Need advice: I've got fungal growth on my back!

🙂 Alright, let’s get one thing straight: we aren’t talking about mushrooms here, it’s a fungal infection. It shows up as these white spots that occasionally spread out over a larger area, then sometimes they just fade away, though they never truly disappear. When I get some sun and hit the beach, they tend to dry out and start peeling... For a while, I actually thought I might be dealing with psoriasis, but looking at the photos online, that doesn't seem right; psoriasis looks significantly more gruesome than what I'm dealing with.

I’ve been dragging this thing around for years now. Last year, I actually shaved my head because I figured maybe having long hair was the culprit—since the fungus is concentrated on my upper back, stretching up toward my neck. It didn't really change anything.

There was a period where I used some topical stuff a doctor prescribed for me, but it was a total wash.
I even tried rubbing tea tree oil and rosemary on it after some friends suggested it, but nothing worked; maybe I just wasn't being disciplined enough with the application...

Honestly, I’m at my wit's end. I am just so tired of this. I don't want to be stuck with fungal patches on my back for the rest of my life. What should I do? Does anyone have any actual experience with this? I’d really appreciate any insight. 😘

Those are just fungal spots. *Pityriasis versicolor*, or whatever the medical term is...
They aren't actually a health risk; it’s purely an aesthetic issue.

The main thing is making sure you dry off thoroughly after a shower. Don't leave any moisture sitting on your skin.

As for treatment: you've got that liquid topical stuff the doctor prescribed, plus those antifungal baths.
Some people swear by using Lamisil
But you have to be consistent. Apply it every single day without fail. Don't skip a dose.

Also, these things are incredibly stubborn... they don't go away easily.🙂

There’s also an oral option—capsules of IBM. Ask your doctor about it.

Grab some ketoconazole shampoo since fungi love to hide in there, and get the ketoconazole tablets too—they’re worth the money, usually comes in a pack of 30. Seriously though, go see a dermatologist and get a prescription for the ketoconazole. Back when I was young and reckless, I used to swim in public pools all the time and ended up catching those fungal infections. I suffered through it for two years because ketoconazole was insanely expensive back then, so I just cycled through Canesten and God knows what other creams.
After a 30-day course of the pills and the cream, everything finally cleared up. Since then, I avoid public pools like the plague. And stay away from drying off with damp towels.

Thanks for the input, I think I'll give it another shot.

Karen Myers4, since you brought up shampoo: do those fungi or lichens actually have anything to do with dandruff? Because that’s the other thing I'm dealing with, though I can't for the life of me remember if everything started flaring up at the exact same time.

About two years ago, I went through the exact same thing—same weird skin flare-up, though mine was higher up, mostly around my neck and shoulders, maybe trailing down a bit. It freaked me out at first. I ended up seeing a doctor who explained it’s just those fungal things you pick up from the ocean 😲 when you're swimming at the beach. You dry off with a towel, it picks up all that stuff, and if you aren't washing the towel properly after, you're basically just repeating the cycle. Especially if your skin is a little sensitive, you end up inviting those little pests right back in. 🤣
The doc put me on some topical cream, and about two weeks later, they were gone—never came back. Honestly, I can't remember the name of the ointment; I tossed the box. If you tell me what your doctor prescribed,
maybe I'll be able to jog my memory.

Dr. Dre actually works wonders for those kinds of little issues too.😉