What is Ringworm?

Ringworm is a common fungal skin infection otherwise known as tinea.

Ringworm most commonly affects the skin in the following areas:

• The body (tinea corporis)

• The scalp (tinea capitis)

• The feet (tinea pedis, or athlete’s foot)

• The groin (tinea cruris, or jock itch).

What are Symptoms of Ringworm?

It often forms a ring-shaped rash and can have a red center or a normal skin tone inside the ring. Other rashes can look like ringworm, including spider bites, nummular eczema, and Lyme disease. Lyme Disease is a more serious infection that produces a bull’s-eye-shaped rash. These require different treatments, so it’s important to consult a medical professional.

What Causes Ringworm?

Certain fungi can help the body, but the dermatophyte type that cause ringworm irritates the skin instead. These fungi live off the dead tissues of your skin, hair, and nails. Dermatophytes thrive in warm, moist areas, such as the skin folds of the groin area or between the toes. You’re at greater risk of getting ringworm if you sweat excessively or have minor injuries to your skin, scalp, or nails.

Ringworm of the Body (Tinea Corporis):

Several types of ringworm (tinea) can affect different parts of the body. When fungus affects the skin of the body, it often produces itchy, red, raised, scaly patches that may blister and ooze.

The patches often have sharply defined edges. They are often more red around the outside with normal skin tone in the center, creating the appearance of a ring. Your skin may also appear oddly dark or light.

Ringworm of the Scalp (Tinea Capitis):

Ringworm of the scalp commonly affects children in late childhood or adolescence. This condition may spread in schools. Tinea capitis often appears as patchy, scaling bald spots on the scalp.

Ringworm of the Foot (Tinea Pedis):

Tinea pedis is an extremely common skin disorder, also known as athlete’s foot. This fungal infection may cause scaling and inflammation in the toe webs, especially the one between the fourth and fifth toes. Other symptoms include itching, burning, redness, and stinging on the soles of the feet.

Ringworm of the Groin (Tinea Cruris):

Tinea of the groin (jock itch) tends to have a reddish-brown color and may extend from the folds of the groin down onto one or both thighs. Jock itch occurs mostly in adult men and adolescent boys. (Other conditions that can mimic tinea cruris include yeast infections, psoriasis, and intertrigo.) Jock itch may occur because of sweating, hot and humid weather, or friction from wearing tight clothes.

Ringworm of the Beard (Tinea Barbae):

Ringworm in the bearded area of the face and neck, with swelling and marked crusting, sometimes causes the hair to break off. In the days when men went to the barber daily for a shave, they called tinea barbae barber’s itch.

Ringworm of the Face (Tinea Faciei):

Doctors call ringworm on the face outside of the beard area tinea faciei. On the face, ringworm is rarely ring-shaped. Characteristically, it causes red, scaly patches with indistinct edges.

Ringworm of the Hand (Tinea Manus):

Ringworm may involve the hands, particularly the palms and the spaces between the fingers. It typically causes thickening (hyperkeratosis) of these areas, often on only one hand. Tinea manus is a common companion of tinea pedis (ringworm of the feet). Ringworm of the nails is called tinea manuum.

Spreading on Contact:

• Ringworm is highly contagious and can be spread in multiple ways.

• You can get it from an infected person, animal, object, and even soil.

• Heat and moisture help fungi grow and thrive, which makes them more common in areas where you sweat.

• Fungi also grow in skin folds such as those in the groin or between the toes.

Catching Ringworm From Pets:

Ringworm is an example of a zoonotic disease (transmitted from animals to humans). Cats are among the most commonly affected animals. If a cat has ringworm, a person in the house often gets the infection. Dogs, cows, goats, pigs, and horses can also spread ringworm to humans.

People can catch ringworm from touching the animals, or touching their bedding, grooming items, saddles, carpeting, etc.

How Is Ringworm Diagnosed?

Sometimes, the diagnosis of ringworm is obvious from its location and appearance. Otherwise, doctors can test skin scrapings for tinea fungus.

What is the Treatment for Ringworm?

Ringworm can be treated with antifungal creams containing clotrimazole (Cruex, Lotrimin), miconazole (Desenex, Monistat-Derm), ketoconazole (Nizoral), and terbinafine (Lamisil). In cases of severe or resistant infections of the scalp or nails, doctors may prescribe oral medicines.

Tips for Preventing Ringworm:

• Ringworm is difficult to prevent, but here are some tips to reduce your risk

• Don’t share clothing, sports gear, towels, or sheets.

• Wear slippers in locker rooms and public pool & bathing areas.

• Shower after any contact sport that includes skin-to-skin contact and wash your hands.

• Wear loose-fitting cotton clothing. Change your socks and underwear at least once a day. Clean your towels after showering.

• Keep your skin clean and dry. Dry yourself completely after showering.

• If you have athlete’s foot, put your socks on before your underwear to prevent it spreading to your groin.

• Take your pet to the vet if it has patches of missing hair, which could be a sign of a fungal infection.

Our Urgent Care Treats Ringworm:

If you are experiencing symptoms of Ringworm our urgent care is here for you. We can provide diagnosis and analysis of your symptoms for best of care and appropriate treatment.