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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Yellowish Substance On Armpit Hair. Excess Sweating. Is It A Fungal Infection?

Hello, my name is Jack. Male age 21. A strange yellow/white substance has been growing on my armpit hair. Not all hair is affected for some reason but it has been consistently troubling me. I believe it to be some sort of fungus that feeds on the sweat of my under-arm ( may also cause excess sweating? ) I ve done a bit of research but found little that solidly matches this. I ve tried shaving, which helps temporarily but generally within a couple of weeks it begins to appear again. i ve tried shampooing in case it was a build up of dead skin cells which only mildly improved the situation. One of the popular answers is a reaction that happens when my sweat mixes with deodorant but I rarely use deodorant so i highly doubt that is the cause. There is no itching or irritation of the affected area, the only effect would appear to be excess sweating in situations one wouldn t ordinarily sweat. also the aforementioned yellowy white-ish substance similar to dead skin cells ( or perhaps what you d find in a blackhead? ) please share your thaughts.
Mon, 21 Oct 2013
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Infectious Diseases Specialist 's  Response
Hi,
Welcome to HCM.
I am suspecting white piedra infection of the hair. This is caused by a fungus called Trichosporon begeilii. It is common in hair of scalp, armpits and pubic hair. The hair has small white nodules attached to them. It does not cause any itching as skin involvement is not there. I suggest you get a KOH (potassium hydroxide) examination of the hair to confirm diagnosis.
Shaving of the hair is treatment of choice.
Get in touch with a dermatologist for prescription of antifungal cream.
Thanks.
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Yellowish Substance On Armpit Hair. Excess Sweating. Is It A Fungal Infection?

Hi, Welcome to HCM. I am suspecting white piedra infection of the hair. This is caused by a fungus called Trichosporon begeilii. It is common in hair of scalp, armpits and pubic hair. The hair has small white nodules attached to them. It does not cause any itching as skin involvement is not there. I suggest you get a KOH (potassium hydroxide) examination of the hair to confirm diagnosis. Shaving of the hair is treatment of choice. Get in touch with a dermatologist for prescription of antifungal cream. Thanks.