MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Tinea versicolor

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Tinea versicolor - back

Tinea versicolor is caused by the organism Pityrosporum ovale. It occurs most often in young adults. Wood's lamp examination revelas pale yellow-green fluorescence. KOH prep reveals "spaghetti and meatballs" with hyphae and spores. Skin lesions are sharply marginated macules, either hyper or hypopigmented, covered with fine scale. Small discrete lesions may eventually coalesce to cover large areas of the trunk.

Update Date: 10/23/2006

Updated by: Kevin Berman, MD, PhD, Associate, Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Disease, Atlanta, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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