Does anyone know an effective way of treating Tinea Versicolor?

I have moved to NZ and then Australia 7 years ago and because at that time I did not have my own washing machine I was affected by the skin infection Tinea Versicolor). I got worse during my pregnancy and now about 1 year after That i am trying everything to get rid of it and I can not.It is driving me mad. especially in hot summer in Canberra. I really do not know what I can do to have it treated for ever. It seems it is not responding to any thing.I have tried all antifugal creams, selenium sulphate shampoo and fluconazole tablets and ketoconazole shampoos...nothing is working. I am applying anti fungal liquids to the washing machin and boiling clothes but hopelss..It is about a year since I was affected by it very badly and nothing works.would you please if anyone had it treated tell me what i can do?

According to this website: http://www.medicinenet.com/tinea_versico... Tinea Versicolor is present in all adult skin. Heat and humidity can make it worse. Read through the site. If you have taken various medications to clear it up and it hasn't gone away, it could be that your immune system is out of wack.

Many medications can affect the liver negatively. Some medications also are disruptive to the immune system.

I would suggest you get plenty of rest, take a good multi-vitamin and drink plenty of fluids. Many herbal teas flush the body of toxins. Try to build up your immune system. Stress can also affect your immune system negatively. Cortisol and other hormonal stressors can damage your immune system. Check in with your physician and see if he thinks it is alright to try herbal remedies. But take care, if you continue to take the meds you are on, you could have serious consequences with just starting up with herbs. Again, have a talk with your doctor.

Good luck, hope this helps.

Are you SURE it's tinea? Many autoimmune and allergic conditions such as eczema will mimic the symptoms of fungal skin infections. If you're having this problem you should go to the doctor and request they do a culture to see if there really IS an organism present. They can probably also do succeptibility tests to see what will kill it. If the culture comes back negative you probably need something like cortisone instead of antifungals!

If it is a fungal infection and nothing works you can try rubbing it with boric acid in water (saturated solution), and also salicylic acid.

However if the treatments you've already tried showed NO improvement at all it's probably not fungal. If it is a fungus you should have at least seen some sort of change with treatment, even if it didn't go away.

As a healthcare provider I know that tinea versicolor is difficult to resolve. It appears that you have tried all the usual treatments. All the medical books state just what you have observed. Its difficult if not impossible to rid this totally. The medication that you take by mouth is usually the most effective....but it is hard on the liver so you have to limit the use. I don't believe that boiling your clothes will do anything but wear out your clothes...and cleaning the washing machine isn't going to help your condition either. Hot and humid environments make it worse....like any fungal conditions. I wish I could help...it's not invented yet.

The only thing that worked for me was Nizoral cream. It got rid of it within a couple of weeks and it has never returned even after stopping use. I know you've used antifunglas before, but that's all I got.