DEAR DR. GOTT: I read you article about tinea versicolor where the reader had success with Banana Boat for Kids SPF 50. I have this condition and have tried everything with no results. I went out the same day and bought the product. It has only been 10 days but my skin is all cleared up and does not itch anymore. It’s just amazing!
DEAR DR. GOTT: Banana Boat for Kids absolutely does work for my tinea versicolor. I applied it all over my chest, back and midriff and my skin was clear after two applications. I am 64 and have had tinea issues for many, many years. Hallelujah! Something non-greasy, fragrance-free and convenient vs the hassle of Selsun suspension. I worked for the company that makes Selsun so I guess now I’m a fink. Thanks to your reader who wrote in about this!
DEAR DR. GOTT: There might be some legitimacy to the woman’s cure for the tinea versicolor with the sun screen. I had the same problem for about 10 years. I had the rash on my back and chest. I tried home remedies with no results. I took oral anti-fungal medication. The rash went away but came back in about six months. I quit taking the medication due to the side effects it could cause my liver. I decided living with the rash was better than living without a liver.
Two years ago my family went to the beach. I am one of those guys with the farmer tan. Everything outside of jeans and a t-shirt is tan and nothing else. That week I used Banana Boat for Kids SPF 50 sunblock so I wouldn’t get burnt. A few weeks after returning home I noticed that the rash went away. I thought about what I had done differently and thought that maybe swimming in the ocean water was the reason or maybe my body had changed.
After reading the article about the sun block, I agreed that it had helped me. I realized that for a week I used the sun block two to three times a day whereas before I would only use it once or twice a summer while swimming in a pool.
It has been two years and another trip back to the beach with no return of the rash so it might be worth some research into the matter.
DEAR READERS: I received several letters and emails like those above that confirmed the use of Banana Boat for Kids SPF 50 sunblock did, indeed, clear the rash and itching associated with tinea versicolor (a common fungal infection of the skin). For those who do develop the condition and find successful treatment, it can still take several weeks before the skin appears normal and re-infection can occur, especially during the warm, humid summer months.
That said, I am pleased that an inexpensive, safe home remedy is now available to these individuals so afflicted. I would be interested to know if the brand my reader wrote in about is the only one that works or if other brands work as well. Do other kids formulations work? Is it the SPF that is important? I don’t have the answers to these questions yet, so I’ll put them out there for my readers should anyone feel up to experimentation. Sunblock is harmless for most people and is also important in helping reduce the incidence of skin cancer caused by sun damage. My only caveat is that sunblock can interfere with vitamin D production so be sure to get between five and 30 minutes of full sun exposure twice a week without sunblock to keep vitamin D levels normal.
Thank you for writing in and confirming the validity of this remedy.
