Fungal Acne, Malassezia Folliculitis, Pityrosporum Folliculitis Treatment

Often confused and misdiagnosed as normal acne (bacterial), even by the most seasoned of professional practitioners and dermatologists, Malassezia Folliculitis is a skin disorder in which the follicles of the skin become infected by the fungus (yeast) Pityrosporum.

These acne-like fungal infections are usually accompanied by tiny red or skin-colored bumps/pimples, that breakout on the forehead, back, chest or shoulders and are also often accompanied by inflammation and itching! Some folks even describe it as “grainy rashes” or “sand grain bumps” wherever they’re having congestion or breakouts.

Probably the most frustrating part of dealing with Malassezia Folliculitis (M.F.) is if you don’t understand what fungal acne is and how to properly treat it, it never goes away despite trying everything, and it may even seem to flare up more as you try to treat it with all the popular skin-care “holy grails” on the market today not to mention Malassezia has thicker cell walls than most yeast, which means these breakouts won’t go away without properly targeting and eliminating them at the source.

But luckily for us and with the help of science, we can effectively treat and prevent Malassezia Folliculitis outbreaks. A few common skin conditions associated with Malassezia are Eczema, Tinea Versicolor, Seborrheic Dermatitis (S.D.), Psoriasis, etc.
In short, this fungus feeds on Esters, Fatty Acids & Oils, with carbon chain lengths of 11-24, which are almost always present in most skincare products. Hence, why we need to be very selective in what we choose to put on our skin, especially areas of our body with a lot of sebaceous gland activities such as the face and scalp.

If you just want to know what kills Malassezia yeast and jump straight into getting this skin disorder handled, then Folliculitis Scout Online Community is here for you! It was created to help everyone and anyone with this condition especially those that are very overwhelmed, confused or just paranoid to try anything and also for those that have tried “everything” only to end up right back at square one, or even worse! This community is also here for those presently without a skincare routine and who just genuinely don’t even know where to start in finding treatment or the best fungal acne safe products. We are not doctors or scientists but instead, a very active online platform where our users come to exchange and share their real world experiences and knowledge on this subject and we leverage this to help our community members, most of which are often validated and backed by scientific data references

We provide our user base with a wide selection of proven Malassezia safe products (skincare and makeup) that allow you to quickly make better purchasing decisions and to take better care of your skin and skin-related issues, with a whole lot of tried, tested and proven science behind it all. It is also worth pointing out that, quite a few of the products listed here have been, purchased and personally tested by members of our team and have “proven themselves” countless times.

Folliculitis Scout can put the odds of getting and keeping skin clear or clearer, in your favor, no matter how long you’ve been suffering. We do this by alerting you to fungal acne triggers, so you know what to stay clear of. Common allergens and irritants are also tagged for convenience so those can be avoided as well. This can be particularly useful if you are extremely sensitive to a specific cosmetic ingredient and need to avoid it. The last thing you want to do is be unsuspectingly slathering potential allergens, irritants, and triggers on your already troubled skin, which cannot possibly make the situation any better.

Irritant contact dermatitis & Allergic contact dermatitis are very real, so don’t make the unfortunate mistake of underestimating them.

Still not sure if a particular product will work for your skin type and condition (Malassezia)? struggling to decipher that ingredient list at the back of those “holy grail” products? Then you’re in the right place. Keep reading.

In this community, you will find our ingredient checker that sifts through ingredient lists, alerting you to problematic substances, potential allergens, and irritants, with a massive database that is updated almost daily! You will also find a wide and extensive range of vetted, pre-screened and often team tested products that are Malassezia/Fungal Acne Safe, along with their pros and cons. We believe this can assist our users in starting an effective routine, locate similar or even better alternatives if your favorite “safe products” have been reformulated or discontinued. Other concerns are also highlighted for substances like aldehydes (formaldehyde), alcohols, etc. So this is not just about Malassezia alone, the idea here is to help you get everything “going” for your skincare efforts as we realistically can, while taking out all the stuff that is counter, neutral or non-beneficial to us. Just plug those ingredients into our checker and click “Check It Now” If the ingredient is present in our database we will let you know if it’s safe or not. It is important to point out here that we are by no means claiming perfection, but we do constantly strive to make it better for this community. So if you see something that should be altered or removed or that you can improve, please let us know so it can be addressed. Sharing is caring and we can’t do this alone, so we’re urging all our users to participate.

Helping you to avoid the grief and confusion often expressed and associated with researching and selecting Malassezia safe products, to either start or incorporate into your skincare regimen, is not only our aim, but it’s also our passion!

We can speak on this topic because in the past and before we knew better, some of us here at F.S. have spent fortunes on cosmetics and derm visits to treat Malassezia, only to have flare-up after flare-up of itchy breakouts, back to back even! It’s almost like the skin was constantly “angry” despite trying every single recommendation under the sun from these “pricey experts” that we could get our hands on.

In retrospect, none of that would have ever worked, in fact, it only made it worse, compounding the inflammation, irritation, and itching. Because you can’t approach treating a fungus the same way you would treat bacteria, just because they bear similar visual characteristics. This can be particularly frustrating when your derm, isn’t factoring your input into his/her treatment protocol, and just wants to “hit it hard with more antibiotics” all at your expense. If you are ever in this situation, request a skin biopsy, which is typically ready in around 4 to 10 days. That will take the mystery and guessing out of trying to determine what’s going on with your skin.

Pro Tip! Believe it or not, it is much more difficult to get rid of acne-related scars than it is to get rid of the pimples that cause them in the first place. Also, don’t pick them, which is oftentimes not a very good idea, at all.

And for those out there that DON’T have Malassezia Folliculitis but still suffer from insanely stubborn acne, we have good news for you too! These products will also work for you, just take out the antifungals and you are good to go! Just because a product isn’t hyped up as a “super potion” doesn’t make it less effective, maybe your skin is simply dehydrated or over-exfoliated and sometimes all that is required is a consistently gentle approach. Just drop us a line here, to ensure that you are doing this correctly. One important study has stated that all acne has a fungal component, so eliminating any F.A. “food grade” ingredient from your routine, will actually work in your favor.

If you are still overwhelmed and feel like nothing works on your skin and don’t know where to even begin with this thing, there is hope! We know how self-consciousness and self-esteem can be negatively impacted and how terrible and defeated this can make you feel from the outside in! Don’t give up! Until you have reached out to us, we’ll give it our best shot, for free! One thing we recommend everyone do right now is signing up for our upcoming “Feel good in your own skin again” Series. For alerts and informational bulletins that will keep you updated on emerging “Safe” cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, sun-screens, sheet-masks, concealer, bronzers, blush, eyeliners, primers, foundations makeup removers, shampoos, conditioners and so much more. Also, be sure to also check out our “Best Recommended Products for Fungal Acne“

We encourage and foster a community spirit here, so feel free to subscribe, vote, share, and comment as you never know how your experiences can lift and re-build the self-esteem and self-confidence of others also struggling to treat and keep Malassezia under control.

A huge thank you to our community for the love and continued support, we appreciate you all.

Last but certainly not the least. We just had to shout out Debby, thank you, for the contribution! We appreciate it.

If you are interested in all the scientific “nuts and bolts” of this condition. By far one of the best compiled resource available online, on this topic is SimpleSkinCareScience.com, Period!

Malassezia (Pityrosporum) Folliculitis – J Clin Aesthet Dermatol – 2014 Mar; 7(3): 37–41.

American Journal of Clinical Dermatology volume 20, Pages 335–344 (2019)

Malassezia, dandruff and seborrhoeic dermatitis: an overview. Br. J. Dermatol

Skin diseases associated with Malassezia species. J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. Gupta A, Batra R, Bluhm R, Boekhout T, Dawson L.

Three etiologic facets of dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis: Malassezia fungi, sebaceous lipids, and individual sensitivity. J. Investig. Dermatol. Symp. Proc. DeAngelis Y, Gemmer C, Kaczvinsky J, Kenneally D, Schwartz J, Dawson T. 2005.

Malassezia and the Skin, Science and Clinical Practice Boekhout, T., Guého-Kellermann, E., Mayser, P., Velegraki, A. (Eds.)

A study of the fatty acid metabolism of the yeast Pityrosporum ovale. Wilde, P. F., and P. S. Stewart. 1968. Biochem. J.

More material can be located here and here