Tinea versicolor guide

Tinea versicolor treatment online in Virginia and West Virginia

This guide is for classic tinea versicolor (flat, slightly scaly patches lighter or darker than your normal skin on the trunk, shoulders, or neck), not for a changing or irregular mole, a raised or growing spot, widespread illness, or a spot that does not clearly fit tinea versicolor.

Start online

Start a $59 online review for Tinea versicolor.

Tinea versicolor (also called pityriasis versicolor) is a common, non-contagious overgrowth of a yeast that normally lives on the skin. It causes flat patches that are lighter or darker than the surrounding skin, usually on the chest, back, shoulders, and neck, and is often more noticeable after sun. It is frequently a good online-photo condition when the appearance is typical and there is no changing or irregular mole, raised lesion, or sign of a more complicated skin problem. A key point: pigmented lesions and moles are never evaluated by photo online.

If treatment is appropriate, your physician can send a non-controlled prescription to your pharmacy and provide portal instructions for the next step.

Start this visit See response times

Quick facts

You must be physically located in Virginia or West Virginia at the time of request.
Starts at $59
No insurance needed
No app download
Physician review around the clock
Non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy when appropriate
A work or school note can be included when medically appropriate
Response times apply 24/7, every day

Common symptoms

Flat patches lighter or darker than your normal skin
Patches on the chest, back, shoulders, neck, or upper arms
Faint fine scale or flaking when the patch is scratched
More noticeable after sun exposure or tanning; little or no itch

May fit online care

Adults & children 4+ (with a parent or legal guardian)
Flat patches with a typical tinea versicolor look
No changing, raised, growing, or bleeding spot or irregular mole
No fever or feeling unwell
Able to send a clear photo

Look for another care setting

Any mole or spot that is changing, growing, bleeding, crusting, or irregular
A raised, firm, or growing lump rather than a flat patch
Fever, spreading redness, warmth, pain, pus, or drainage
A weakened immune system with widespread patches
A truncal rash with palm or sole involvement or an STI concern
A first-ever skin color change that does not clearly fit tinea versicolor

What to have ready

A clear, well-lit photo of the patches
Where on the body they are located and how long they have been there
Whether they are lighter or darker than your normal skin
Any treatment already tried, medication allergies, and current medications

What happens next

Standard

$59

Within 6 hours

Priority

$99

Within 3 hours

Rush

$149

Within 1 hour

Start the request on the website, answer a few questions to check that this visit fits you, and choose how fast you want an answer (the response window). If your concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends you a secure update after you sign in. When appropriate, non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy, and a basic work or school note can be included at physician discretion.

Your physician

Every visit is personally reviewed by Ankur Fadia, MD. He is board-certified, has extra training in heart care (a cardiology fellowship), and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, a medical honor society. He is licensed in Virginia and West Virginia, and your care is never handed off to someone else.

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Why is my skin still discolored after treatment?

The yeast usually clears well before the color evens out. The lighter or darker patches can take several weeks to a few months to go back to your normal skin tone after the yeast is treated. That lingering color is expected and does not mean the treatment failed.

Can tinea versicolor always be treated online?

Not always. Some skin color changes are vitiligo (a condition that causes white patches of skin), post-inflammatory pigment change (leftover color from past skin irritation), or another condition. A changing or irregular mole, or a raised spot that is growing, needs an in-person skin exam. Pigmented lesions (spots or growths that have color in them) are not evaluated by photo. Widespread patches in someone with a weakened immune system are also better seen in person.

Does tinea versicolor come back?

Often, yes. Because the yeast normally lives on the skin, tinea versicolor often comes back, especially in warm, humid weather. Periodic maintenance washes (washes used now and then) with an antifungal or selenium sulfide product can help it come back less often.

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