Noticing a growing brown patch with irregular edges somewhere on your skin can be scary, especially since that is a typical symptom of melanoma. However, not all patches are concerning. Some can be caused by tinea nigra – a fungal infection that manifests with brown patches on the skin, similar to melanoma.
Let’s get into more details about this infection, its symptoms, and treatment options.
What Is Tinea Nigra?
An infection caused by the fungus hortaea werneckii, tinea nigra is manifested with brown patches that usually appear on the palms and feet, although they can affect the neck and the trunk as well. To get the infection, you need to make contact with the fungus. So, for example, shaking hands with an infected person won’t spread the infection.
Symptoms of Tinea Nigra
As we mentioned, the key symptoms of this infection are brown patches that typically appear on the palms and feet. The patches appear more often on the palm than on the feet. This is how you can recognizr a patch caused by tinea negra:
- It’s flat and it has defined borders;
- The patch is the darkest at its edges;
- It grows slowly and typically appears on only one palm or foot.
Treatment Options
The infection is harmless, as it only affects the superficial layer of our skin. This makes it very easy to treat with topical ointments. The doctor will usually prescribe you antifungal creams or medications that can cause skin shedding like benzoic acid and urea.
Final Word
A rare and harmless condition, tinea nigra will usually go away after a couple of weeks. However, brown patches on the skin are never to be ignored, so contact your doctor if you notice them on your palms or feet.
