Tinea Versicolor | Dr. Shereene Idriss #shorts

Ever wonder what these white patches are? This is a condition also known as tinea versicolor. It is a superficial fungal infection, also known as malassezia, that tends to grow on some people's skin on their necks, chest or back. Classically, you'll see these hypopigmented patches, especially over the summer when people are tan. Or it can even appear as red plaques that tend to coalesce, meaning they come together on your chest or back. That some of these patches do have a fine little skin scale on the border, and that is where the yeast is sort of spreading and residing. So if I happen to scratch that and look under a microscope, I would find all of these tiny little lines, known as hyphae, living on your skin. And that is the active form of the yeast Science. Is it contagious? It is absolutely not contagious. Some people tend to develop it while others don't. But the reality is, all of us have malassezia living on our skin, you included. Yes, you. But it's people who are oilier who live in tropical climates in which it tends to express itself.