Skin Care
Get more from Gleamin with our helpful blog posts.
Skin Care
If you thought you had enough to deal with when it comes to bacterial acne, wait until you hear about fungal acne! That’s right—yeast and other fungi assemble on the skin and cause irritating, acne-like bumps to pop up on your face (as well as other parts of the body).
Here’s the catch: while bacterial and fungal acne look confusingly similar, they respond best to different treatments. In fact, some bacterial acne treatments even make fungal acne worse!
If you’re aware of the specific symptoms and causes of fungal acne, you won’t confuse it with something else and treat it incorrectly. Learn the difference between fungal and bacterial acne and proper treatment methods for fungal acne, so you can keep your skin looking as healthy and glowing as possible.
Okay, so, first things first. We...kinda lied to you. See, fungal acne isn’t actually acne at all. Its proper name is malassezia folliculitis, or pityrosporum folliculitis, which refers to the yeast involved in triggering this condition. Those names just aren’t as easy to say as fungal acne, so we’ve decided to stick with the latter.
It may be worrying to hear the terms fungus and bacteria since we often associate them with illness. And sure, both cause acne-like symptoms, as well as other unsavory conditions. However, it is completely normal to have certain amounts of fungus and bacteria on and in the body at all times.
The skin is one of the most important parts of the immune system, acting as the first line of defense against unwanted invaders. We need good bacteria and fungi to help protect our bodies and perform other essential tasks, hence why they are there in the first place. Problems only arise when some outside force disrupts the balance in our levels of bacteria and fungi.
A disruption in the balance of bacteria on the skin can cause bacterial acne, the acne that you’re most familiar with. Breakouts of whiteheads, blackheads, and other pimples are typical of an overgrowth of certain types of bacteria, and most people will experience some form of bacterial acne at least once in their life.
A buildup of yeast on the skin also irritates the skin, blocks up the hair follicles, and creates the appearance of acne. Here’s the thing, though: as we established earlier, fungal acne is not actually acne and can’t be treated as such. As a result, the difference between bacterial acne and fungal acne is crucial.
To summarize, here are the biggest differences between fungal and bacterial acne:
Before we look at how the symptoms of these conditions differ, let’s look at a few potential causes of fungal acne so you know what kind of behavior to avoid.
Fungal acne is caused by an overgrowth of yeast on the skin, which will inflame the hair follicles and lead to small bumps. But what exactly causes that overgrowth in the first place?
Just to reiterate, the presence of fungi is not itself a problem but rather something natural and necessary for your body’s health. An overgrowth of fungi signals that there has been some disruption in the body’s natural balance of fungi, though, and a few different factors can trigger this:
Once you better understand the causes of fungal acne, you can adjust your behavior and your environment to minimize the risk of developing fungal acne.
It’s about time we talk about what to look for when it comes to fungal acne. After all, this information doesn’t mean very much if you can’t identify whether you have fungal acne.
That said, it’s difficult to tell the difference between bacterial and fungal acne, which is why people mix them up so often. Even if you feel positive that you have fungal acne, your safest bet is to talk to your dermatologist.
The following chart should help illustrate the main differences between fungal acne and bacterial acne:
Fungal Acne |
Bacterial Acne |
Bumps are uniform in size and are generally very small. |
Bumps vary in size. |
No visible heads. |
Blackheads and whiteheads are common. |
Fungal acne is almost always very itchy. |
Bacterial acne can be itchy, but not as severely as fungal acne. |
Bumps appear in clusters. |
Bumps appear randomly across the body. |
Knowing the difference between fungal acne and bacterial acne isn’t just about calling your condition by the right name—your treatment method will vary greatly depending on which one you have.
Okay, so you’ve determined that you have fungal acne, and you even confirmed this diagnosis with your dermatologist. What’s next? These treatment methods will all be effective in keeping your fungal acne at bay and restoring the balance of fungi in your body:
To treat fungal acne, you have to be able to identify fungal acne. Once you do, there are plenty of treatment options available to get rid of that signature fungal acne itch as soon as possible.
If your condition persists, speak to a dermatologist about prescription medication. That way, you can quickly go back to having bright and healthy skin and feeling like your most confident self!
Sources
What Is Fungal Acne? Symptoms, Treatment, Vs. Acne (healthline.com)
How to Know if You Have 'Fungal Acne'—and How to Treat it | SELF
What Is Fungal Acne? Causes, Treatments, and Symptoms — Expert Advice | Allure
Skin Care
If you thought you had enough to deal with when it comes to bacterial acne, wait until you hear about fungal acne! That’s right—yeast and other fungi assemble on the skin and cause irritating, acne-like bumps to pop up on your face (as well as other parts of the body).
Here’s the catch: while bacterial and fungal acne look confusingly similar, they respond best to different treatments. In fact, some bacterial acne treatments even make fungal acne worse!
If you’re aware of the specific symptoms and causes of fungal acne, you won’t confuse it with something else and treat it incorrectly. Learn the difference between fungal and bacterial acne and proper treatment methods for fungal acne, so you can keep your skin looking as healthy and glowing as possible.
Okay, so, first things first. We...kinda lied to you. See, fungal acne isn’t actually acne at all. Its proper name is malassezia folliculitis, or pityrosporum folliculitis, which refers to the yeast involved in triggering this condition. Those names just aren’t as easy to say as fungal acne, so we’ve decided to stick with the latter.
It may be worrying to hear the terms fungus and bacteria since we often associate them with illness. And sure, both cause acne-like symptoms, as well as other unsavory conditions. However, it is completely normal to have certain amounts of fungus and bacteria on and in the body at all times.
The skin is one of the most important parts of the immune system, acting as the first line of defense against unwanted invaders. We need good bacteria and fungi to help protect our bodies and perform other essential tasks, hence why they are there in the first place. Problems only arise when some outside force disrupts the balance in our levels of bacteria and fungi.
A disruption in the balance of bacteria on the skin can cause bacterial acne, the acne that you’re most familiar with. Breakouts of whiteheads, blackheads, and other pimples are typical of an overgrowth of certain types of bacteria, and most people will experience some form of bacterial acne at least once in their life.
A buildup of yeast on the skin also irritates the skin, blocks up the hair follicles, and creates the appearance of acne. Here’s the thing, though: as we established earlier, fungal acne is not actually acne and can’t be treated as such. As a result, the difference between bacterial acne and fungal acne is crucial.
To summarize, here are the biggest differences between fungal and bacterial acne:
Before we look at how the symptoms of these conditions differ, let’s look at a few potential causes of fungal acne so you know what kind of behavior to avoid.
Fungal acne is caused by an overgrowth of yeast on the skin, which will inflame the hair follicles and lead to small bumps. But what exactly causes that overgrowth in the first place?
Just to reiterate, the presence of fungi is not itself a problem but rather something natural and necessary for your body’s health. An overgrowth of fungi signals that there has been some disruption in the body’s natural balance of fungi, though, and a few different factors can trigger this:
Once you better understand the causes of fungal acne, you can adjust your behavior and your environment to minimize the risk of developing fungal acne.
It’s about time we talk about what to look for when it comes to fungal acne. After all, this information doesn’t mean very much if you can’t identify whether you have fungal acne.
That said, it’s difficult to tell the difference between bacterial and fungal acne, which is why people mix them up so often. Even if you feel positive that you have fungal acne, your safest bet is to talk to your dermatologist.
The following chart should help illustrate the main differences between fungal acne and bacterial acne:
Fungal Acne |
Bacterial Acne |
Bumps are uniform in size and are generally very small. |
Bumps vary in size. |
No visible heads. |
Blackheads and whiteheads are common. |
Fungal acne is almost always very itchy. |
Bacterial acne can be itchy, but not as severely as fungal acne. |
Bumps appear in clusters. |
Bumps appear randomly across the body. |
Knowing the difference between fungal acne and bacterial acne isn’t just about calling your condition by the right name—your treatment method will vary greatly depending on which one you have.
Okay, so you’ve determined that you have fungal acne, and you even confirmed this diagnosis with your dermatologist. What’s next? These treatment methods will all be effective in keeping your fungal acne at bay and restoring the balance of fungi in your body:
To treat fungal acne, you have to be able to identify fungal acne. Once you do, there are plenty of treatment options available to get rid of that signature fungal acne itch as soon as possible.
If your condition persists, speak to a dermatologist about prescription medication. That way, you can quickly go back to having bright and healthy skin and feeling like your most confident self!
Sources
What Is Fungal Acne? Symptoms, Treatment, Vs. Acne (healthline.com)
How to Know if You Have 'Fungal Acne'—and How to Treat it | SELF
What Is Fungal Acne? Causes, Treatments, and Symptoms — Expert Advice | Allure