Description A skin infection ca...
Description
A skin infection caused by a fungus, not a worm. Fungus infections also can affect skin on the scalp (tinea capitis), groin area (tinea cruris, also called jock itch), or feet (tinea pedis, also called athlete's foot). There can be several patches of ringworm on the skin at once. The name comes from the characteristic rash: a red ring surrounding an area of normal appearing skin. The infection can be acquired through contact with infected humans, infected animals, or from contact with objects containing the fungus such as bedding, clothes, or hair brushes.
Symptoms
Itchy, red, raised, scaly patches. These patches can have sharply-defined edges with redness around the edges and normal appearing skin in the center forming the "ring". The affected skin can also be a round flat patch.
Tests
Common tests used for diagnosis and treatment
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. The diagnosis can often be made by the characteristic appearance of the rash. The provider may use a microscope to look at a scraping from the skin. Rarely, other testing may need to be done in the laboratory.
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Pediatrics, Family Practice, Telemedicine Dermatology
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. The diagnosis can often be made by the characteristic appearance of the rash. The provider may use a microscope to look at a scraping from the skin. Rarely, other testing may need to be done in the laboratory.
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Pediatrics, Family Practice, Telemedicine Dermatology
Treatment
Most cases can be treated with topical medications such as: miconazole (Monistat), clotrimazole (Mycelex), ketoconazole (Nizoral), or terbinafine (Lamisil). If there are multiple affected areas or the patch is large then oral medication will be used consisting of terbinafine (Lamisil) or itraconazole (Sporanox). It is important to practice preventive measures to avoid re-infection such as: good hygiene, washing of hands after handling dirt or animals, and avoiding contact with infected people.