Let A Dermatologist Help You With Your External Yeast Infection
Posted on: 16 October 2015
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While yeast infections are generally found in the genital regions of both women and men, they can show up on the skin in just about any part of the body. That can include under the breasts, in the armpits, and even in the belly button. People who are overweight can also find yeast infections in places where there are skin folds.
Yeast Infections
Yeast is a type of fungus. Candida is one species of yeast and naturally occurs in your guts and on your skin. It's the most common yeast found in yeast infections.
Causes
Since a yeast infection is an overgrowth of fungus, it's important to know what can cause that overgrowth. One of the most common causes is a sugar-heavy diet. Things like sodas, fruit juices, candy, alcohol, or other foods that are high in sugar can actively contribute to the growth of candida. Antibiotics can be another cause. While antibiotics are a very good thing, they don't necessarily discriminate between good bacteria and bad bacteria. The bacteria that live in your guts and on your skin that keep the candida under control can be eliminated, causing the candida to run rampant.
Diagnosis
It can be hard for you to diagnose a yeast infection of your own. That's because some of the symptoms of a yeast infection can be the same as other things. For example, itchy, scaly skin rashes are symptoms of a yeast infection but could be confused for eczema. The best way for you to get a diagnosis of a yeast infection is to visit a doctor. Your regular doctor may send you to a dermatologist for a better diagnosis. They may be able to diagnose the yeast infection from just looking at it since they have years of training and have seen many yeast infections over the years. However, the dermatologist may want further information, so they may also scrape off a bit of the affected skin. Then the doctor will look at that skin under a microscope. They will be able to see the candida organisms and see that they are out of control. The doctor will then prescribe an anti-fungal medicine to kill off the excess candida.
Yeast infections can be a mere annoyance, but they can also become very serious, depending on where on your body they are. If you think you have one, visit a clinic like Billings Clinic so that a doctor can help you with a medication that can get rid of them.