Tinea versicolor skin disease made to have low self-esteem

Daniel Mkhwanazi

It is a type of bacteria or skin pigmentation that develops patches in your skin that are lighter than your skin tone, the condition also occurs when a person’s skin is sensitive to humid weather and subtropical climate.

Motseki Daniel Mkwanazi is a 26-year-old male who suffers from this skin pigmentation called Tinea versicolor, although he was not sure about what seems to be the problem with his infected skin condition the study shows that Tinea Versicolor occurs when Malassezia (yeast) grows rapidly on the surface on the skin some factors can be oily skin, excessive sweating and hormonal changes. 

I used to have skin problems since I was a toddler but I was not aware that this can be a very serious condition to attend to, he said. My childhood friends always used to tease me based on how my skin would look, calling me names which at times would be very upsetting. One day I showed my granny who used to be a Qualified Nurse at Berea Hospital in the north of Johannesburg, she would give me skin ointments to treat the skin but sometimes it would take a couple of months for the skin to heal. Although my skin was already starting to get toned than my hands, that’s when I got teased even more, my friends saying I was using “aboMemeza’ and all those skin enlightenment that’s when I stopped using those ointments yet I still suffered from this contagious skin pigment.

Then I went to visit Zuko Khetwa, a 25 years old male who is also suffering from the same diagnosis, yet he goes and says this skin pigment irritates your skin because sometimes it gets itchy and it dries up the patches that have shown up on the skin. Some nights your skin gets oily and sweaty due to the fragranced lotions that I apply after having a bath. The bath soap also adds to the skin irritation, Mr Khetwa said. It is sad because my skin is dark-toned yet these patches are so visible in a way that you see them from afar. He went on to say he has been consulting the Doctor at the local clinic about this but it gets better after some time even worse it disappears then comes back with even red patches, or darker than the surrounding skin which makes me upset. I even cover my arms with long-sleeved jerseys or hoodies because I feel ashamed sometimes about my skin condition.

Strangely, this Skin Pigment seems not to be harmful but it gets irritating to have to treat its condition but takes time to clear off, this is when the situation begins to get very tricky because sometimes the Doctor can examine your skin by just looking at the skin. Although it needs special attention from the Doctor, it is the doctors who have the most experience in treating this Skin Pigmentation and health facilities that know very well how to treat this Tinea versicolor.