Ringworm Treatment - Before You Begin

(Article published in EzineArticles, 10 February 2008)

I know you would like to get rid of the itch and that unsightly lesion in your arm right away. Your friend told you that it's ringworm and you're ready to start ringworm treatment. But first, before you do, try and double-check if it's really ringworm. Or better yet, double-check with your doctor.

Ringworm is a skin infection caused by mold-like fungi called dermatophytes. What are ringworm symptoms? If you have seen ringworm pictures before, you must have noticed that the infection appears as a red or pinkish circular lesion, usually about 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter (in the early stages) with scaly raised borders. It assumes the appearance of a ring as it grows bigger because the area in the middle usually clears up and would look just like normal uninfected skin. The lesion may or may not be itchy.

Why do you have to be certain that it's ringworm? This is because other skin conditions like numular eczema, pityriasis rosea, psoriasis or atopic dermatitis have symptoms closely similar to ringworm symptoms. A lot of people see their doctor complaining that they couldn't get rid of the ringworm after weeks of treatment, only to find out the condition wasn't ringworm, in the first place.

Your doctor would basically base his or her diagnosis on visual observation. If there is uncertainty, the doctor might order culture test or by examining scrapings from the affected area under a microscope. Another test is by examining the infection under a blue light or Wood's lamp - the fungi will actually glow bright green. You can do visual observation yourself or you can buy a blue light (18W UVA long wave, black light blue bulb) to conduct the "glow" exam.

Now that you're sure it's indeed ringworm you're up against, you're ready to start treatment. And start it immediately. The key to a successful ringworm treatment is identifying the infection early on and starting the treatment as soon as you have the correct diagnosis. Allowing the infection to spread unchallenged can make it chronic and more difficult to treat later.

Fortunately, ringworm responds well to common over-the-counter medication (common brands available are Tinactin, Monistat, Micatin, Lotrimin, and Lamisil) and you can expect to cure the infection completely within 2-4 weeks. Personally, I would use natural ringworm treatment myself (safer and lesser risk of side effects), but any antifungal agent could work just as well for mild infections (a patch or two). If you're dealing with ringworm of the scalp or if the infection doesn't go away after 4 weeks of treatment, call your doctor. It might be necessary for your doctor to prescribe oral anti-fungal medicine to cure persistent, widespread, or hard-to-reach infections.

Ringworm in Dogs - Symptoms

Ringworm is a fungal skin infection that affects both humans and animals. In particular, pets like dogs and cats are potential sources of ringworm. For ringworm treatment to be effective, you must also consider having your pets examined and treated by a veterinarian.

In most cases, ringworm infection comes from another person rather than from animals. When ringworm is transmitted from pets to humans, the infection is said to be "zoonotic" and and in over 30% of households where a pet has ringworm, at least one person will get it. Children are the most commonly infected, although it is possible for a child to catch the infection at school and infect the household dog or cat.

So, what are the symptoms of ringworms in dogs? Unlike cats, almost all dogs invariably show the classic symptoms of ringworm: a small round lesion that is free of hair (The fungi live in hair follicles and cause the hair shafts to break off at the skin line). The lesion will often have crusty, scaly skin in the center. The lesion may start as a small spot, often affecting the head, but may also occur in the legs, feet or tail. The lesion may or may not be irritated and/or itching. As the ringworm fungi multiply, the lesion will become irregularly-shaped and can spread to other parts of the body.

The incubation period of the ringworm fungi is 10-12 days. Thus, you can expect for 10-12 day to pass before any lesion becomes visible. Fortnately, most healthy adult dogs are often immune to ringworm. The most vulnerable are puppies and dogs with lowered immunity.

How is ringworm in dogs diagnosed? Before prescribing ringworm treatment, the vet will diagnose the presence of ringworm by one or a combination of these methods:

1. Visual identification of the typical ringworm lesions.

2. The Wood's Lamp method - this is a popular method of detection, although generally considered to be not very accurate since only 4 species of ringworm-causing fungi actually glow (flouresce) when examined under a black light (wood's lamp).

3. Culture test - considered to be the most accurate method of diagnosis, in which collected scales and crust from the lesion are incubated in special medium to allow the fungi (if any) to grow and become visible in the microscope.

As advised, elsewhere, to prevent reinfection in humans, dogs (and other pets) suspected of being infected, must also undergo medication. A number of conventional methods can be used (primarily the use of the traditional agent Griseofulvin) although alternative and safer methods, like natural ringworm treatment are now available to pet owners everywhere.

Photo courtesy of www.fungrx-ringworm-treatment.com.

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For more information, you might also want to visit the following sources:

Pet.Education - Drs. Foster and Smith's Source for Expert Pet Information.

Pawprints and Purrs, Inc. - Ringworm in Dogs.

MediVet.com - Ringworm (Dermatophytosis) in Cats and Dogs.

Marvistavet.com - Ringworm FAQ

Ringworm Treatment and Immunity

Jonathan C., of Reston, VA., asked me this question last week: "After having been cured of ringworm, will I develop immunity from this infection?"

Unlike many childhood diseases, like chickenpox, measles, and mumps, for example, you don't develop immunity against ringworm. This means that even after having been infected and cured of the disease, you can still contract ringworm, once exposed to a source of infection.

Ringworm is a fungal infection, and is in fact highly contagious. It is transmitted through direct skin contact with an infected person, animal, object, or surface. To prevent reinfection, it is advisable to identify and stay away from the source of infection.

With infected pets, like cats and dogs, ringworm oftentimes spontaneously disappear after several weeks - even without treatment. However, knowing that you can get infected again by your pet, it is necessary to bring your pet to the vet for ringworm treatment immediately.

Here are some basic steps you can take to avoid reinfection:

1. Always maintain personal hygiene.

2. If you have a spot of ringworm, don't scratch it, whatever you do. You'll only end up spreading the infection to other parts of your body or to others.

3. Never share personal objects like clothes, brushes, hats, shoes, etc. This is one of the surest ways to catch the disease.

4. Avoid skin contact with infected persons or pets.

5. Have infected pets treated imediately.

6. Be careful in what you touch or where you sit or lean on when using public facilities like gyms, pools, playgrounds, etc.

7. Wash your hands and use hand sanitizers regularly, throughout the day.

While it's true that you constantly face the risk of infection in your daily activities, and that you're never immune from ringworm, it's also true that the disease can be easily rid of using the various methods of ringworm treatment. Of course, the best option is not to get infected at all, by observing these basic methods of prevention.

Welcome to the Ringworm Treatment Resource Center

Ringworm is a fairly common skin disorder, especially among children, although it does afflict people of all ages. It is estimated that, at any given time, twenty percent of the population is infected with ringworm. For a successful ringworm treatment, it is important for us to learn about its causes, symptoms, methods of prevention, and related current medicinal practices.

What is ringworm?

The A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia describes ringworm as "skin infection caused by a fungus." Contrary to what it's name suggests, ringworm is not caused by worms but by mold-like fungus called dermatophytes.

Ringworm infection, also known as tinea infection, develops on the top layer of your skin and usually appears as a red or pinkish circular lesion, usually around 1/2 to 1 inch in size, with a scaly raised border. As the ringworm patch grows bigger, the area in the middle clears up and healthy-looking skin becomes visible. The ringworm now assumes the appearance of a ring, which is probably how it got it's name, in the first place.

Ringworm can affect the different parts of your body. Common tinea ringworm infections include:

• Ringworm of the body (tinea corporis). This infection affects your arms, legs, and trunk.

• Ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis) This highly contagious infection is most common in children and involve red itchy patches on the scalp, leaving bald patches.

• Jock Itch (tinea cruris) or ringworm of the groin. This condition affects the groin area, your genitals, inner upper thighs, and buttocks.

• Athlete's foot (tinea pedis) or ringworm of the feet. This form affects the moist areas between your toes and sometimes on your foot itself.

• Barber's Itch (tinea barbae) or ringworm of the bearded area of the face and neck, with swellings and marked crusting, often with itching, sometimes causing the hair to break off.

Left untreated, ringworm infections can linger on and become chronic and persistent, and may require stronger medication and a longer time to cure. Ringworm treatment is, indeed, important to parents everywhere. Ringworm in areas like the arms, neck or face that are plainly visible may cause embarrassment and reduced self-esteem especially among children and teen-agers.

Ringworm Treatment - Overview

This site aims to provide you with detailed, accurate, and well-sourced information regarding ringworm and ringworm treatment. You can navigate to the different pages through the Explore This Site links in the sidebar. As an overview of what information you will find, here's a brief description of each page:

In the article Causes of Ringworm, the fungal organisms that trigger this infection are described, how the infection develops, and under what conditions the fungus multiply rapidly.

In the essay on Risk Factors, we will learn about the contagious nature of ringworm, who are highly at risk of contracting the disease, and how it is normally transmitted.

In the page on Ringworm Symptoms, we are informed, in detail, of the specific symptoms of ringworm and what methods your doctor will use to diagnose the condition.

Proceed to What Does Ringworm Look Like?, a page you can't possibly miss. A picture educates more than a thousand words can. This collection of ringworm pictures, borrowed from the Public Health Image Library of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), does just that.

Ringworm Treatment, basically the central focus of this site, provides detailed information about ringworm treatment, over-the-counter medications normally used in home-care or self-care treatments, alternative ringworm cure, and when it is best to contact a medical professional.

Ringworm Treatment for Children is a a must-read for every parent who would like to learn about the best method of ringworm treatment for his or her child. Detailed, well-researched, and reliable information on treating ringworm in our children.

In Ringworm Prevention, we are provided with the basic steps in preventing ringworm, also explains the need to treat infected household pets, prevention habits, and areas and conditions you need to be wary of.

In our special features, one of my published essays is Bizarre Ringworm Treatment Methods in Asia. Humorously-written, this EzineArticles-featured essay explores the unusual methods of ringworm treatment being used in the Far East, and compares these with our own practices in the West.

The Home Remedies article, also published in Ezine, discusses several home-grown ringworm remedies for ringworm treatment, and poses the question of just how effective these remedies are.

Thank you for visiting the Ringworm Treatment Resource Center. If you have any questions, concerns or topics you want to see here, please leave a comment or email me at:

ringwormtreatment8888@gmail.com