – if that won’t help, at least it can’t hurt.