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My Favorite Products for Pityrosporum Folliculitis	
I’ve decided to compile a list of my favorite products for Pityrosporum folliculitis (PF). In other words, these are my holy grails! These are the products that have helped me with Pityrosporum folliculitis or PF-related symptoms and are products that’ll always have my back. Truthfully, it’s a list I wish I had found online several years ago and it’s also a list I can still rely on even after my skin has cleared. Win, win, right?!
So, ahem, drum roll, please…
My Favorite Products for Pityrosporum Folliculitis:
The amount of success so many people have had with using Nizoral has rightfully earned this product a spot on this list. Whether you’ve watched the YouTube videos I’ve posted or someone else’s, the positive comments people have left seem to speak for themselves. And, just in case you’ve never heard of this product now is a good time to look into it. Like, right now! And, just for the record, I no longer need to use this to treat PF, but I always have a bottle on hand just in case! Check out this post to read more about my experience using Nizoral.
2. Clay Products
One of the symptoms people with Pityrosporum folliculitis often deal with is oily and sweaty skin. A weekly clay treatment can be extremely beneficial if you frequently deal with oil and sweat. Clay naturally works to remove impurities and excess oil, as well as tighten pores. With lots of different clays on the market, like the one above or this one, men and women equally can do an in-home treatment and reap enormous benefit. I know I have!
Probiotics have quickly made their way to the top of most lists in the health industry because of their ability to balance both the good and the bad bacteria. So, when your gut is in good health, so are other areas of your body, including your skin. Reduce your dairy, bread, and sugar intake, and consider taking a daily probiotic which has been shown to be an added boost to the skin. Here’s the one I’ve been taking for over a year now!
If you’re looking for help in dealing with Pityrosporum folliculitis, a gentle cleanser that doesn’t strip your skin dry must be on that list. There are several gentle cleansers on the market so testing a few should help in deciding which you like best. Here’s the one that I currently use and have been using for some time now; it’s definitely my go-to cleanser.
5. An Oil-free Moisturizer
If you experience oily skin and think skipping the moisturizer is a good idea, think again! After cleansing, opt for an oil-free moisturizer to keep your skin balanced and hydrated throughout the day. No heavy, thick, or rich creams which only exacerbate Pityrosporum folliculitis! A pea or dime-sized amount of a light moisturizer like this one is all that’s needed to maintain your skin’s proper moisture levels throughout the day. It always does just what I need!
That’s it, guys! My favorite products for Pityrosporum folliculitis and/or related symptoms are Nizoral shampoo, probiotics, clay products, a gentle cleanser, and an oil-free moisturizer! These are the products that have been the most helpful in keeping this condition at bay for me.
I should also note that simply because I’ve had success with a product doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have the same results. I sure hope you do but, at the very least, it just means these products may be worth looking into.
Are there other products on the market that could be just as helpful? Yes, of course! Check out this post to look into several others.
Once you discover what works, the key is to stick with it and repeat that process over and over again for positive results. If you’re ever in doubt, just remember to keep things simple; less is always more!
If you think I should look into another great product you’ve had success with, please share it with me down in the comments! I’m always interested in hearing what everyone else is using!
Have you tried any of these? What are some of your favorite products?
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How and Why Ketoconazole Works	
The term “drug class” refers to a set of drugs that share similar characteristics. For instance, they might have a similar chemical structure, behave the same way by binding to the same target, or treat the same disease.
Ketoconazole belongs to the azole drug class. Other members of this class include, but are not limited to clotrimazole, econazole, miconazole, fluconazole, and itraconazole. Azoles are famous for targeting a variety of fungi, including dermatophytes like tinea and yeasts like candida and malassezia. For now, we’ll focus on ketoconazole because it’s the most widely used topical antifungal for the treatment of Malassezia yeast infections.
Ketoconazole, basically, works to stop fungal growth.
But how does it work exactly? Well think of a cell and a cell membrane. Unlike animal cells, ergosterols can be found in the cell membranes of most fungi and protozoans (for now we’ll focus on fungi cell membranes).
Why is ergosterol important? It helps to regulate membrane fluidity. They’re basically membrane reinforcers.
Antifungal drugs, like ketoconazole, work by targeting ergosterol. In fact, while ergosterol is being synthesized or made, ketoconazole inhibits it. For many fungi, this interference can lead to an increase in cell permeability, leakage of cell components and, ultimately, cell death.
Simply put, ketoconazole is effective because it targets ergosterol, making an otherwise impermeable cell membrane permeable. Once the membrane is permeable, cell death is almost inevitable.
Ketoconazole comes in two forms – oral and topical. But as of May 2016, the Food and Drug Administration advised against using oral ketoconazole tablets to treat fungal infections of the skin due to several serious side effects like toxicity, liver damage and adrenal gland problems to name a few. Yikes! You can read more about it here. For similar reasons, it has been discontinued in many other countries, as well.
Topical ketoconazole, however, has not been associated with these effects and is still a valuable drug for some superficial fungal infections of the skin. Nizoral A-D 1% Shampoo is an over-the-counter anti-dandruff shampoo that contains 1% ketoconazole as the active ingredient. This product can be found in some local grocery stores and on Amazon. You can read more about my personal experience with Nizoral A-D 1% Shampoo here.
Brand name products such as Xolegel 2% Gel (for seborrheic dermatitis), Nizoral 2% Shampoo (for tinea versicolor), Ketoderm 2% Cream (for dermatophytes and candidiasis of the skin), and Extina 2% Foam (for seborrheic dermatitis) contain prescription-strength levels of ketoconazole and, therefore, are not available over-the-counter.
While ketoconazole has not yet been clinically proven to treat or stop the growth of Pityrosporum (Malassezia) folliculitis specifically, it has been shown to inhibit the growth of other common fungi in the laboratory. Be sure to discuss with your doctor the possible risks and benefits of using this particular drug.
Dufourc, E. J. (2008). Sterols and membrane dynamics.Journal of Chemical Biology,1(1-4), 63–77. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12154-008-0010-6
Food and Drug Administration [Internet]. Drug Safety Communication on Nizoral (Ketoconazole) Oral Tablets; [cited 2017 Apr 8]; [about 2 p.]. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/UCM501983.pdf
Food and Drug Administration [Internet]. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/nda/2004/076419.pdf
Rosenthal, L., Burchum, J. Feb. 2017. Lehne’s Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice Providers.
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