A woman's breakouts were misdiagnosed by multiple dermatologists. The internet helped her realize she had fungal acne.

• Shannon Ranger, a makeup artist in Canada, had a mysterious acne breakout that started in 2017.
• She went to multiple dermatologists and tried acne and eczema treatments for years with no results.

As a bridal makeup artist with 20 years of experience, Shannon Ranger's face was her "business card." Her job was to show clients the secret to glowing skin — something she had naturally had all her life, save the occasional blemish.

Then, at 36, she suddenly developed persistent acne. Nothing could clear it, makeup made it itchy, and it just kept getting worse.

"It showed up first as these little pimples right under the skin, but you couldn't extract them," Ranger, now 42, told Insider.

For Ranger, it took five years of misdiagnoses, skin consultations, trying different creams and gels, and doing her own research online to finally get a diagnosis and clear her skin.

The neverending search for answers

Ranger had seen two dermatologists in 2013 and 2014 for a few itchy bumps on her skin after the birth of her second child. While the medications didn't make them disappear, they kept "things somewhat at bay" until 2017, when her face really broke out.

This time, Ranger was prescribed a tretinoin gel by a family doctor. It reduced the bumps at first, but the flare-ups kept coming back.

In 2020, she spoke to a virtual dermatologist during pandemic lockdowns, where she was diagnosed as having a combination of acne and eczema, which explained the extreme itchiness not usually associated with acne. She was given a Protopic prescription for her eczema and Aczone for her acne, and instructed to start with the Protopic first.

It worked for a few days, but then stopped being effective. And when she applied the Aczone, it felt "like a chemical burn."

Meanwhile, Ranger still had to continue working as a makeup artist and recalled feeling "very insecure" when she tried to cover up her skin with makeup, which made the condition worse. She wondered if clients would lose trust in her expertise, or if they would question how sanitary her process was.

A website by an anonymous writer led to a self-diagnosis

She found a blog called Simple Skincare Science, run by someone only known as "f.c.," and his page on folliculitis, or fungal acne — which matched Ranger's symptoms. Fungal acne is caused by yeast overgrowth that leads to itchy, inflamed hair follicles. The condition can look identical to regular acne, but requires different treatments to go away.

F.c., the anonymous author of the blog, has no known formal background in dermatology — instead, the blog is based on his own skin issues and research. Ranger isn't the only one who has found help from him: Skincare Redditors regularly discuss updates on the site and Malezia, his fungal acne skincare brand, has over 16,000 Instagram followers. For many, he's meeting an unmet demand for folliculitis answers, which is commonly misdiagnosed, according to dermatologists who previously spoke with Insider.

Ranger felt assured by the fact that f.c.'s blog wasn't trying to sell her anything (all the products he recommended were affordable options like Vanicream cleanser, and his own brand only offers items under $25). After spending money on skincare products that didn't work, she was willing to give his advice a try.

She also cross-referenced his advice with information on a website called Folliculitis Scout that scans makeup and skincare items for ingredients that could be triggers for yeast overgrowth — things like short-chain fatty acids, fragrances, and compounds called esters.

Ranger took her research to a dermatologist

When she started seeing her skin clear up, she went back to the last dermatologist she'd seen and told them her theory.

She said the doctor didn't dispute her research and was glad she finally found a solution.

Ranger started using Nizoral, an anti-fungal shampoo, on her face — something a dermatologist we previously interviewed recommended as an over-the-counter treatment for fungal acne.

But the real game changers were two products from f.c.'s brand, Malezia. Ranger, who is now an affiliate of the brand and gets money for promoting it online after "using it religiously for a year," said the acne treatment gel and moisturizer fully cleared up her skin in seven days.

She still can't use a lot of products she loves

Since her self-diagnosis, Ranger scans every single new skincare item through Folliculitis Scout before buying it, avoiding face oils, foundations, blushes, powders, and creams that can cause the fungal acne to resurface.

It limits her options. "I want to try Lady Gaga's Haus Labs, but there's like seven triggers in there," Ranger said. Sometimes, if she really loves a product, like Tom Ford's foundation, she'll wear it for a special occasion.

While it's made it difficult for her to recommend products when she can't try them herself, the experience has made her more open to talking about what she learned.

"I'm constantly promoting healthy skin, healthy skin barrier, 'let's get your acne fixed before your wedding day,'" she said.