What does Ringworm Look Like, Ringworm Causes & Treatment

What is Ringworm?

: Ringworm is a mainly a skin disease which is caused by fungi infection. This disease is also known as “Tinea”. Rough patches on skin generally emerge in this disease and an itching sensation can be felt in the affected areas. The color of the infected area can vary but usually it has a reddish appearance. Ringworm can affected any person from any age group and it can spread in any part of the body. Though the symptoms of this disease can affect hair, nails and skin, skin is the more vulnerable to this disease as it provides the perfect habitat for the fungi. Hot and moist conditions of skin make it susceptible to Ringworm. It has been noticed that more than twenty percent of the entire population have infected by this disease once in their lives.

Ringworm Causes:

“Dermatophytes”, which is the name of a group of fungi, is the main cause of this disease. Apart from that, a weak immunity system of the body can lead to this disease. Even a simple scratch in the skin can increase the risk of being affected by this disease. Sweaty condition of the feet is another situation where the fungi can attack.

Transmission of fungi from one person to another is a vital cause of this disease. This is a highly contagious disease in which fungi can be transmitted from one affected person to another person by skin contact. Sharing same toilet and using some common things such as hairbrush can transmit this disease. If a person is suffering from some skin diseases for example: eczema, there is a greater chance for him to get affected by this disease. When children are attaining their puberty at that juncture of time, they can be attacked by ringworm.

What does Ringworm look like?

Ring shaped patches on the skin is one of the potent signs of this disease. These patches usually associate with itchiness and redness. In some cases, the hair may disappear from the affected parts. Besides that, ringworm severely damages ones nails. Nails become discolored and thickened. This disease can also affect soles and palms of a person. Ringworm can also affect domestic animals and in that case, hair loss is the crucial symptom of this disease. Dermatophytids, which is a kind of skin lesion, is another potent signs of this disease. These lesions usually go away within a few days after the starting of treatment .This kind of lesion appears in hands and feet. Allergic infection is the main reason behind the emergence of lesions in various parts of body.

Ringworm Treatment:

If a person is suffering from ringworm, the application of antifungal lotions and creams can generate better result. However, these lotions and creams have to be applied on the affected parts of the body continuously for a long time in order to confirm the fact that this disease will not occur again. If the nails and the hair of a person are infected by this disease, antifungal treatment can do a good job by reducing these symptoms. This treatment can continue for one to two years depending upon the symptoms and condition of the patient. It is advisable to consult with a practitioner if ringworm reappears.

Antifungal medications can be applied on a patient to relieve him from the irritating symptoms of this disease. Tolnaftate, butenafine, terbinafine, miconazole, clotrimazole etc are some of the common ingredients of these drugs. Pyrithione zinc can be applied on the scalp of a patient for getting better result. This will effectively reduce the problems of scalp within a few days.

“Terbinafine” is a new treatment that has been invented to recover a child from this disease. The recovery period can be reduced by applying some ointments. Cortaid, which is a hydrocortisone cream, can be applied to bring down the severity of inflammation. Griseofulvin is another widely used medication that can be used for treating ringworm but it needs to be prescribed by an experienced practitioner.

Advice :

One should not share towel, clothing etc with a person who has already been infected by this disease. If a person occasionally suffers from ringworm, he should wear clean clothing and should wash his cloths with fungicidal soap. One should not remain barefoot while walking in his room or outside. One should keep himself away from moister that will help him to stay away from this disease.

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