Tinea Versicolor: How to Care for Your Child

Kids with tinea versicolor have patches of skin that look lighter or darker than the rest of their skin. To treat it, health care providers prescribe medicine that's put on the skin.

• Use any prescribed medicines as directed.

• To help prevent tinea versicolor from coming back, your child should:

  • Wear lightweight, loose clothing to reduce sweating.

  • Avoid skin products that are oily. Use products that say non-oily or non-comedogenic.

• Too much sun exposure can make tinea versicolor patches easier to see. To protect your child's skin from the sun:

  • Keep skin covered with clothing when possible.

  • Apply water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 to uncovered skin. Reapply at least every 2 hours.

• the patches get red or very itchy

• the patches go away and then come back

How is tinea versicolor diagnosed? Health care providers can sometimes diagnose tinea versicolor (also called pityriasis versicolor) just by looking at the skin. If they need more information, they can use a special light called a Wood's lamp or send some flakes of skin to be looked at under a microscope.

What is the treatment for tinea versicolor? Tinea versicolor is usually treated with a prescription cream, lotion, gel, or skin shampoo. The health care provider might recommend that your child keep using it because tinea versicolor can come back after treatment. If it comes back or covers a large part of the body, the health care provider can prescribe medicine to be taken by mouth.

How long does it take for skin to get back to normal after treatment? It might be a few months before skin patches turn back to their normal color after treatment. Tinea versicolor does not leave a scar.

What causes tinea versicolor? It's caused by a yeast (a type of fungus) that normally lives on the skin and usually doesn't cause problems. But in some people, it causes tinea versicolor. Hot, humid weather, oily skin products, and lots of sweating make it more likely that the yeast will cause tinea versicolor. Tinea versicolor cannot spread from person to person.