Aceites de cabello y tinea capitis

Influence of Hair Oil on Scalp Fungal Cultures

Pediatric Dermatology

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• The authors conducted a prospective study involving children with suspected tinea capitis (n=28). Fungal cultures were collected from the scalp before and after application of cosmetic hair oil. Of the total, 16 (57%) of 28 cultures were positive at baseline, most often for Trichophyton tonsurans. After application of hair oil, 15 of 16 patients with a prior positive culture maintained their positive culture. Only 1 of the 28 patients had a positive culture after application of hair oil but not before.

• Although this is a small study, it suggests that there is no validity to the clinical speculation that use of hair oil may increase the rate of tinea capitis in African-American children. Hair oil has minimal impact on the sensitivity of a fungal culture for tinea capitis.

– Margaret Hammond, MD

Abstract 

It has been clinically speculated that the use of oil for hair grooming may change detection of fungus on culture; however, the effect of hair oil on fungal cultures remains poorly studied. In this prospective case-controlled study, scalp cultures were collected from twenty-eight pediatric patients with clinically suspected tinea capitis before and after cosmetic hair oil was rubbed into the scalp. Following hair oil application, fifteen of the sixteen originally positive patients tested positive, while one patient that had tested negative prior to hair oil had a positive culture. Our study suggests that recent hair oil application has minimal effect on the sensitivity of fungal culture for tinea capitis and we can rely on our standard fungal cultures with or without hair oil.

Pediatric Dermatology

Influence of Hair Oil on Scalp Fungal Cultures

Pediatr Dermatol 2020 Aug 05;[EPub Ahead of Print], CM Wichterman, MG Kumar, SJ Bayliss 

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Benjamin Hidalgo-Matlock
Skin Care Physicians of Costa Rica

Clinica Victoria en San Pedro: 4000-1054
Momentum Escazu: 2101-9574

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