Fungal Acne VS Acne
You are probably wondering what is fungal acne. You might have many questions like: How does fungal acne look like? What are the differences between fungal acne vs normal acne such as cystic acne, whiteheads, and blackheads? In this post, we will briefly describe what is the difference between these.
How Does Fungal Acne Look like?
Why does fungal acne happen? Unlike typical acne, this is not caused by bacteria like normal acne. It is caused by yeast. The yeast overgrows and affects the hair follicles, making these flesh-like bumps. These tiny bumps are tiny and uniform. Some say they can be itchy but mines barely itched. They can’t be squeezed so if you see a whitehead form it might not be fungal acne.
How Does Typical Acne Look Like
Unlike Fungal Acne, Acne is formed by bacteria rather than yeast. There are various degrees and kinds of acne. The most common acne are blackheads, whiteheads, and cystic acne. Each type of acne requires different kinds of treatments and different reasons why each form.
Whiteheads
Whiteheads are also known as closed comedones. They occur when the pore is blocked by excess sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells. If the pore closes up, forming a fleshed-colored bump.
To treat whiteheads you use BHA like salicylic acid to reach deep into the skin to clean the gunk inside the pore. You can also you benzoyl peroxide which helps kills the bacteria and dry out the excess oil and dead skin cells.
Personally, if I had a choice. I would always go with the most gentle approach. It can be tempting to quickly get rid of acne and finally be acne-free but the strong medication can irritate your skin, making it worst. My favorite gentle exfoliator is the Round Lab Dokdo Toner. It is super gentle and slowly exfoliates your skin. You can read my Round Lab Dokdo Toner Review here.
Blackheads
Blackheads are also known as open comedones. They are quite like whiteheads. Just like whiteheads, blackheads are formed by the combination of excess oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells. While the pore closes up in whiteheads, the blackhead’s pores remain open. Since the pore is open, the gunk in the pore oxidizes and turns black.
Just like whiteheads, blackheads are treated quite similarly. You can use BHAs like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide to treat your acne to kill the bacteria and remove excess oil and dead skin cells.
Cystic Acne
Probably the most painful type of acne. Cystic acne can scar your skin. Cystic acne occurs deep underneath your skin, also due to the combination of bacteria, excess oil, and dead skin cells.
Since this acne is prone to scarring, do not pop this pimple. I know it is the most tempting acne since it feels like it is taking over your face. But don’t do it. You might need to use a combination of BHA and benzoyl peroxide to treat your cystic acne.
Instead of using harsh drying products for acne, I like to opt for hydrating and calming products. The less inflamed your skin is, the less likely the acne will scar. My favorite ingredient to calm down my acne includes mugwort and Centella. My all-time favorite pimple product is the Klairs Calming Cream. I like to call it my Pimple Preventer. You can read my review on the Klairs Calming Cream here.
Still not sure if you have fungal acne? Why not try our test to see if you have fungal acne? Maybe check out some affordable treatments you can try at home.
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