How Is Fungal Acne Different Than Traditional Acne?

You have questions, we’re going to answer a few of them today by spending The Wheel of Health. Today’s wheel has 10 questions from viewers at home, we’re going to answer whichever one the wheel lands on. Let’s go ahead and spin the wheel. (audience clapping) First question, what is fungal acne and how is it different than regular acne? So, actually this is kind of a trendy topic right now.

I feel like I’ve been getting asked about fungal acne more. And what it is, very similar in appearance to good, old, garden variety acne that many of us get around puberty and teen years, but the difference is it’s due to a fungal, or yeast organism, called pityrosporum. And that actually is a natural flora, it lives on the skin. I was gonna say, that it’s natural for us to have some fungus on our face.

It is, it’s a normal part of your microbiome and we think when the counts get a little bit higher, which is usually in a really oily area of your face, or in a moist, humid, sweaty environment, because yeast and fungus love moisture. You can get this eruption which is a little different from acne in that all of the spots just seem to come on at once. They’re very similar in size and shape, and sometimes they’re itchy. And if you’re really looking closely, you’ll see that they’re around the hair follicles.

You can even get these little pustules around the follicles. This is a perfect picture of it actually. And it has a fancy name because it’s not truly fungal acne, it’s called pityrosporum folliculitus. And in this case, all the typical acne medicines are actually just gonna irritate it and make it worse.

You can try a couple over the counter, maybe salicylic acid, maybe benzoyl peroxide, but if they’re not working, this is maybe something you should bring up with your doctor or your healthcare provider and say, you know, I’ve been trying all these over-the-counter products for acne, doesn’t seem to be getting better, it’s a little itchy. In that case, an antifungal or anti-yeast agent, either orally or topically, should clear it up. Thanks Dr. B, I love it. Yeah, that does have a different look.

Yeah, it looks slightly different. I think we had a picture of acne next to it and I think the big diagnostic difference in the second picture, the regular, is that you can see spots in all different stages of evolution. Some are red, some are inflamed, some are pustules. And they’re not necessarily centered around hair follicles if you were to look very closely.

So, that’s one giveaway. Should we spin the wheel one more time? Sure. Let’s do it, let’s spin it. (audience clapping) Gummy vitamins O.D.

Question, is it possible to overdose on gummy vitamins? What do you all think? Yes. Yeah. And the answer is yes. In particular, what you worry about with any sort of vitamin are the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K.

Certain minerals like iron, zinc, niacin, these things can all potentially build up in the body. Look, gummies, they work, but because sometimes they taste so good, people will start popping them like candy because that’s what they taste like. And I will say, the issue if you’re starting to overload on these fat-soluble vitamins is the symptoms are so nondescript. You may have very few symptoms, you might have a little nausea, but it’s not as though it’s one of those, okay, it’s obvious that I’m a little high on Vitamin A right now.

Right. So, that’s why I would always, if you’re going to take gummy vitamins, remember these aren’t candy. This is a supplement, this is a medication, so take it as directed. Even more important with your kids, these are gonna be up somewhere where your kids can’t get to them.

If you’re going to use these, you hand it to your kid, this is not candy, this is medicine. And just be careful with that. You know, I was looking at the statistics back in 2014, 50,000 cases of adverse vitamin effects called into the Poison Control Center. So, adverse effects can and do happen.

It’s funny, I’m looking at these right now and what do I wanna do? You wanna eat one. I do. Of course, I was just thinking they look tempting. I would too, but they’ll get stuck in our teeth. But you know, I think your point about kids really can’t be overstated because kids really do view these as candy, they taste good.

They have as much sugar– So do adults. Yeah, they have as much sugar as regular gummy bears and it’s, you have to be so cautious ’cause they really are medicines and you can come home and find your kids had a whole bunch and that can be very dangerous. I grew up on the Flintstones vitamins, do you remember those? Yeah, I remember those. Yeah, those were good. They were everywhere.

But those were pretty chalky, they weren’t yummy like this. Well, and that’s why you take yours and you’re like, eh, that’s not that great but I guess I’ll finish it. So, certainly be aware.

Apple Cider Vinegar Gummy Vitamins by Goli Nutrition – 3 Pack – (180 Count, Organic, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, with”The Mother”, Vitamin B9, B12, Beetroot, Pomegranate)

Source: The Doctors