Tanning & Blotching

[YellowJacket]

Anyone else get this? I used to never get any blotching when (indoor) tanning. Now I tan indoors and occasionally outdoors and notice some ugly blotching. If you dont know what Im talking about, its that nice even tan with some white spots in some places. I used to never use bronzer or accelerators either, and now that I do, I see some obviously blotching. its not too awful bad, but annoying. Anyone else get this and find anything to rid it?

[Puddles]

YJ, if you're taking medications, some of them will interfere with tanning. Your salon should have a list of the ones that are commonly known to cause problems.

One way to help combat the white spots is to also use a self tanning lotion in conjunction with the tanning bed. If you only have a few spots, you could try putting the lotion on the spots with a Q-tip instead of doing an overall application.

Sometimes we just have a lack of pigment in our skin in spots and it just won't tan like other areas. I don't know what causes it, especially if you tanned there previously.

[YellowJacket]

Thanks Mrs. P..... I am on some medication, so Ill check the list...

[tanmeister]

Hey Yellowjacket I own a tanning salon and 90% of the time the blotching you're experiencing is caused by a harmless airborne bacterium known as Tinia versicolor. Try washing your hair a few times with Selsun Blue or a generic equivalent and see what happens. Also, if your significant other has long hair have them use the shampoo too. Throwing a little bleach into your washing machine when you do the sheets wouldn't hurt either. Also note that when using *tingle* lotions for the first few times blotching is a temporary condition which will go away after some uses. As for the medication angle, most meds will actually INCREASE your tanning ability, i.e., tetracycline antibiotics, by increasing your skin's sensitivity to UVB. In other words, if you normally don't burn and already have some color, you'll tan way better on the meds!

Of course, I don't know what meds you are taking or your skin type, so naturally do the research into exactly HOW the meds affect your skin's sensitivity to UVB.

Hope this helps.

[YellowJacket]

Will head & shoulders due?

Thanks for the info. brother....

[Puddles]

Does H&S contain selenium sulfide? If so, it should work for tinea versicolor.

Tinea Versicolor
What is tinea versicolor?
What causes tinea versicolor?
What other conditions resemble tinea versicolor?
How is tinea versicolor treated?
What happens after the tinea versicolor has been treated?


Next time you're at the beach (wearing a hat and sunscreen, of course!), look for tanned people with faded spots on their shoulders, back, and/or chest. Chances are they have tinea versicolor.

What is tinea versicolor?

Tinea versicolor is a fungus infection that mainly affects the skin of young people. This common condition is unsightly, but it is neither permanent nor serious. Spots can be either light- or reddish- brown or else lighter than the surrounding skin (hence, the name "versicolor"). There may be just a few spots, or there can be so many that they run together (like a shawl) and make it seem that islands of normal skin color are the spots, not the other way around.

What causes tinea versicolor?

The cause of this condition is a yeast called Pityrosporum orbiculare (which also is known as Malassezia furfur). This yeast is lipophilic, which means it likes fat. This explains why the condition is common on areas of the body that have a lot of sebaceous (oil) glands; mainly the chest, back, and shoulders. Sometimes, a few stray spots appear on the arms, legs, or groin. For some reason (fortunately!), the face rarely is affected.

This yeast is actually a normal resident of our skin. Factors like heat, humidity, and sweat help it proliferate in some people, resulting in a visible rash. Tinea versicolor is not contagious. Mostly, the condition appears in warm weather, or, at any rate, becomes noticeable only when we wear more revealing clothes and the sun tans the rest of the skin and highlights the parts affected by fungus.

What other conditions resemble tinea versicolor?

Conditions that look a little like tinea versicolor but are really quite different include:

Pityriasis alba. This is a mild form of eczema seen in young people that produces mild, patchy lightening of the face, shoulders, or torso.
Vitiligo. This condition results in a permanent loss of pigment. Vitiligo is more likely to affect the skin around the eyes and lips, or the knuckles and joints. Spots are porcelain-white and are permanent.
How is tinea versicolor treated?

There are many antifungal agents available to apply to the skin for the treatment of tinea versicolor. Over-the-counter (OTC) remedies include clotrimazole, miconazole, and selenium sulfide shampoo (e.g., Selsum Blue). (There are a large number of OTC products that contain these medications. Check the label carefully.) These solutions are difficult to apply to large areas, however, and this makes it easy to miss spots.

Oral treatment for tinea versicolor is much simpler. A single dose of ketoconazole (brand name: Nizoral) or 5 daily doses of itraconazole (brand name: Sporanox) are two therapies your doctor can recommend.

What happens after the tinea versicolor has been treated?

The rash of tinea versicolor tends to linger even after successful treatment. Perhaps the most common reason for thinking successful treatment has failed is that even when all the fungi are dead, light or white spots persist. It generally takes months for them to blend in with the surrounding skin. The red or brown variety of rash, by contrast, clears up visually right away. It is therefore a good idea to be treated as soon as new spots appear so that the discoloration lasts as short a time as possible.

Recurrence of the rash is all but inevitable, though it won't recur necessarily every year. Fortunately, the incidence of recurrence declines with age.

http://www.medicinenet.com/Tinea_Versicolor/article.htm

[YellowJacket]

Youre in it Mrs. P..... thanks again...

[YellowJacket]

Well looks like Ill have to get some Selsum Blue, no selenium sulfide in H&S.... weak..

[Nekrawulf]

How did this go?