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Tinea versicolor of the scalp
1Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Ain Shams University, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt.
Background:
Tinea versicolor (TV) is commonly described on the trunk without giving attention to involvement of the scalp. We examined cases with dandruff with and without TV on the body to see how frequent Malassezia furfur (M. furfur) is present in dandruff scales.
Methods:
A total of 80 patients were examined mycologically using KOH preparation for the presence of M. furfur in dandruff scales.
Results:
M. furfur was found in dandruff scales in 7 out of 20 men with TV (35%) and 5 out of 20 women with TV (25%), whereas it was absent in another 40 cases without clinical lesions of TV on the body.
Conclusions:
Attention must be paid to TV of the hairy scalp. Cases of dandruff, especially those accompanied with TV of the body, must be examined for the presence of M. furfur because of its prognostic significance. Positive cases should be treated accordingly.