[Levels of selenium in urine after treatment of pityriasis versicolor with a 1.0% selenium sulfide]

The treatment of pityriasis versicolor by the topical application of selenium sulfide 1% was studied in two groups of patients. Diagnosis and response to therapy was determined by clinical observation. Wood's light fluorescence, and direct microscopic examination. The efficacy of three different therapeutic regimes was studied in one group by the application of the drug to the entire skin for either five minutes, fifteen minutes, or twelve hours for eighteen days. Each method proved equally effective in resolving the infection. Therefore, the cutaneous application of selenium sulfide 1 % for five minutes daily for eighteen days is the recommended treatment for pityriasis versicolor. The percutaneous absorption of selenium sulfide was also studied in another groups who applied the drug to the entire skin for five minutes for eighteen days. Fluorimetric analysis of urinary samples collected on the third and thirteenth days of treatment revealed no significant increase in the excretion of selenium as compared to pretreatment levels. Systemic toxicity was not observed in any of the patients treated. The results suggest that the selenium sulfide is absorbed poorly from the skin and is a safe and effective therapy for pityriasis versicolor.