Fungi are the organisms that can cause infection in humans, and many of these infections involve the skin. A fungal skin infection is usually the result of the presence of some types of foreign fungus on the skin. These fungi grow best on those areas of the skin that are warm, dark, and moist. There are different types of fungal skin infections.

A common fungal infection that generally affects the skin of young people is Tinea versicolor. It mostly affects the chest, back, upper arms, and legs. It is caused by a fungus that lives in the skin of some adults. It doesn’t usually affect the face. This fungus produces spots that are either lighter than the skin or a reddish-brown.

Body ringworm (Tinea corporis) is a superficial fungal infection of the skin. It affects the arms, legs or chest. Scalp ringworm (Tinea capitis) is found on the head.

Jock itch (Tinea cruris) is a common fungal infection that affects more men than women. It is the infection of groin and upper thighs. It appears as a rash with elevated edges. It’s itchy and often feels like it is burning.

Athlete’s foot (Tinea pedis) is another common fungal infection experienced by up to 70% of the population at sometime in their life. It usually appears as red, cracked, and itchy skin between the toes. Sometimes it may be red, scaly bumps filled with pus on the bottoms and sides of the feet.

Skin inflammation on the face, caused by a fungal infection is known as fungal rash on face (Tinea faciei). In female, this infection might appear on any surface of the face. In men, these fungal skin rashes (Tinea barbae) appear in the bearded areas.

Beside these, Intertrigo is a yeast infection that occurs in skin folds.

Candida is a yeast, similar to a fungus. It mostly affects the skin around the nails or the soft, moist areas around body openings. Diaper rash in babies is one type of candidal infection. Older girls and women may develop another form of candidal infection in and around the channel. It causes the skin around the area to itch and may also be red and swollen.

There are some common ways to avoid fungal skin infection to occur:

1. Washing the feet everyday.

2. Drying the feet completely, especially between the toes.

3. Wearing sandals or shower shoes when walking around in locker rooms, public pools, and public showers.

4. Always wearing clean and dry socks.

5. Using a medicated powder on the feet to reduce perspiration.

6. Wearing clean, cotton underwear and loose fitting pants.

7. Keeping the groin area clean and dry.

8. Changing out swimsuits instead of lounging around in them.

9. Wash your face with gentle face wash or soap to make it oil free.

10. Wash your hand with antibacterial hand soap to keep them germ free.

Getting rid of a fungal infection is not that difficult. There are many homemade remedies for fungal infection:

1. Tea tree oil is effective in treating toe nail and finger nail fungus. Apply it twice a day with a cotton ball.

2. Another effective home remedy would be to soak a cotton ball in concentrated lime juice and rub it on the affected area.

3. Olive leafs can be used as an anti-bacterial for infections.

4. Take fresh garlic slices and put it in the shoes, wear it all day. This is the best way of curing athlete’s foot.

5. One of the best homemade yeast infection remedy is yogurt.

6. Garlic is another effective homemade yeast infection remedy that can be used both internally and externally.

7. One of the home remedy for jock itch is using antibacterial soap which help to combat the condition.

8. Anti fungal cream can be applied on the fungal rash in face.