lang ben

Definition

Noun (Medical/Dermatology):
- Tinea versicolor / Pityriasis versicolor: A common, benign fungal infection of the skin caused by an overgrowth of yeast. It is characterized by patches of discolored skin that may be lighter or darker than the surrounding skin, often with fine scaling.
- Vitiligo (in some historical/regional contexts): In some older or specific regional usage, "lang ben" may refer to vitiligo, an autoimmune condition causing loss of skin pigment. However, in modern standard medical Vietnamese, "lang ben" primarily refers to the fungal infection.

Usage Examples

Noun:
- Trời nóng ẩm dễ bị lang ben. (Hot, humid weather makes one prone to tinea versicolor.)
- Anh ấy đi khám da liễu vì lang ben ở lưng. (He went to the dermatologist for tinea versicolor on his back.)
- Cần phân biệt lang ben với bệnh bạch biến (vitiligo). (It is necessary to distinguish tinea versicolor from vitiligo.)

Advanced Usage

The term is used specifically in dermatology and general medicine. It is a condition, not a symptom of another disease.
"Bị lang ben": to have tinea versicolor.
- Cô ấy đang bị lang ben nên tránh nắng. (She has tinea versicolor so she should avoid the sun.)

Variants and Related Words

Nấm da (n): fungal skin infection (a broader category that includes "lang ben").
- Lang ben là một dạng nấm da. (Tinea versicolor is a type of fungal skin infection.)
Bạch biến (n): vitiligo (the distinct autoimmune condition for which "lang ben" is sometimes a misnomer).
- Bạch biến khác với lang ben về nguyên nhân. (Vitiligo is different from tinea versicolor in its cause.)

Synonyms

Related Idioms

There are no common idioms directly using "lang ben." It is a straightforward medical term. However, it might appear in descriptive phrases about skin appearance or minor, persistent ailments.
- Cứ như lang ben, khó trị dứt điểm. (It's like tinea versicolor, hard to cure completely.) – used figuratively to describe a persistent, nagging problem.

noun