Here is the problem: There are thousands (and more unknown)types of fungi in the environment. They all cause different symptoms and can require different treatment protocol. The key to treatment is finding out the particular strain from which you are suffering. I have been dealing with kerion lesions all over my body for the last few months and I'm very quickly discovering that doctors and vets are CLUELESS in Mycology. They learn the very basics in med school and don't further their education. You have to be proactive with your health and do the research yourself. There are fungi out there that are zoophilic as well and you can pass infection between your pets and vice versa. You really have to see a doctor, preferrably a dermatologist and ask for a fungal culture. They will take a scraping of your skin, a biopsy, or hair samples and send it off to a lab to culture. There it will grow in a dish and go from there. Some fungi grow relatively quickly, others, it may take weeks for results. I just can't believe that the medical community isn't better educated. I went to the ER because I don't have insurance. I told the doctor about my symptoms, ranging from fatigue, hair and skin problems, all the way to arthritic joints. I also mentioned my 3 dogs have the same type lesions. I told him I thought I might have a systemic fungal infection and his response was "First of all, I'm not a vet, so what your dogs have is of no concern" and "Systemic fungus won't present this way". STUPID!! So...what does he do? Takes a skin scraping, goes and looks at it under the microscope and says to me that he didn't see anything crawling but he did see something that looked like it had 'branches'. Ummmmm, HELLO?!! Branches=Hyphae=FUNGUS!! So he prescribes LAMISIL and Bactrim (antibiotic). Well, if he knew anything about fungi, he would have known that antibiotic are the worst treatment for fungi. They kill bacteria and then the fungi have all the room in the world to grow. Making your infection even worse. Don't let a fungal infection spread, they can be very dangerous and I believe are the source of a lot of major illness. The post above me mentions the light and dark spots and not being able to get rid of them. I'm not a doctor but it sounds like Tinea Versicolor, which is a non-invasive fungus that can be treated with over the counter preparations with active ingredients such as clotrimazole or miconazole. You have to treat this for a long time and may never completely kick it. Don't start and stop any treatment because it can become resistant and stronger and your condition may get worse. Probiotics are readily available at any health food store or pharmacy. There are food products out there with them in it also. Not just any yogurt will suffice. It has to have live cultures in it and if it doesn't say that, it doesn't. I think Activia is a popular brand that has lactobacillus acidophillus in it. Just do your own research and take your findings to your MD. Hopefully, he/she is open to learning and listens. If not, seek out another doctor that is!!

For many years I followed the old "don't use soap on your face" mantra. Well, here comes my 30's and I'm still getting horrible breakouts. My insurance wouldn't cover the Rx creams from the dermatoloist any more. Some older woman told me to use a mild unscented plain homemade lye soap. I was scared but honestly after the very first use I never looked back. I started making my own and have no regrets. I wish I had the money back I spent on all those expensive acne treatments and face washes. I get a pimple or two during that time of the month or if I get hairspray on my face. A simple benzoyl perozixde cream from the drug store will help.

Good healthy skin starts inside and trying to solve skin problems by applying toxic creams and lotions isn't the answer. Almost all prepared skin care creams that do not claim to be natural (and some that do) contain harmful chemicals that are known to lead to disease. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and absorbs whatever you put on it directly into your blood stream. The link that flyingflower posted tells about some of those chemicals. Read the labels on your products to see which poisons are in them. I use organic coconut oil of a high grade (that can also be used in cooking) after a bath or shower as a protective layer for my skin and it's also good to remove makeup. I also use essential oils for skin care. Pay attention to what you eat, especially the oils. Your skin is a reflection of the general state of your health. EVOO, coconut oil, and butter are the healthiest oils to eat. Also lots of fresh vegetables are necessary for good health. I use only organic as I don't want all the noxious chemicals. I take Omega 3 supplements and occasionally flax oil altho I hate the taste. I also take a good multivitamin/mineral supplement to provide what my diet might miss.

n2cookin, it sounds like what you have is a pilonidal abscess. If that's the case, the cause, treatment, and prevention is different than that of regular recurring abscesses. There's a lot of misinformation about pilonidals, but there's a lot of evidence that it starts from an enlarged hair follicle. Repeated trauma and stretching of the skin from prolonged sitting, riding a bike or motorcycle, etc. caused the follicle to stretch. Sweat, hair, lint, dead skin cells, etc. then collect in the little pit. Even more stretching and trauma eventually causes the wall of the pit to break. The body then starts an inflammatory reaction, forming pus, redness, and swelling. Pilonidal disease was first really studied by the military, and it was termed "Jeep driver's disease" because soldiers who drove in Jeeps all day were much more prone to the condition. Historically, the treatment has been to carve out a large excision to remove the "cyst." There's a lot of problems with doing that. The skin in that area of the body isn't very vascular, and doesn't heal well. There's also a lot of tension and movement to the wound. As a result, the wounds either take a very long time to heal, or may never heal completely, creating a chronic, open, draining ulcer. The biggest problem is that excavating a large area of tissue isn't usually neccessary at all. Remeber, we're talking about a HAIR FOLLICLE that started the whole mess. A one time episode of a pilonidal doesn't mean your skin is dirty or that you don't bathe enough. It also doesn't mean that you need a surgery, or that it will ever happen again. If it does, I'd do a little more research and make up your own mind about what would be the best treatment plan for you. A good resource is www.pilonidal.org.