Ringworm on the scalp, beard, and nails is also called tinea capitis, tinea barbae, or tinea sycosis, and tinea unguium (also called onychomycosis), respectively; ringworm on the body, groin, hands, and feet is called tinea corporis, tinea cruris (also called jocks itch), tinea manuum, and tinea pedis, respectively. Ringworm may occur anywhere on the body, including on the scalp (tinea capitis) and on the groin (jockey itch). Ringworms that occur on the skin, such as athletes foot and jock itch (tinea cruris), are generally treated with a nonprescription antifungal cream, lotion, or powder applied to the skin over 2 to 4 weeks.
Most ringworm infections are mild and can be treated with antifungal creams at the local drug store. If the antifungal cream does not work, or the ringworm is on the scalp of your baby, a doctor may prescribe an antifungal pill. Other types of fungal infections, including ringworm, are usually treated with antifungal creams at a pharmacy, and do not require you to visit your doctor unless they persist.
If the ringworm has spread to your fingernails, you will need to take antifungal medication to treat the infection. If ringworm covers a larger area of your skin, you may need to take a prescription antifungal medication.
If you are likely to get ringworm on your skin, your dermatologist will remove some infected skin. A dermatologist can usually tell whether or not you have ringworm just by looking at the area that is infected.
Ringworm is usually spread through direct skin-to-skin contact with a person or animal who is infected. In rare cases, ringworm may be transmitted to humans through contact with infected soil. Ringworm is typically spread between children and through sharing items that contain the fungus.
Different fungi, depending on where they are located on the childrens bodies, may cause ringworm. Because fungi can live on the skin for an unlimited time, it is possible for ringworm to return. Because there are many species of fungi that cause ringworm, an infection with one species does not make the individual immune to future infections.
Ringworm infections are caused by fungi on your skin, hair, and nails called dermatophytes. Ringworm looks like a red rash on your skin, which forms a ring around your normally looking skin. The rash can appear redder, lighter, or darker than the surrounding skin, depending on the color of your skin.
A rash is typically round in shape, but may appear differently on your face, neck, or scalp. The rash typically appears only in a few places on the skin, but can appear anywhere on your body, and it can be itchy. After forming the circular or oval ring, the skin within the rash may appear pinkish or nearly normal.
The edges of affected skin may contain blisters, lumps, or scabs. Ringworm can cause itching or burning, particularly in people with weak immune systems. Ringworm is a common fungal infection that may cause a red or silvery, ring-like rash on your skin. Ringworm typically looks like a circular, red, or silvery ring-shaped rash that can be scaly, inflamed, and itchy, but other fungal infections may look slightly different. Ringworm is a skin condition that is characterized by a red, scaly, circular rash or patch with clearing centers.
Referred to by health care providers as Tinea infections, infections of the scalp, arms, legs, face, and trunk are characterized by ring-shaped, red, scaly patches with clearing centers. Tinea infections of the feet, nails, and genital areas are generally not called ringworms, because ringworm infections on the feet might not have a typical ring-shaped appearance. Ringworm, or tinea, refers to different types of infectious fungal infections that occur in the upper layers of skin, scalp, and nails. Ringworm is a contagious fungal infection caused by a commonly found mould-like pest living in cells on the outer layers of the skin.
Ringworm – also known as dermatophytosis, dermatophyte infection, or tinea – is a fungal infection of your skin. Tinea corporis, also known as body ringworm, tinea circinata, or just ringworm, is a superficial (surface) fungal infection of the skin. Ringworm of the body (tin ee uh cor por be) is a skin infection caused by a fungus (a plant that is too small to see). Ringworm is a fungus-caused skin infection which may affect your scalp, skin, fingers, fingernails, or feet.
The most common types of ringworm include athletes foot, jocks itch, and scalp, finger, toe, and body ringworm. Both ringworm and psoriasis cause discolored patches of skin, along with itching and scaling. Symptoms of a fungal scalp infection include small patches of scalp skin with scales (which may be tender), bald patches, and itching. If you have a beard, you might notice patches of fur falling out, or patches of scalp loss, if you have an ectopic ringworm infection.
When you get scalp infections, Ringworm in the scalp may cause swelling in the lymph glands on the back of the head or neck. Ringworm on the face and neck may not look like rings, but may be itchy and swollen, and it can get dry and crusted. Over time, ringworm on the skin can appear as one or more rings, with raised, bumpy, scaly edges (the middle is usually clear).
Tinea pedis, or athletes foot, may also cause small blisters on the feet and a scaly rash, which is red on lighter skin, or brown, purple, or gray on darker skin. Ringworm infections of the feet begin as dry, scaly skin between the toes, which may spread to your soles and heels. Sometimes, Ringworm in the scalp causes a mass filled with pus known as kerion, which may be confused with impetigo or cellulitis (bacterial infections).
Treatments for ringworm on the scalp (Tinea capitis) or infection of the nails (Tinea unguium) are more difficult to manage, usually including an oral antifungal medication over a period of weeks. Treatment for ringworm in the body, groin, and feet Ringworm in the body, groin, and feet is typically treated with either a topical antifungal or an oral antifungal medicine.