A woman with tinea versicolor is looking for suggestions on the Candida diet and asks the following question:
I am a 26 year old African Canadian female and I have Candida. I’m suffering with tinea versicolor for over 15 years; I have it all over my back ,a bit on my chest and I’ve noticed pigmentation on my upper back arms. After some research, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is a direct cause of yeast overgrowth. I’ve been on a Candida diet once but no success. I’m trying it again for the sake of my health condition. Any suggestions??
Yes, tinea versicolor is caused by yeast and is fairly common in people with Candida overgrowth in the gut.
For those who are unfamiliar with this condition, tinea versicolor is a fungal infection on the skin that disrupts the pigmentation of the skin and results in a patchy discoloration on the surface of the skin.
The patches are usually round spots that may range in color from white, tan or pink and usually occur on the upper arms, back and chest, but may also appear on the face and neck. It may be accompanied by a slight itching, but most often it produces no symptoms. Many people with Candida overgrowth have tinea versicolor to some degree and never even notice it. Since you are a woman of color, it would be more noticeable for you.
Traditional doctors treat it with topical antifungals, which would probably contain a bunch of other undesirable ingredients. A short course of prescription medication like nizoral or diflucan may help clear it up, but it will likely come back if the Candida in the gut is not addressed as well. Nizoral and diflucan can cause liver enzymes to elevate, so the liver should be monitored closely, if a prescription is taken.
Nystatin which is also a prescription drug, but it doesn’t leave the gut so it doesn’t affect the liver, may also be effective. Nystatin kills yeast on contact and is often used vaginally and as a mouth wash, so it may be effective on the skin as well by making it into a paste and rubbing it on.
Some natural approaches that may be helpful would be applying hydrogen peroxide to the skin or adding some hydrogen peroxide to the bath water. Be sure to keep the skin dry and oil free, because yeast proliferates in damp areas. It might also be helpful to keep your house dry by running a dehumidifier. It may sound a little drastic, but moving to a dryer climate is often helpful in keeping yeast controlled, because there is less humidity, mold and dampness.
In regard to the Candida diet — there are many factors that impact its effectiveness. When you say you have tried the Candida diet, I have no way of knowing what that means exactly. There are many different variations of the diet out there, so I don’t know which variation you have used.
Generally speaking, most people see quite a bit of improvement in their symptoms by following the Candida diet, however diet alone will not eradicate yeast overgrowth completely. It is one of the essential components that must be combined with other essential components, which include probiotics, detox, improving colon health, hormones, antifungals, nutritional deficiencies, liver health, food sensitivities and more.
The most crucial part of the Candida diet is to remove all forms of sugar. Most people see improvement in their symptoms with this aspect alone, however many people must also remove all carbohydrates, including complex ones, to see improvement. If you were still eating complex carbohydrates, then that may be reason that it wasn’t effective for you.
Typically, if someone does not see improvements in their symptoms with the diet, then it means they are still eating too many carbohydrates. However, depending on the severity of the yeast overgrowth on the skin, diet alone probably will not clear up tinea versicolor. It will probably need to be combined with antifungals and probiotics at a minimum.
I would suggest you get a thorough understanding of all the aspects involved in the Candida Diet and Candida overgrowth and address each issue simultaneously. I provide a vast amount of free information on both of these topics by clicking the words in blue in this paragraph or you can find a comprehensive overview in my Ebook, Candida Secrets. As always, I recommend finding a good alternative health doctor to accompany you on your self-care journey.
Best
Cynthia
I Really appreciate your Info. it’s helped me a lot. I Have been fighting Candida for 26 Years, off and on. For the Most part I’ve kept it under control or to a bare minimum, or maybe just got used to having it. I’ve had all the symptoms over the Years. Fogginess, fatigue, rashes, Mood swings,etc.. I also Am Bi-Polar, and reading the “Yeast Connection” I have a strong feeling it’s all related. Any how, I’m Now Taking a natural Detox supplement and am experiencing Major die off symptoms(flu-like) with tinea vesicolor coming to the surface. I’m glad! I want to Defeat this once and for all, For My 50th year coming up. I’m So Tired of Bad yeast controlling my body and my Life! It’s so difficult to get rid of, cause The yeast makes you Crave the sugar So Bad. my Question to You is, will eating plain yogurt during die off, help ease the symptoms. It seems to for me, but they keep saying cut back on the probiotics. Is That the same thing. Thank You For listening.
Hi Karen,
I don’t know why anyone would tell you to cut back on probiotics. Probiotics are essential to replenish the good flora that will help keep Candida in control. However, the amount of probiotics in yogurt is not enough. Supplementation is needed.
However, probiotics or yogurt are not going to assist with die off. Other things are needed for die off, like charcoal tablets, pectins, enemas and vitamin C. You can read about die off on the following page
https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/signs-of-candida-die-off/
Additionally, yogurt really needs to be limited in people with Candida because it contains lactose (milk sugar), which feeds the yeast. It shouldn’t be eaten every day. Greek yogurt has less lactose than traditional yogurt.
Best
Cynthia
I would like to offer my suggestion for topical treatment of the white spots of Tinea Versicolor. I agree that changing diet and using natural anti-fungals and probiotics is necessary. The most effective treatment we have found for Tinea Versicolor of the back, neck and face is Ozonated Olive Oil. Please google for a supplier. With persistence of applying for up to a month it completed cleared the spots on my daughters body and face. Now we are working on the root cause of Candida overgrowth and overall gut health, we hope this will eradicate the fungus and never come back!
Thank you for the valuable piece of info Margo.
Best
Cynthia
I’ve had tv for 11 years and very recently linked it to overgrowth of candida in the gut (I pretty much have every symptom on the list!). I’ve had great luck spot treating with coconut oil (organic, virgin). I take it internally too but it hasn’t been enough to control my symptoms. I’ve listened to Chris Kresser talk about candida and he says that completely removing most carbs (or going on the “candida diet” is not going to work b/c candida can also feed off of ketones and that you need to heal the leaky gut in order to address the candida. Any thoughts? Btw, I’m on an autoimmune paleo diet so no refined sugar, no dairy, no grains, no beans, no legumes, no nuts, no nightshades, etc…
Hi Kara,
Well there is some research that suggests Candida can feed on ketones. However, there are thousands or hundreds of thousands of people who can attest to the fact that a low-carb Candida diet does indeed provide exceptional relief from the symptoms of Candida as well as addiction to sugar and carbs that typically accompanies Candida. I am one of them. I eat ketogenic and it does not feed Candida. So, like everything else, in some cases ketones can feed Candida, but not for everyone.
Additionally, a ketogenic diet has a vast array of benefits that would make eating low carb beneficial for many other reasons. Regardless, ketogenic is still the lesser of two evils in comparison to glucose, even if it has potential to feed Candida.
Additionally, one cannot heal the gut while Candida is present. Candida must be reduced before you can heal gut. Candida is one of the primary causes of the leaky gut. You can’t put the horse before the cart.
Please read about ketosis on the following page.
https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/what-is-ketosis-and-is-it-dangerous/
Best,
Cynthia
Could caprylic acid pills help me get rid of tinea versicolor ? Because I know caprylic acid helps get rid of the yeast in the body and that is the main issue about tinea vericolor, the overgrowth of yeast.
There is no way to know Sury. It might if Candida is the underlying issue and your species and strain respond.
You may want to take a look at the following page.
https://www.holistichelp.net/candida-secrets/
Best,
Cynthia
Just bought the book and I’m stoked to initiate a coup of the candida/tinea regime currently in control of my body!
Quick question: are fermented probiotic drinks such as coconut water kefir and kombucha beneficial (please comment on both options if possible)?
I noticed a recent tinea flare up and I am wondering if it could be from adding these to my diet. I’ve also been eating breads and sweets, which I know are the more likely culprit. But the fermented food issue is somewhat of a paradox to me, on one hand they’ve got tons of probiotics (referring to things like kimchi and probiotic beverages), but on the other, it seems fermented foods feed candida.
Hi James,
Yes, kefir and other fermented foods can contribute to a flare. I’ve discussed it on the following page.
https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/kefir-alcohol-chocolate-candida/
However, the breads and sweets would as well and can be present in the diet when combatting Candida.
Best,
Cynthia
What can I put directly on my tinea versicolor to get it to clear up.
Hi Mia,
Tinea may be treated with a topical or oral antifungal. However, it’s going to come back, because the fungus is in the gut. A whole body approach must be utilized for treating Candida, which can be found on the following page.
https://www.holistichelp.net/candida-secrets/
I suffered from tinea versicolor for a couple of decades, and it seemed to be an unwinnable battle. Anything I tried was temporary at best, and at worst, had side-effects. The worst was from taking Nizoral which I developed extreme sensitivity to. (If I take Nizoral, within seconds I suddenly start uncontrollably vomiting.)
I happened to come across a natural treatment almost by accident, and it happens to be: Borax! Yes, Borax has seemingly cured me! I was doing some cleaning with a solution of Borax and got some on my skin where I had some tinea versicolor. The next day, I saw a huge difference. I then applied the Borax solution to the rest of my tinea versicolor and just let it dry. I did this a couple of times over a couple of days, and now it is completely gone! So far, it has not come back, but I know exactly what to do if it does!..I came to learn more about Borax and found out you can actually take it internally. I suggest you do your own research, and look for information on the Borax/Boron protocol.
The solution is simple to make. Please note, this is intended ONLY for topical use! Borax will only dissolve into water to a particular concentration. I put about a half cup of Borax into a quart plastic bottle and shook it up. You will notice that not all of the powder will go into solution. Simply use and add water and you will find that eventually it will all go into solution. Simply rub the solution on your affected areas and leave to dry. Repeat each day or other day until it goes away. For me, it was maybe three applications with maybe a small follow up as needed. I truly hope this helps you like it helped me.