Candida – A fungal infection caused by Candida albicans is commonly called a yeast infection. Infants who have been diagnosed with thrush have a C. albicans infection in their mouths, commonly on the tongue. They are often treated in the doctor’s office with a purplish liquid that will take care of the infection. Infants can be infected during birth or from breastfeeding. Many women will experience a vaginal infection of C. albicans in their lifetimes at least once, and treatment is simple.
Many don’t realize that thrush and vaginal yeast infections are caused by the same microorganisms or that men can also have a similar infection. Both women and men should treat infections of C. albicans as soon as an infection is suspected, to prevent further symptoms and possible infection of others where intimacy is shared. Knowing the signs of an infection can help you know when you have an infection of C. albicans. It isn’t only women who can experience and suffer from yeast infections and need a candida treatment. So even if you are a man, you should still find out more about this type of infection that often goes unrecognized and untreated.
What is a Yeast Infection, and Who Can Get One?
C. Albicans is a yeast found all over your body, but is kept under control by the other micro-organisms also found on your skin. These include bacteria, which is why when you take an antibiotic you might develop a yeast infection. A yeast infection is a fungal infection that affects the moister body parts, commonly the mouth, the vagina, or around the head on a man’s penis.
In people who are overweight, yeast infections can also develop inside the folds of skin due to the lack of light, air, and added moisture. These areas should be washed as normal to prevent yeast infections, and then dried thoroughly after bathing or showering. Other preventative care is not normally required, unless recurrent infections are experienced. If that is the case, an anti-fungal cream being applied a few times a week may be sufficient to prevent further outbreaks.
If a yeast infection is located in the mouth, which is more common in babies than in adults, but adults can also get a yeast infection in their mouth, there may be an unusually white tongue that is smooth, or patches with lumps can appear. This can also be on the top of the mouth, and even on the lips and the area between the lips and the gums. This is called “thrush“.
Women and girls will typically have a yeast infection in the vaginal area. Sexual intimacy does not have to happen for a yeast infection to be experienced by a girl or woman. Swimming and wearing a bathing suit afterward for too long can be the cause of a yeast infection, as can excessive perspiring on hot and humid days while wearing such items as spandex exercise clothing. Men with yeast infections will experience a rash or possibly a raw area around the area under the head of their penis, and this can also be caused by the same situations stated above.
The area a yeast infection is located in on your skin can increase in size quickly if not treated, and while researchers are divided on wheter a yeast infection can be passed back and forth between two people, if you are intimate with someone, and one of you have a yeast infection, you should both be treated at the same time. This is because researchers have found yeast in the sperm of several different men, and if this is the case, it is very likely that the yeast can be the cause of a woman’s recurrent yeast infections. Without both partners having Candida albicans treatment, and at the same time, and while refraining from intimacy during that treatment, the chances of reinfection can be very high.
What Can Happen Without Treating Yeast Infection?
In infants with untreated thrush, nursing, bottle feeding, and even eating baby food with a spoon can become very painful. If breastfeeding, the mother should talk to her doctor about any medications she should take to ensure she is not carrying C. Albicans and will not reinfect her baby, and which medications she should refrain from taking to reduce the likelihood that she will redevelop a yeast infection that way, as well.
For women and girls, a vaginal yeast infection can be extremely bothersome. There is often an unsightly discharge that has a distinctive odor. There can also be intense itching and burning. This can become much more intense during urination. Engaging in sexual relations can become very painful, especially on and around the outer areas of the vagina.
Men suffering from a yeast infection may confuse it with another skin disorder, commonly called jock itch. The symptoms are very similar, and if caught in time, the same over-the-counter medication may solve the problem. Many men wait too long, and then require a visit to the doctor to solve their problem. This is because yeast infections can spread quickly, and on a man, can quickly cover the shaft of the penis, and spread over the scrotum area. What was considered a temporary rash can soon become intolerably itchy and painful, and very sore from the rawness experienced. In the warmer months, this spreading of the yeast infection over the groin area can happen within a few hours.
How Do I Get Candida Albicans Treatment?
If your infant has thrush, your pediatrician will have the proper treatment in his or her office. The treatment is simple, and takes only a minute or two. Thrush can also happen to older children and adults, and the treatment is the same, however, with older children and adults, the liquid is often clear instead of colored. This is because infants and younger children may not hold still for the entire treatment, and the doctor can see what areas have been treated if the liquid is colored and can stain those areas. With older children who will remain still, and for adults, the liquid medication does not need to be colored.
Candida albicans treatment for women and girls experiencing vaginal yeast infections can last a week, but begins to relieve symptoms after a day or two. This is typically a cream that is applied using a washable dispenser that screws onto the medications tube. The medication is squeezed into the tube, so the dose is accurate. The medication never needs to be touched by the hands, although they should be washed both before and after each dose. Dosage is often once or twice a day, depending on the strength of the medication, and while it takes only a day or two for a woman or girl to feel better, the entire contents should be used unless the doctor tells you otherwise. This is because the balance of yeast to bacteria may not be firmly established in just a day or two, and the yeast may just be in a weakened state. There are also pill forms of Candida albicans treatment for women in which one tablet is taken. This is often recommended for women who are breastfeeding and their infant has had more than one episode of thrush while they themselves have no visible or known symptoms of having a yeast infection.
Candida albicans treatment for men consists of very similar treatment, although the cream is applied directly to the affected area. Tablets are also available that will treat C. albicans. Topical creams take anywhere from three days to a week for men. One tablet is all that is typically needed, but treatment done with a tablet does not provide the instant relief that the cream often provides.
What Else Should I Know About Candida Albicans Treatment?
Sometimes the nails can become infected with yeast, and while this is not considered a ‘yeast’ infection, it is often the same organism that create discolored nails, that without treatment, can separate from the nail bed and result in loss of nails and even secondary infections. This problem should be discussed with your doctor. This type of infection is called a fungal infection, and can be treated only internally. The tablets used to Candida albicans treatment are the same ones used to treat fungal infections of the nails, but the dosage is much higher and for a longer length of time. Doses at this level can be damaging to your liver, and should be supervised by a doctor who may order testing to ensure that liver damage is not taking place. While this tablet is often found over-the-counter in many locations, self-treatment is not recommended because of the high chance of liver damage occurring.
