Colored Lichen In Humans - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Symptoms and treatment of tinea versicolor

Colorectal lichen is a skin condition that most commonly affects people in hot, humid climates. Dermatological manifestations of the disease most often occur after a person has spent a long time in the sun. In Russia, no more than 10% of the population suffers from color lichen. You can also find such names for colored lichen, such as "pityriasis versicolor" or even "solar fungus". However, they will indicate a single problem.

Colorectal lichen has an undulating course, with periods of exacerbation and calm. At risk for the development of the disease are people who are prone to the occurrence of various dermatomycosis. Relapses of pathology most often occur in the warm season. There are no signs of an inflammatory reaction on the skin during an exacerbation of the disease.

Colorado lichen cannot be called a dangerous disease, since it does not pose a threat to health. Therapy is usually not difficult and highly effective. However, the presence of spots on the skin can cause a feeling of psychological discomfort associated with a defect in appearance.

Content:

• The causes of the color lichen
• Colored lichen symptoms
• Diagnostics of the colored lichen
• Treatment of a colored lichen

The causes of the color lichen

Colorectal lichen is caused by fungi called Malassezia furfur and Pityrpsporum orbiculare. They parasitize in the upper layer of the epidermis. Therefore, the usual examination of skin particles under a microscope is sufficient to detect a mycotic microorganism. Fungi gather in clusters that look like curved strands.

The lipophilic yeast-like fungus Malassezia furfur has unique properties. They are able to show their pathogenic activity depending on changes in the environment, as well as depending on the host's immunity. In addition, it is the only fungus from the human microflora that needs fats for its existence. This quality is called obligate lipophilicity.

Malassezia furfur and Pityrpsporum orbiculare are able to exist in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. In addition to the fact that these microorganisms can cause tinea versicolor, in some cases they become the cause of systemic pathology. This occurs when an infected person has severe immune deficiency. For example, there is evidence that a fungus of this species and genus has led to sepsis in premature infants and to sepsis in HIV-infected people.

Most people have a strong belief that it is impossible to get infected with herpes zoster. In fact, the fungus can be passed from one person to another. However, not every patient has clinical symptoms of the disease. Therefore, dermatologists classify the causative agents of color lichen as conditionally pathogenic flora.

This means that it can exist on the skin, but it will not manifest itself in any way. So, many people are infected with pathogenic fungi, but the symptoms of the disease develop only if the body's defenses are weakened. It has been established that the causative agent of lichen coloration is isolated in 10-12% of the population, 2 times more often it is found in men. The disease develops in people aged 15-40 years. This type of mycosis worsens in the summer, and spontaneous healing is also possible. In some people, lichen coloration acquires a recurrent chronic course.

The fungus is transmitted in the following ways:

• During personal contact with a person. Therefore, the pathogen is most often found in all family members.
• Through the use of personal hygiene items. These can be items of clothing, a towel, a washcloth, etc.
• While using public changing rooms or changing rooms in shops.

Sometimes the fungus can exist on the skin for many years, and the person will not know about it. However, if provoking factors appear that contribute to its reproduction, the pathogenic flora will begin to actively increase its number. The incubation period is equal to 2 weeks.

Reasons (provoking factors) that can lead to the development of lichen coloration:

• Increased sweating. In particular, hyperhidrosis is a danger, in which sweat changes its chemical composition. This promotes the multiplication of mycotic microorganisms.
• A person's predisposition to various skin diseases. It can be inherited, or it can be a feature of a particular organism. At the same time, there is an increased level of cortisol in the blood plasma.
• Too oily skin. So, in 15-year-old patients with color lichen, lipophilic fungi are found in 93% of cases. While in children under 5-7 years old, these mycotic microorganisms are absent on the skin.
• Disruption of metabolic processes in the upper layer of the epidermis.
• Weakening of the body's defenses. This can occur due to many reasons: with inflammation of the tonsils of a chronic course, against the background of caries, or with pyelonephritis. Colored lichen is often a companion to tuberculosis. Moreover, the bacillus is capable of parasitizing not only in the lung tissue, but also in the kidneys, the genital system, in the bones, etc. Often tuberculosis has a latent course and is discovered by chance. Therefore, all patients diagnosed with lichen coloration should be tested for tuberculosis.

• Living in countries with high humidity. The high prevalence of lichen coloration is observed in cities and towns with tropical and subtropical climates. The incidence rate in them is 40%, while among residents of countries with a temperate climate, it does not exceed 5-10%.
• The presence of seborrhea.
• Colored lichen can be associated with diseases such as AIDS, rheumatism and diabetes. If a patient has one or more of the listed pathologies, then the likelihood of developing lichen coloration is equal to 63%.
• Vegeto-vascular dystonia. In addition to the color lichen, a person will suffer from weakness, frequent dizziness, panic attacks, etc.
• Pathologies of the digestive and hepatobiliary system always affect the condition of the skin. Violations in their work can be manifested by color lichen.
• Middle-aged people are at risk. Colored lichen is rarely diagnosed in children under 7 years old, only if the child has a serious illness.
• Diseases of the respiratory system can provoke the development of lichen coloration. In this case, we are talking about asthma, pneumonia or chronic bronchitis.
• Itsenko-Cushing's syndrome and obesity.
• Long-term topical or systemic corticosteroid treatment.
• Hormonal imbalance is another factor contributing to the onset of symptoms of ringworm. As a rule, this happens in pregnant women, as well as in people suffering from adrenal and ovarian pathologies.
• The next risk factor for the development of color lichen is the use of shower gels that have an antibacterial effect. Of course, after a single use of such a remedy, the disease will not develop. However, if a person uses them on a regular basis, then the likelihood of this dermatomycosis increases significantly.
• Chemotherapy, which cancer patients undergo, can provoke the development of a persistent form of lichen coloration. After completion of treatment, spontaneous self-healing is most often observed.

Colored lichen symptoms

In those places where skin manifestations of the disease are observed, the number of corneocytes is exceeded three times. A change in the skin color of a person infected with lichen is also explained by the fact that fungi colonize unevenly on the skin.

The primary site of lichen coloration is the mouth of the sebaceous hair follicles. Here fungi, under the influence of provoking factors, begin to multiply, forming colonies. The fatty secretion that the sebaceous glands produce, they use for their own nutrition. It contains all the fatty acids necessary for fungi.

The disease debuts with the appearance of yellowish dots on the skin, which are located near the mouths of the hair follicles. Then, spots of pinkish-yellow color are formed around these points. As the disease progresses, they darken, turning brown. Pityriasis scales appear on their surface. If you just look at the stain, the peeling is almost imperceptible. However, it is worth scraping it and the scales instantly come off. This symptom is called Benier's symptom.

So, the following symptoms will indicate the color lichen:

• The spots that appear on the skin can have a different color: yellow, pink, brown. As the pathology progresses, they merge together, forming large foci with uneven contours. The initial spot size is equal to 3-5 cm in diameter.
• The spots can cause itching in a person. It is rarely intense.
• If a person has been in the sun for a long time and got a tan, the color of the spots will change. They become lighter, which means more noticeable. In winter, the spots, on the contrary, darken. This feature of the course of the disease is also one of the reasons why this dermatomycosis is called exactly the color lichen.
• The favorite places for localization of the fungus are the shoulders, back, abdomen. Less commonly, spots appear on the neck and scalp. At the same time, a person does not lose hair on his head. They can only fall out on the body.
• Although the pathology lends itself well to correction, sometimes it can bother a person for years, then calming down, then aggravating again.
• As a rule, a person does not indicate any subjective symptoms. A burning sensation and pain in the affected area can be a signal of a secondary infection.

Depending on how deeply the dermis is affected and where exactly the spots are located, the following types of lichen are distinguished:

• Erythematosquamous form. The spots are located in the upper part of the body, there are no symptoms of inflammation.
• Follicular form. The spots are accompanied by the appearance of papules and abscesses, which have an average size of 2-3 cm. This form of the disease is characteristic of people suffering from severe concomitant disorders.
• Invert form. The spots are located in the folds of the human body.

Regardless of the form of the disease, its treatment is performed according to the same type of scheme.

It is important to draw an analogy between the symptoms of lichen coloring and symptoms of other diseases:

• For lichen Gibert is characterized by the appearance of pink oblong spots on the skin. In the center of these lesions, the dermis peels off. In this case, the spots are located along Langer's lines, they themselves are surrounded by a collar of scales.
• For syphilitic roseola, pinkish spots on the skin are characteristic, which, when pressed on them, discolor. There is no peeling of the dermis, the spots do not merge and do not grow.
• It is necessary to distinguish lichen from vitiligo.

Sometimes, the color of lichen has an atypical course. In this case, the spots are located on the skin of the soles. This form of the disease is difficult to treat, and after the elimination of the acute phase, brown spots with an irregular shape remain on the feet. They are located on the heels and on the transitional fold from the sole to the toes.

In people with AIDS, lichen stains reach 5 cm in size, while in a person with a normal immune system, their diameter rarely exceeds 1 cm.

Diagnostics of the colored lichen

An experienced dermatologist only needs an external examination of the patient to suspect that he has colorectal lichen.

However, to clarify the diagnosis, a number of tests will be required, including:

• Microscopic examination of skin scrapings from spots. Under a microscope, the doctor examines the scales of the dermis, which are pre-treated with a 20% KOH solution. The fungi that cause color lichen will be represented by long filaments with rounded growths located on them.
• Iodine test. During the study, the skin is treated with 5% iodine solution. After a few minutes, the lichen stains turn dark brown.
• Using a Wood lamp for diagnostics. In the light of its rays, the spots acquire a reddish-yellow tint, or a greenish-golden color.
• Checking for Benier's symptom, in which skin particles peel off easily, even with minor scraping.

This is a complete list of diagnostic methods that can help identify tartar lichen. In practice, doctors most often use only the iodine test and Wood's llama.

Treatment of a colored lichen

You should not treat lichen color on your own. First you need to seek the advice of a specialist. Only a doctor will be able to make the correct diagnosis, for which he will need to carry out a number of diagnostic procedures. A dermatologist is involved in the treatment of tartar lichen. It begins in finding out the cause of the development of dermatomycosis. As practice shows, tartar lichen is often a marker of AIDS, tuberculosis, rheumatism and diabetes mellitus. Therefore, the patient must be carefully examined.

The general recommendations to be followed during the treatment of lichen coloration are as follows:

• In summer, you should be in the sun more. Ultraviolet rays are harmful to the fungus. Although discolored spots can persist on the dermis for several months. This phenomenon is called pseudo-leucoderm.
• On the affected skin, it is necessary to apply ointments, creams and gels with antifungal effect. These can be drugs such as: Bifonazole, Clotrimazole, Terbinafine, lotion with salicylic alcohol and chamomile, gel with a salicylic component. The treatment should last for 2 weeks.
• In case of damage to the scalp, medicinal shampoos are used: Nizoral, Sebazol, Ketoconazole.
• If the color of lichen is accompanied by the appearance of severe itching, then wash with running water without using soap. The temperature of the water should be comfortable, if it is too hot, the itching will intensify. After completing hygiene procedures, it is necessary to apply a cream with a moisturizing component to the skin.
• To reduce itching, it is possible to prescribe antihistamines: Suprastin, Zirtek, Erius, Fenistil, etc.
• If the disease covers large areas of the body and does not respond well to therapy, then oral administration of antimycotics is possible. To do this, the patient is prescribed: Ketoconazole (Oronazole, Nizoral, Mycozoral, Fungavis), Clotrimazole, Itraconazole (Canditral, Itrazol, Orungal, Orunit, Rumikoz, Irunin), Fluconazole (Mycosist, Flucostat, Diflucan). All of these drugs are available in tablet form.
• In order to prevent re-infection, wet cleaning with disinfectant solutions should be performed every day in the room where the patient lives. Bed linen is changed daily and washed at the highest temperatures. The clothes should be ironed carefully. The washcloth that the person used before starting treatment must be disposed of.

Thus, drugs from several groups are used for drug correction of the disease:

• Keratolytic agents.
• Fungicidal agents.
• Preparations with zinc.
• Combined medicines.

After getting rid of the colored lichen, a person should think about what exactly caused it. In the future, they should be avoided in order to prevent a relapse of the disease.

General recommendations for the prevention of tinea versicolor are as follows:

• Strengthen immunity.
• Get hardened.
• Eat properly.
• A repeated course of treatment with antifungal drugs is possible as directed by a doctor.
• As far as possible, it is necessary to avoid stress, as well as to give up increased physical exertion, which contribute to increased sweating.
• Adequate hygiene is imperative.

If you follow these simple recommendations, then you can forget about such a disease as lichen color forever.

The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist

Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).