Skin Condition Needs Explanation...Infection or Something Else?

Hello All,

I'm afraid I'm going to need some advice from the IH vets on this one. Each time I've consulted a doctor, they explained to me that it is dry skin, or as one put it "Michigan" skin, which I don't think adequately explains what's going on.

My upper arms have always had keratosis pilaris. If you haven't heard of this condition, it causes red bumps on the skin because excess keratin production. The appearance isn't necessarily attractive, but its really pretty benine and tends to dissipate with proper sun exposure.

But the forearms are a different story. There are patches of discolored skin. My normal skin color is very pale, but the patches are about the size of a silver dollar (there are perhaps 1 or 2 per arms) but they are perpetual and seem to be aggrivated by sun exposure. The color is not a dark color but slightly different than the skin color, more purple/red, but faint. You can tell in certain light they are present. They are located on the upper side of the forearm beneath the arm hair.

I did not notice these appearing until a few years ago, I am 23 now. The interesting part is that my father also displayed these in his adulthood. His were very sensitive to sunlight and the left forearm discoloration patches would be more pronounced because he would allow this to hang out the window of his car when driving. My left forearm is also the side that displays the more prominent patches. It seems enough sun exposure and subsequent coloring covers the patches, but when the tan disappears the patches return.

I apologize for the long post, however, I have been trying to decide what could be causing this. If it sounds like simply an anomaly, then I won't worry. But being that my father had almost identical patches (keep in mind these are NOT birth marks), I wonder if this isn't something in the skin such as a latent infection. Is it possible for the father to pass on this type of infection?

In addition, anything you know of that can alleviate this type of problem if it is due to some type of infection would be sincerely appreciated. Is there a common pathogen that inhabits the skin? If so, how can we eliminate this? Thanks all.

After a little searching, I found that the malassezia fungus can be responsible for a condition called tinea versicolor, which could cause these patches. According to medicinenet.com the fungus when present in the skin causes discolored patches of skin. The photos didn't look altogether different from what I am experiencing.

Could it be possible, if this is indeed what I'm dealing with, that the malassezia fungus could also be related to my hair loss? Does this fungus have the potential to influence hair loss?

I am still open to other advice and possibilities, but if there is indeed a connection, how do we eliminate the malassezia fungus on a systemic level?

Again, any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

not pathogens. but commensals that live on the skin. its called normal flora, and includes a selection of bacteria, and fungi. when these normal flora proliferate too much the balance can shift and they can become pathogenic. also some protazoa.

thats wats happening with seborraic dermititis. a fungi called malezzia furfur which inhabits most ppls scalps, gets out of control.

thats why in microbiology, u have to differentiate normal flora from pathogens. pathogens usually have 3+ or 4+ growth on the agar plates. normal flora is usually 0+ or 1+.

so a good treatment for u would be chemical treatment or natural treatment. (not neccessarily mutually specific) from a doctor or chemist u need broad spectrum anti-biotics and anti-fungals, in topical cremes. or possible oral tablets. such as chlorhexidine, ketoconazole, miconazole, coat tar. etc

or naturally tea tree oil, coconut oil, grape fruit seed extract. etc or watever else ppl on this forum can suggest.


personally id use a combination. i'd use a topical creme called resolve with hydrocortizone and miconazole, + a topical anti-bacterial such as chlorhexidine, + salt water washes, sunlight, and tea tree oil. that should take care of it.

if its really bad then ur doctor could prescribe hydrocortizone 2% creme, or oral hydrocortizone, or oral antibiotics.

FWIW ive recently changed from ketoconazole (nizoral) to coal tar for my seborraic demititis, and ive found it to be much better. I also use tea tree oil and GFSE.

hope this helps. this is just off the top of my head. others probably have more ideas.
generally ive found a combination of chemical and natural treatments to be effective.

Hey Anxious,

Damn good answer. Thank you. I suspect, but am not positive, that perhaps a terrible diet for many years of my life (way too high in sugar) and inadequate sunlight from working a desk job might have contributed to overgrowth. I am not sure if these are factors that could cause this. But throw in some obvious estrogen dominance and the hormonal imbalance might set this off even further.

I will definitely use your advice to put together some type of topical. I would prefer to avoid oral anti-biotics if possible. Perhaps consuming coconut oil, oregano oil, (maybe some others like berberine and GFSE) and a low-sugar diet might do the trick internally.

I just purchased a bottle of T-Gel shampoo and combined with salt-water rinses, ACV, and some other type of topical per your response might just do the trick.

no worries my friend. i love my microbiology!

can i just say, non-chemical anti-fungals have never worked on me. at least not on theyre own. just sayin. i use a combination of chemical and natural. cover all bases u know?

Hey Anxious,

Are all of the chemical anti-fungals available by prescription only? Or can I get an alternative over the counter or from some source on the internet?

I'm ignorant when it comes to the different forms of antibiotics.

oral anti-fungals and anti-bacterials are usually prescription only, unless u buy fr om a internet drug store, i wouldnt know which ones r trustworthy.

topical cremes of anti fungals and anti bacterials are available otc. stronger ones again u need a prescription for.

u can buy a creme called resolve or daktarin with .5 or 1% hydrocortizone, + miconazole, over the counter. u can also buy nizoral and coal tar otc. best to ask at the chemist see wats available, as im in australis, and its different in different countries.

anthonyspencer,

Are you taking Ecklonia Cava extract while this is happening? The only reason I ask is that if you aren't, that acts like a natural antibiotic when used. It acts similar to doxcycline which is often an anti-biotic that Dr's prescribe for any kind of inflammatory skin condition.

If you're not taking it, I'd give it a go. It's powerful stuff and could give you some relief and won't come with the nasty side effects of regular anti-biotics.

Hadrion,

I am not taking ecklonia cava actually. I was aware it was a powerful antioxidant but was not aware
of the antibiotic properties. I appreciate the advice. I had already planned on ordering some ecklonia cava for the former benefits, but its good to know it might help with fungal issues.

Its just strange because the condition is extremely benign. There is no sensitivity or feeling, just some discoloration of certain patches of skin. From what I've read and some previous tips, it seems as though it may be fungal. Fungal/yeast overgrowth is probably what's causing this. If there are any other possibilities I'd be open to hearing them, because frankly I'm not worried about the discoloration, I'm worried about the other systemic effects of this kind of overgrowth.

Does anyone know if my keratosis pilaris could be related to this. I don't necessarily mean directly, but could some other issue be indirectly related...some other problem further upstream causing both?