“Fungal” is just not a friendly word. However, it sounds worse than it actually is. Fungal acne is different from the more prevalent bacterial acne and technically not even acne; it occurs when there is an overgrowth of yeast in hair follicles. This type of “acne” is characterized by small, itchy, follicular papules scattered across the skin. They tend to appear on the face, neck, chest, back and posterior arms. They may even enlarge slowly and become pustular. 🥴🥴

How Can I Tell if it is regular Acne or Fungal acne? 
The #1 tell is itchiness. Fungal acne will itch while regular acne typically will not. Fungal acne also tends to be very uniform in shape and size and often appears in clusters of white looking bumps.

Regular bacterial acne usually appears on the face and shows up as blackheads and/or whiteheads. Fungal acne, on the other hand, appears in the form of red bumps and pustules on the back, upper arms, and chest. It appears less often on the face.

How Long Does It Take To Treat Fungal Acne?
Because fungal acne is very often misdiagnosed and does not respond to your bacterial acne treatment, it often appears to linger on. The good news is that once it’s accurately diagnosed and treated, you’ll get relief almost immediately. With diligent topical application, fungal acne can clear up in as little as three days to a week. If it hasn’t started clearing up after a few weeks, you may need a prescription of an oral anti-fungal medication.

The Best Way To Treat Fungal Acne
There are several ways to treat fungal acne and the treatment will depend on the severity of your condition. Most solutions come in the form of anti-fungal creams, washes and masks.

Sulfur is both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial and is a great ingredient for treating fungal acne. Sulfur washes provide relief and a sulfur mask that can sit on your skin for a few minutes can be a very effective treatment. Check out our Acne Treatment Kit which features sulfur as its main active ingredient. A more severe fungal acne, which does not respond to topical treatment may require oral medication prescribed by a doctor.

How to Prevent Re-occurrence?
When it comes to any sort of fungal infection, the risk for re-occurrence is high. As such, lifestyle changes can make a difference. This includes keeping your skin dry, changing clothes immediately after working out or wearing looser clothing when in humid environments. Exfoliating will keep your follicles clear and help minimize your risk of developing fungal acne. Finally, reducing the amount of sugar in your diet could help regulate yeast over production.