What are the brown spots under the armpits

The armpits are quite sensitive, so except when washing them in the shower, people usually don't want to look at their armpits when they are wearing clothes. In fact, in addition to armpit hair, other things may grow under the armpits, like what are the brown spots under the armpits we are going to talk about today? It is most likely sweat stains, but these sweat stains are not caused by sweat, but a superficial fungal disease caused by Malassezia infecting the stratum corneum of the epidermis. Let's understand what these brown spots under the armpits are.

Pityriasis versicolor is indeed more likely to occur in places where sweat accumulates, such as the neck, chest, and back, but it specifically refers to a rash caused by a yeast-like fungus infecting the skin. Typical pityriasis versicolor appears as raindrop-shaped white or brown spots. The affected area may suddenly turn red or itchy when sweating or exposed to heat, which is a characteristic of the disease.

The initial lesions are circular punctate macules surrounding the pores, which gradually increase to the size of a nail plate with clear edges. Adjacent areas may merge into large irregular patches, with new macules appearing around them. The surface is covered with a small amount of bran-like scales that are easily peeled off, ranging from gray, brown to yellow-brown, and sometimes multiple colors coexist, resembling spots. The longer the time, the lighter the spots. The rash has no inflammatory reaction and occasionally causes mild itching. The lesions often occur on the chest and back, but may also affect the neck, face, armpits, abdomen, shoulders and upper arms. It is generally more common in young and middle-aged men. The course of the disease is chronic, with the rash decreasing or disappearing in winter but recurring in summer.

treat:

1. Topical medications

2% ketoconazole lotion can be used externally for 7 to 10 days; 2% selenium disulfide lotion can be used externally for 7 to 19 days. For patients with smaller areas or those who cannot take oral antifungal drugs for various reasons, 1% bifonazole cream/gel, 2% miconazole cream, 2% ketoconazole cream, or 2% econazole cream can be given for external use, all of which have good therapeutic effects. Allylamine antifungal drugs such as terbinafine, butenafine, and naftifine are also effective. Amorolfine and ciclopirox olamine, as new antifungal drugs, can also be used in the treatment of pityriasis versicolor. Since pityriasis versicolor is difficult to cure and is prone to relapse, intermittent repeated use of medication can help eradicate it. Sometimes you can first clean it with a lotion and then apply topical medication to improve the efficacy.

2. Systemic treatment

For patients with larger areas or recurrent attacks, oral azole drugs such as itraconazole, ketoconazole, and fluconazole can be given.