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Will my fungal infection ever go? And are there any alternatives to steroid creams?

Posted , 14 users are following.

pyrrhus
pyrrhus

I've never had particularly 'good' skin but I've never really had any major problems other than acne when I was younger and the occasional spot now and again. I'm now 32 and at the beginning of this year my face started getting very dry and flaky, particularly around my eyes.

I tried various moisturisers but nothing really helped and a couple of times my face completely flared up and around my eyes was very swollen, leaving me looking ridiculous for a couple of days. After about a month and on the third occasion that my face had 'flared', I went to my GP who said it was down to a fungal infection and prescribed me Daktacort cream which contains both an anti-fungal (Miconazole) and a steroid to reduce the inflammation (Hydrocortisone). I used the cream twice a day and after a few days I looked almost normal again and the dryness and flaking seemed to be lessening. After two weeks everything seemed better and I was told to switch to Daktarin cream which contains only only the anti-fungal (Miconazole) as it isn't safe to use steroid creams for too long.

Once I stopped using the steroid cream, I noticed my face began getting dry again. I still had some Daktacort left over from my previous prescription so I began using it again, just in the mornings, and using the Daktarin in the evenings. Everything seemed to get better again. I did this for about two weeks and then, once again, stopped using the steroid cream and reverted to using just the anti-fungal cream twice a day. In the past week since then, I've slowly started to feel my skin getting dry again (although not especially flaky), particularly around my eyes... and this morning I woke up and it is once again very swollen around my eyes, and the rest of my face is also quite inflamed. I feel embarassed leaving the house because I look so silly.

I still have some Daktacort left and I know the problem will clear up if I start using it again but I don't particularly want to go back to using it. I have read nothing but bad things about prolonged usage of Hydrocortisone and everything on the internet seems to forbid using it on the face and particularly around the eyes... which is exactly where I need to use it! Are there any alternatives? Is the condition likely to ever go away? I'd been under the impression that it was just a case of killing the fungal infection, but I've been using the anti-fungal for nearly two months now and it is obviously still present.

2 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • sue54395
    sue54395

    Posted

    Hi

    Did you ever get a good resolution to this? I have the same and same scenario, stopping with antifungal HC cream then coming back after i stop using it - so frustrating!

    Thanks!

  • pyrrhus
    pyrrhus

    Posted

    Hiya.

    Sorry to hear you're suffering like I was.

    The good news is that my problem resolved itself and I believe it was all thanks to a healthy dose of sunshine. I'd been relying on the HC cream for months and even my GP had told me it was probably something Iwas just going to have to get used to. Then I went travelling for 6 weeks around the Balkans. It has extremely hot and sunny (most days the temperature was in the high thirties Celsius) and I slowly found myself using the HC cream less and less, until eventually stopping altogether. I half expected the problem to return when I came home but it never did and never has.

  • sue54395
    sue54395

    Posted

    Oh that's great!! I haven't had proper sun for a year so think its time to book a holiday! Very glad you got it sorted and thanks for the tip! smile
  • shelley40738
    shelley40738 pyrrhus

    Posted

    Try adding tea tree oil to your routine. Buy the 100% stuff at the pharmacy or health food store and smooth about 3 or 4 drops of it on your face morning and night. I mix mine with a mild miosturizer. They might tell you it will burn your skin but I never had a problem. I felt a sense of relief right away, but it took a long time for my skin to truly repair. I stopped using it a month ago and I can feel the itch coming back so I'll start again.
  • jason20562
    jason20562 pyrrhus

    Posted

    This post is old but have you tried changing your laundry habits? I get this around my nose and mouth from time to time. Ive used over the counter antifungal creams that tend to qork quickly, but ive realized it flares up most after laundry. It became aware the washers i was using at the local landromat were not using hot water (to save money, huge scam) and I was washing socks in with clothes and sheets. Ive determined that the athelets foot fungus from my socks is spreading through the wash onto my sheets, so as I lay down to sleep at night on what i think is a clean pillow case, its actually contaminated from my dirty socks. I now am using baking soda and borax in the laundry to kill any spores and wash socks seperately. It also spreads from my shoes to my hands so i have to be cautious. Putting shoes on forces me to stick a finger in my heel to slip it on. this contaminates my fingers from touching my shoes and socks. 
  • charliefan
    charliefan pyrrhus

    Posted

    Hello Pyrrhus - i just read your post and i wanted to share that I seem to have something very similar to you. My allergist/immunologist put me on Protopic (Tacrolimus) - it's an immune response cream similar to a steroid but not a steroid. I've been using it for several years now and my experience is identical to yours. When i use for a few days the dryness and redness go away. I stop and then 1-2 weeks later it comes back horribly. Swelling and cracking under my eyes - cracking around my lips. I just hate it. I do not want to be on the cream any longer either. Have your symptoms ever recurred?

  • Itchyskins
    Itchyskins pyrrhus

    Posted

    Yes there is a herbal alternative. If you can send me a picture of your inflamed skin I can send you both the cure and skin repair serum
  • ell03
    ell03 pyrrhus

    Posted

    I know this is from ages ago but for anyone who is still struggling with this condition, I had very irritated and red skin around my lips and under-eyes. My doctor told me it was eczema and prescribed me daktacort, however I used this for 2 months and saw no improvements. I went back to a different doctor today and was told it was actually dermatitis. He prescribed me an ointment called Bethamethasone Valerate. My skin has improved amazingly with only one application within about 7hours! 

    Just to say that my condition is specifically caused by cold weather, so this treatment may not be suitable for everyone

    -Hope this helped!

  • rondy
    rondy pyrrhus

    Posted

    I have only just seen my doctor who says i have a fungal infection. He's given me Daktacort and I've just used it twice today. So far it has made the areas red and itchy. I was wondering if others had experienced this.

    He also told me not to take my Statins while using Daktacort but Googling it I can't see that it interacts with anything. Specially as the Daktacort is just a cream.

    Many thanks for any replies.

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