Can Mold Grow on Our Skin?

What are the Consequences?

Yes, mold can grow on your skin. Most exposure starts in air, on fabric, or on contaminated surfaces, but once spores land on skin the conditions can be ideal for them to colonize. After fifteen years working with mold-affected families, I’ve found this is one of the most underestimated exposure routes in the recovery process.

Our skin is made of biodegradable material just like other organic substrates that grow mold, such as home furnishings and building materials. Our skin, in fact our bodies, shed up to 40,000 skin cells each day!^[2] Dead skin cells are common nutrients for mold. Many people aren’t aware that mold can colonize and reproduce on our skin. It takes time for the microscopic spores to grow to where they are visible. In fact, there can be up to 250,000 mold spores on the head of a pin. Skin absorption matters. Mycotoxins that cross the stratum corneum reach the bloodstream the same way inhaled or ingested ones do.^[1]

Mold spores adhere to the outer stratum corneum without penetrating into deeper skin layers. Mycotoxin molecules can pass through the lipid matrix between corneocytes, reaching the viable epidermis where they can enter the body.

Who is in Danger of Having Mold Issues on Skin or Hair?

There are a several professions where people are exposed to extreme moldy conditions.

• Medical professionals who see mold patients, since mold travels on clothing
• Mold Inspectors and Remediation Professionals
• Construction Workers
• Employees working in dusty warehouses/plants that have high humidity
• Homeowners who enter attics, basements, and crawlspaces
• Any other persons exposed to humid, hot conditions for prolonged periods

How Mold Can Grow on Skin

There are a variety of circumstances which can cause the growth of mold on skin.

• Moldy environment or work conditions
• Excess moisture from humidity or improper drying procedures
• Diet; too much yeast from sugars/carbohydrates, etc.
• Skin reaction from infection or other outside source

Avoiding Moisture

Mold needs moisture, warmth, and food to reproduce and grow. The human body is an optimal place, as our body temperatures are high, and our skin is made of biodegradable, slightly porous material that mold spores love to attach onto. If your skin has too much moisture, it will be the perfect environment for mold growth.

If you aren’t drying your skin immediately and properly, or if the humidity levels are high, and your skin remains moist constantly without being able to dry out, it would only make sense that mold spores would begin to reproduce.

The use of a dehumidifier will reduce the humidity continuously for comfort and mold hygiene.

Diets with Sugar and Simple Carbohydrates Fuel Candida (Yeast) Growth in Your Gut

How does mold infect skin? Skin is the largest organ of the human body. It also tends to be the last place on your body that shows signs of inner problems. Many of your body’s waste products are secreted out of your skin through sweat glands and pores. Many times, if too many yeast containing products are consumed, there is an over-abundance of yeast in the blood, which can result in yeast infections, or in an outbreak of mold on the skin. Candida overgrowth can also occur after a course of antibiotics, or just from a poor diet that is high in sugars and/or carbohydrates. In the worst-case scenario, candida blood infections can be fatal.^[4]

If your body is already dealing with a problem, such as an infection, reduced immune system, or other problems, your natural defenses are compromised, and mold is more likely to get a foothold on your skin.

What to Look For in a Mold-Targeted Body Care Routine

The body-care side of recovery is the easiest piece to get wrong. People reach for whatever’s already on the shower shelf, and a standard shampoo isn’t designed to lift mold spores off skin and hair. For households dealing with active exposure, daily showering with a body care product built for the job is part of standard hygiene. If you are uncertain about whether mold on your skin requires treatment, always seek advice from your healthcare provider or dermatologist.

What to look for:

• Fragrance-free formulation. Synthetic fragrance compounds can irritate skin already sensitized by mold exposure.
• Plant-based antimicrobial ingredients with published activity data. Citrus seed extracts, for example, have published antimicrobial profiles^[3] and are common in body washes designed for mold exposure hygiene.
• EWG A or B rating. EWG’s cleaner database rates personal care products on ingredient safety and disclosure.

For shampoo and body wash options designed with mold-exposure hygiene in mind, see the health support category.

Wash Mold from Clothing and Bedding

Clothing holds mold spores, re-introducing them to skin and hair even after you have showered. A mold-targeted laundry additive is designed to lift mold spores from fabric rather than just removing surface dirt. For a deeper walkthrough of fabric and bedding remediation, see our mold on clothes and bedding guide.

External Topical Treatments

There are a number of different things that have been suggested for topical use on mold growth or fungal breakouts on the skin. If you develop a serious skin condition or infection, see a dermatologist immediately.

Address Mold in Your Environment

Mold on skin doesn’t stay on skin. Spores cycle back into the air, settle on fabric and surfaces, and re-contact the body during routine activity. In my experience, the second wave of skin exposure usually comes from the environment around the body, not from the original colony. The most reliable way to keep mold off skin is to keep mold counts low in the environment around it. The right tools depend on where the mold is. Air, hard surfaces, fabric, and the body itself each need different treatment.

For a full walkthrough of how to choose tools for each zone of mold exposure, including misters, surface cleaners, laundry additives, and air maintenance, see our best mold remover guide.

A few baseline practices that apply across the board:

• HEPA vacuums and air purifiers. True HEPA filtration traps spores at 99.97% efficiency down to 0.3 microns, which is below the size of most fungal spores. Filters need scheduled replacement.
• Microfiber cloths for hard surfaces. Microfiber lifts spores off surfaces mechanically rather than spreading them, especially when used with a surfactant-based cleaner.
• Dehumidifiers in moisture-prone zones. Mold needs moisture to colonize. Keeping relative humidity below 50% in bathrooms, basements, and laundry areas removes a key growth condition.

Citations

1. Boonen J, Malysheva SV, Taevernier L, Diana Di Mavungu J, De Saeger S, De Spiegeleer B. “Human skin penetration of selected model mycotoxins.” Toxicology. 2012;301(1-3):21-32. PMID: 22749975. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2. U.S. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. “Components of skin.” medlineplus.gov
3. Reagor L, Gusman J, McCoy L, Carino E, Heggers JP. “The Effectiveness of Processed Grapefruit-Seed Extract as An Antibacterial Agent: I. An In Vitro Agar Assay.” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2002;8(3):325-332. doi:10.1089/10755530260128014. doi.org/10.1089/10755530260128014
4. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Clinical Overview of Invasive Candidiasis.” cdc.gov