An Overview of Fungal Acne: Causes, Symptoms, and More

2 min readApr 19, 2022

If you’ve been plagued with a long-lasting pimple, you may have come upon the term “fungal acne” while searching for answers on the Internet.

But what is fungal acne? The phrase has been widely used on social media platforms such as YouTube, Reddit, and blogs for the past several years. Despite the fact that it goes by the label “acne,” fungal acne isn’t the type of acne you’re probably thinking of when you hear the word “acne.” In this article, we have answered all the questions that concern fungal acne. So let’s start reading about it.

What is Fungal Acne?

An infection that lives in your skin’s hair follicles is called fungal acne. Small, uniform pimples that itch are the most common symptom of fungal acne. As a result, the disease’s scientific term is referred to as Malassezia folliculitis or Pityrosporum folliculitis. Although biotin is often cited as a possible cause, fungal acne is actually the result of the fungus on the skin.

Causes of Fungal Acne

Fungal acne, unlike normal acne, is caused by yeast or fungus on your face rather than bacteria. Fungi and bacteria are normally well-balanced on the skin of most people; however, you can not say this for everyone. If the balance of fungi and bacteria is disrupted, you may get a fungal acne eruption. The major causes of fungal acne, as per the researchers, are:

1. Trapped Moisture

You’ve just finished a workout, but you’re still wearing your damp clothes? Or did you take them off and put them back on a day or two later? Fungi that have been growing in your clothes for 24 hours might thrive in the added moisture. People who live in humid climates like Singapore and the Philippines are more likely to suffer from fungal acne than those who live in dry regions.

2. Tight Clothes

Tight clothes disturb the proper circulation of the body. A lack of circulation can lead to an overproduction of sweat and moisture, which is ideal for the growth of yeast. This is one of the major causes of fungal acne.

3. Diet

The fungus can grow stronger if you eat meals that are high in carbohydrates or sugar, such as bread, spaghetti, and excessive dairy products.