This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of the links, I earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Ever since I’ve shared my acne story and started talking about fungal acne online, I am flooded with Instagram DMs from people asking me to evaluate their skincare routines.
And while I am happy to do it, I’ve noticed a common theme with these routines.
People are over-treating their skin! Are you one of them?
By constantly bombarding your skin with harsh, drying chemicals – you’re actually sabotaging your ability to clear fungal acne (malassezia folliculitis). That’s right – by treating the fungus, you could actually be making matters worse!
In reality, the best approach to clearing fungal acne and keeping your skin clear forever is to KISS… no, I’m not talking about snogging.
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
But don’t worry – you’re not actually stupid. It’s just that most of us have been fed bad information about how to treat acne our whole lives.
We’ve been told to slather ungodly amounts of benzoyl peroxide on our skin. We’ve been told to take Accutane. We’ve been told to use harsh scrubs to exfoliate. We’ve been told to give up dairy, gluten, and sugar.
But I have news.
Good news!
None of those approaches are actually necessary to clear your fungal acne. Here are the only 4 products you need to clear your fungal acne (malassezia folliculitis) and stay clear for good!
Don’t Know Which Products are Safe?
Clueless when it comes to picking fungal-acne-safe products off the shelves at Walmart & Target?
With my fungal acne friendly shopping lists, you’ll be able to pick out skincare & makeup products with complete confidence.
Download my FREE Shopping Guides & take them with you to the store!
Simply fill out this form & I’ll send them to your inbox!
The Only 4 Products You Need to Clear Fungal Acne (Malassezia Folliculitis) Forever
Could it be true? Do you really only need 4 products?
4 Products certainly doesn’t sound like much. But remember, the goal here is to Keep It Simple, Stupid!
And one of the major perks here is that you won’t have to spend a fortune on your skincare routine. ?
Click here to see how much money I wasted on skincare & makeup products that were breaking me out.
In fact, I’ve never spent less on skincare than when I started buying fungal acne safe products, and I’ve never been more clear. All without the help of dermatologists or prescriptions.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself, because it feels too good to be true!
1. A Good Cleanser
The first product you’re going to need to clear malassezia folliculitis is a good cleanser.
But what makes a good cleanser?
You may or may not know – but when choosing a cleanser (or any other skincare product on this list) – you want to choose a product that contains ingredients that are *mostly* safe for fungal acne.
In other words, you want to avoid ingredients known to feed the malassezia yeast.
A good way to check your products is by plugging the ingredients list into a website such as sezia.co or folliculitisscout.com
And the reason I said *mostly* safe is because a cleanser isn’t going to sit on your skin 24/7. You’re rinsing, lathering, and washing it off.
Therefore – if your cleanser contains 1 or 2 bad ingredients, it probably isn’t going to cause you any problems. They simply won’t be on your skin long enough to actually allow the malassezia yeast to metabolize those harmful ingredients.
Luckily, there are plenty of cleansers that are 100% fungal acne safe, and you can shop my picks here. But the main focus here should be finding a cleanser with the proper pH balance for skin so it won’t dry you out & disrupt your moisture barrier.
You may even want to try a gentle micellar water, which removes your makeup without traditional cleansing techniques.
Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe Skincare
2. An Active (Treatment)
Actives, actives, actives! This is probably my favorite product to nerd out over. I just love to talk about AHAs, BHAs, and all the acids! Salicylic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide, Azelaic Acid, oh my!
Check out my video on The Ordinary products for fungal acne.
But don’t worry – you don’t need to have formal dermatological training in order to understand these ingredients.
Actives are simply the ingredient in your skincare routine that is going to actively fight the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne. Cool!
There are so many choices in this category, but still – I cannot stress enough how gentle you need to be in your approach. If you aren’t familiar with actives, some can be extremely harsh & drying for your skin.
That’s why I typically recommend Stridex Maximum strength pads, which contain 2% Salicylic Acid & are gentle enough for daily use.
Feeling Stuck When It Comes to Clearing Your Fungal Acne?
When I first found out I had fungal acne, it took me months of research to figure out what I could & couldn’t use. And I still made mistakes!
The resources I found online didn’t have the answers I needed, so I had to be my own guinea pig.
And now that I’ve done all the work, I want to share it with you!
If you’re feeling confused and want the straightforward information, products, and skincare routines I used to treat & clear my fungal acne, I’ve created the From Fungal Acne to Clear Skin Guide just for you.
Download it now to fast-track your results to clear skin for life.
3. A Moisturizer
Ok, I want your complete honesty here.
How old were you when you started using moisturizer as part of your daily skincare routine?
I was well into my teens.. in fact, I think I was in college. ?
And the reason I never used moisturizer? I was convinced it would only break my skin out further. I mean.. hello?! I already had an overproduction of sebum (oil), wasn’t I supposed to be eradicating it – not adding it back in?
I’m going to write a whole post on the skin’s moisture barrier soon, but since that’s not the purpose of this article – you’ll have to take my word for it. If your skin is not properly hydrated (moisturized), it cannot heal itself (read: the fungal acne will not clear).
Admittedly, I’m a little extra when it comes to moisture, but my skin is better for it! I like to do a 4 step system involving spritzing my face with water, massaging hyaluronic acid into my skin, spritzing with water again, and then locking it all in with my actual moisturizer.
Watch me do my moisturizing routine in this glossy skin makeup tutorial.
? SKIN TIP: Apply moisturizer to damp skin for best results.
4. A Daily Sunscreen
The final product you MUST HAVE TO CLEAR YOUR FUNGAL ACNE is a good sunscreen.
Yes, this one is an absolute must!
For starters, sunscreen is our best defense against aging. Want to avoid (or delay) fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots? Wear sunscreen every damn day!
And while I know we all would like to look young forever, there’s another important aspect of wearing sunscreen.
If you are actively trying to clear fungal acne, post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or scarring – the sun’s UVA & UVB rays could be prolonging (or preventing) that process.
That’s right. To allow your skin the opportunity to heal, you need to protect it from UVA & UVB rays. The reason is that UVA & UVB ☀️ rays cause more damage (inflammation) to your skin, which compounds with the inflammation from the acne, and your skin just can’t keep up!
Luckily I have a whole post about sunscreens that are safe for fungal acne.
If this is one of the products you’ve neglected in your routine, I challenge you to start using sunscreen and see how much faster your skin heals.
What About Scarring & Hyperpigmentation?
A lot of people question what they can do to heal their scarring & hyperpigmentation, or post-inflammatory dark marks left over from acne.
Here’s the truth : if you can get your skin clear & keep your skin clear by using the 4 products I’ve mentioned – then your hyperpigmentation & post inflammatory scarring will start to clear up in no time. You may not even need to buy a special product to address it.
I had acne for 17 years, and while my skin was breaking out, I had tons of hyperpigmentation. But since clearing my fungal acne, hyperpigmentation isn’t really a problem anymore. These days if I do get an odd pimple (it happens), the hyperpigmentation goes away almost instantly!
If this is a big issue for you, adding a topical retinol to your routine could help to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and allow scars to heal faster.
My bigger problem is pitted scarring – actual dents in my skin leftover from my severe cystic acne days. But topicals can’t do much for this problem. Time may help. Staying clear will undoubtedly help. But one day I might have to look into professional skincare treatments to address my icepick, boxcar, rolling acne scars.
What About Makeup?
This probably goes without saying, but if you wear makeup and have fungal acne – you need to use makeup that will not feed the malassezia yeast. I have lots of resources & even more opinions on these products!
- Foundation for Fungal Acne
- Concealer for Fungal Acne
- Eyeshadow for Fungal Acne
- Lipstick for Fungal Acne
- Glossy Skin Makeup Tutorial
Fungal Acne (Malassezia Folliculitis) Safe Makeup
Spread the Word About Fungal Acne
Be sure to leave a comment with your current skincare routine! Do you use all 4 of theses products, or do you use more?
I’m always curious to learn more about how other people have treated & cleared their fungal acne. And when you share – it helps everyone who reads this blog or watches my Youtube Channel get clear skin faster!
So what are you waiting for? Hop in the comments & spill the tea!
Found this article helpful? Share it with the world & help me on my mission to prove that clear skin + amazing makeup can coexist.
Pin this Image to Pinterest:
