page_title: Tinea versicolor
section_title: Signs and symptoms
hierarchical_section_title: Tinea versicolor / Signs and symptoms
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Pityriasis versicolor / Tinea versicolor (mycose superficielle à Malassezia furfur) sur peau noire&#160;: nombreuses lésions de type macules arrondies +/- confluentes, d'âges différents sur le front, certaines sont actives inflammatoires, érythémateuses et finement squameuses, d'autres plus anciennes sont inactives et achromiques, particulièrement inesthétiques.
context_page_description: Tinea versicolor is a condition characterized by a skin eruption on the trunk and proximal extremities. The majority of tinea versicolor is caused by the fungus Malassezia globosa, although Malassezia furfur is responsible for a small number of cases. These yeasts are normally found on the human skin and become troublesome only under certain circumstances, such as a warm and humid environment, although the exact conditions that cause initiation of the disease process are poorly understood.
  The condition pityriasis versicolor was first identified in 1846. Versicolor comes from the Latin, from versāre to turn + color. It is also commonly referred to as Peter Elam's disease in many parts of South Asia.
context_section_description: The symptoms of this condition include:
  Occasional fine scaling of the skin producing a very superficial ash-like scale
  Pale, dark tan, or pink in color, with a reddish undertone that can darken when the patient is overheated, such as in a hot shower or during/after exercise. Tanning typically makes the affected areas contrast more starkly with the surrounding skin.
  Sharp border
  Pityriasis versicolor is more common in hot, humid climates or in those who sweat heavily, so it may recur each summer.  
  The yeasts can often be seen under the microscope within the lesions and typically have a so-called "spaghetti and meatball appearance" as the round yeasts produce filaments.
  In people with dark skin tones, pigmentary changes such as hypopigmentation (loss of color) are common, while in those with lighter skin color, hyperpigmentation (increase in skin color) is more common. These discolorations have led to the term "sun fungus".
caption: Pityriasis versicolor commonly causes hypopigmentation in people with dark skin tones.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon PowerShot A470", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "180", "Image YResolution": "180", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2011:07:22 10:57:58", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "196", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "180", "Thumbnail YResolution": "180", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "5108", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3520", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/20", "EXIF FNumber": "3", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2011:07:22 10:57:58", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2011:07:22 10:57:58", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "3", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "69/16", "EXIF ApertureValue": "101/32", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "101/32", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "63/10", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1414", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1129", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "Interoperability RelatedImageWidth": "1600", "Interoperability RelatedImageLength": "1200", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "3178", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "50000/7", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "50000/7", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}