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A shampoo to overcome acne. The idea may seem crazy, but it is already unanimous on TikTok. Users now swear by dandruff shampoos for treating a very specific type of skin condition, fungal acne, which essentially manifests as painful, itchy red bumps. And the most surprising thing is that a host of experts have already validated this a priori unusual trick.
There are countless unusual beauty tips that have gone viral on the Chinese social network TikTok. Very specific techniques, such as the use of banana slices to end acne, which most of the time arouse the anger of dermatologists. But it would seem that tiktokeurs are not always wrong, quite the contrary, as evidenced by a new trick intended to fight against fungal acne, a skin inflammation that actually has nothing to do with classic acne. .
Fungal acne, quesaco?
To understand how a simple dandruff shampoo can help treat fungal acne, you must first understand what exactly this skin condition is. This is actually the nickname given to folliculitis, a benign inflammation of the hair follicle caused by a fungus, most often Malassezia. Yeast whose proliferation can be favored by humid conditions, and which can also be responsible for… dandruff.
It will have been understood that certain active ingredients present in anti-dandruff shampoos can a fortiori also make it possible to treat fungal acne. It remains to determine them so as not to jump on any hair care. More specifically, it is ketoconazole, an antifungal, zinc pyrithione, an antibacterial and antifungal, and selenium sulphide, also classified as an antifungal, all contained in most anti-dandruff shampoos, which would put an end to it, or all of it. less alleviate, fungal acne, as revealed by many dermatologists on the Chinese social network.
It didn’t take much more for this trick to spread at high speed on the favorite social media of the youngest generations, where many users try the experience. The whole thing seen hundreds of thousands of times, even if some are now mistakenly turning to anti-dandruff shampoos to try to put an end to acne that could be described as ‘classic’, due to a bacterium and not to a mushroom.
A few rules to follow
If this tip a priori as unexpected as it is unusual ultimately seems to be of the most benefit to the people concerned, it is clear that certain points divide in the media as on social networks. Dr. Mona Gohara, a dermatologist and associate professor at Yale School of Medicine, explained to the magazine pace that it was possible to replace your usual cleanser and shower gel with an anti-dandruff shampoo, and let it act between one and a few minutes depending on the part of the body. A tip that concerns the face, back, chest, and upper arms, and of course only fungal acne.
But on TikTok, Dr Jen Caudle, which also operates in the United States, recalls not only that anti-dandruff shampoos are not effective against classic acne, but that they also contain active ingredients that are not intended for the face. If she does not question the effectiveness of this trick against fungal acne, she nevertheless recommends consulting a doctor to determine the type of acne observed on a particular patient, as well as the possibility of using an anti-dandruff shampoo. to stop the proliferation of the fungus in question. All after trying all the other treatments.