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View Full Version : Pityrasis Versicolour, and possibly Eczema.



beccaliquorish
08-08-2012, 01:41 PM
Hi everyone, I'm Rebecca, I've just registered. I'm 20 years old, from the UK, and I've suffer from Pityriasis Versicolour, and maybe some form of Eczema.

Firstly, I've suffered from PV since I was about 14. I had white, dry patches of unpigmented skin covering my torso. I then started to get brown coloured patches under my arms and under my breasts a few years later, which I was told was also PV. I have been on numerous anti-fungal medication since: ketaconazole (nizoral) tablets, fluconazole tablets, itraconazole tablets, Nizoral/Selsun shampoo, clotrimazole cream, lamisil AT spray, daktarin gold cream... the list is endless. It was hard to keep track on what was working and what wasn't, but each treatment seemed to clear the PV for the first week or so of using it, but then it would always come back. It was like it was becoming resistant to each treatment. I then started to get darker coloured patches in the crooks of my elbow. A few months ago, I visited a top skin dermatologist in the UK, St John's in London, and was seen by 3 or 4 different consultants. I had skin scrapings to see if the PV germ (M.Fur Fur) was present on my skin, and the results were negative. So despite having the appearance of PV, the dermatologist said I had killed the germ with the anti-fungal treatment. The white marks were simply "left-over" from where the germ had affected my skin and would eventually blend in with the rest of my skin over time. Fine. Today, these white marks are still visible, but I admit not as visible as they have been. So I hope the PV germ stays away long enough for these marks to disappear completely.

However, I was still confused about the dry, dark, reddy/brown marks in my elbow creases and underarms. PV was not the cause as the skin scraping showed, so the dermatologist suggested I treat it as though it were Eczema. I have never suffered from Ezcema as a child, nor asthma or hayfever. So I was a little doubtful that it was Ezcema. I was prescribed a weak steroid cream, dermol 500 wash and a thick emollient. My skin has not really improved since. The marks are still there under my arms and my elbow creases. Last night I suffered a flare up in my elbow creases and it is like nothing I've ever seen before. The itch is almost unbearable, the skin is red, blotchy, looks slightly scaley and has little red lumps. It looks like Eczema. I have put the steroid cream on this morning and plan to put it on twice a day until it subsides.

But I have a few questions to ask, and was hoping for some help and advice. Firstly, why is it that I'm being plagued by Eczema at this stage in my life? At 20 years old when I never had it as a child? Is it linked to PV? Also, can hormones related to the menstrual cycle cause flare ups? I notice that my skin is redder a few days before my period. I also suffer from Anxiety/Depression and take anti-depressent medication. Can mental health issues affect skin conditions like PV and Eczema?

And finally, is there any hope for me to have normal skin for once in my life? :(

Thanks,

Rebecca

Dr.Deepak
08-08-2012, 03:44 PM
Well .. stress and anxiety can aggravate eczema or PV and can occur at any age. Try to avoid excessive stress which will in-turn reduce the itching and scratching, preventing further infection. Yes PV rash, even if treated completely can last several months and in few cases year, than gradually fades out. The best way of avoiding recurrence is to apply anti-fungal shampoo 1-2 times every months for at-least a year or two.

About the case on your elbow and underarms, if ur dermatologist has suggested as Eczema than he might be correct. We can't just diagnose it online with what u say, it needs direct examination. Could you post a picture if possible so we could suggest if we can.

There are several conditions that are common during summer, hot and humid climate.... like Intertrigo and several others..Try to avoid excessive sweating. Yes, for many..eczema and several other skin condition seems to be severe during their menstruation or just few days before menstruation. Well if steroids is not working for you, you may try some antibiotics ointments (fusidic acid cream, mupirocin) or fungal creams (clotrimazole and terbinafine). There are several creams and ointments containing (antifungal+antibiotics+steroids) you may choose if nothing is working for you.

Don't be too stressed dear. you'll surely have normal skin. Just be patient and follow what ur dermatologist says.

beccaliquorish
08-09-2012, 08:10 PM
Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I have attached a picture of what my rash looked like in my elbow crease yesterday, what does it look like in your opinion? I have been putting Betnovate RD Cream on it 3 times a day, and the lumps and redness have gone down a bit, which makes me think that it could be some sort of Eczema as opposed to a fungal infection. Am I right in thinking this?

As for my underarm rash, I will take a picture and post that soon. The nature of the rash seems to change constantly. It started of a year ago as brown-coloured dry patches, then the patches sort of merged together to cover a greater area (this was when it was diagnosed as PV) then during anti-fungal treatment the rash turned more red in colour. And now today it looks like small red dry patches, kinda similar to razor burn I guess. I use emollient on the skin to combat the dryness, but this does nothing for the redness. I take care when shaving as not to damage the skin further, although I am thinking of switching to epilation as my skin cannot cope with daily shaving. Or will epilation irritate the skin further?

Thank you for your advice and support, I appreciate any help I can get at this difficult time.

Rebecca

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