If your “acne” itches and won’t respond to salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, it’s probably not acne. It’s Malassezia folliculitis — fungal acne. Treating it with the wrong products makes it worse. Here’s exactly how to fix it. Is It Fungal Acne or Bacterial Acne? The 3-Question Test Fungal acne looks like tiny, uniform red …
You’ve tried salicylic acid. You’ve tried benzoyl peroxide. Your chest still looks like a pepperoni pizza. That’s because what you’re treating isn’t acne. It’s fungal acne — technically called pityrosporum folliculitis — caused by an overgrowth of yeast on your skin. Standard acne treatments often make it worse. They strip the skin barrier, kill good …
About 1 in 3 people who think they have bacterial acne actually have a yeast overgrowth on their skin. That’s not a guess — it’s from a 2026 study in the Journal of Dermatology that swabbed 150 patients with persistent “acne” and found Malassezia yeast in 34% of them. Standard acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide …
