Comparison between the Efficacies of Clotrimazole in the Treatment of Both Forms of Tinea Versicolor

Abstract

Tinea versicolor is a common skin disorder seen in the daily dermatological practice. Tinea versicolor is an endogenous opportunistic infection caused by Malassezia yeasts which are part of the normal flora that normally live on the skin. Several systemic and topical treatments have been used in the treatment of tinea versicolor but their use has been limited by their side effects or variable therapeutic response. Therefore, there is ongoing search for safer and more effective drugs. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of topical clotrimazole in the treatment of tinea versicolor. The study included 20 patients of tinea versicolor (10 hypo- and 10 hyperpigmented TVC) who were treated with clotrimazole 0.1% cream. All patients were selected from the outpatient clinics of Dermatology and Andrology Department of Benha University Hospitals. From this study we can conclude that clotrimazole is equally effective in both forms of tinea versicolor.