The Causes and Appearance of Tinea Versicolor

Tinea versicolor is a fungal infection of the skin, characterizing hyper-pigmented or hypo-pigmented patches and macules occurring on back and chest of a person. Malassezia furfur, a lipophilic, dimorphic organism results in this disease. People who suffer from the disease find the organism in two different stages, the yeast form and the filamentous stage.

Areas having high temperature and great humidity support the growth of this disease. About 2-8% of the United States’ population suffers from this skin ailment. While it occurs throughout the world, data reveal that humid areas are the most fertile conditions for it with about 50% cases reported in places like Western Samoa. The density is much lower in countries like Sweden where only about 1.1% cases are reported.

It does not show any special leaning to a particular race inflicting different races alike. The sex of an individual has nothing to do with this skin infection. While in United States, most of the people infected with this disease fall under the age group 15-24 years, in tropical countries like India and Liberia people between 10-19 years old are most susceptible to it. Tinea occurs when the sebaceous glands are quite active. Its occurrence after 65 years of age or before puberty is most unlikely. It is not a contagious disease because you can also find fungal pathogen that causes this disease on the skin under ordinary conditions.