Does Ringworm Get Bigger? Understanding the Symptoms and Treatment Options

Ringworm is a common fungal infection that can affect the skin, scalp, and nails. Despite its name, ringworm is not caused by a worm but by a type of fungus called dermatophytes. The infection can cause a red, scaly rash that may be itchy or painful. But does ringworm get bigger over time? And what are the treatment options available? In this blog post, we’ll answer these questions and more.

Symptoms of Ringworm

The symptoms of ringworm can vary depending on the location of the infection. Common symptoms include:

• A red, scaly rash that may be raised or flat
• A ring-shaped rash with a clear center
• Itching or burning
• Blisters or pus-filled sores
• Hair loss (in the case of scalp ringworm)

If you suspect that you have ringworm, it’s important to seek medical attention. While ringworm is not usually serious, it can be uncomfortable and may spread to other parts of your body or to other people.

Does Ringworm Get Bigger?

One of the most common questions people have about ringworm is whether it gets bigger over time. The answer is yes, ringworm can spread and become larger if left untreated. The infection can also become more severe and cause more discomfort.

If you notice a ring-shaped rash or other symptoms of ringworm, it’s important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Treatment can help prevent the infection from spreading and becoming worse.

Treatment Options for Ringworm

The treatment for ringworm will depend on the location and severity of the infection. In most cases, ringworm can be treated with antifungal medication. This may be in the form of a cream, ointment, or oral medication.

At Nao Medical, we offer a range of healthcare services, including urgent care, primary care, telehealth, and more. Our experienced healthcare providers can diagnose and treat ringworm and other common health concerns. We offer same-day appointments, minimal wait times, and exceptional care in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

FAQs

What causes ringworm?

Ringworm is caused by a type of fungus called dermatophytes. The fungus can be spread through direct contact with an infected person or animal, or through contact with contaminated objects such as towels or clothing.

Is ringworm contagious?

Yes, ringworm is contagious. It can be spread through direct contact with an infected person or animal, or through contact with contaminated objects such as towels or clothing.

How is ringworm diagnosed?

Ringworm is usually diagnosed through a physical exam and a skin culture. Your healthcare provider may also ask about your symptoms and medical history.

How long does it take to treat ringworm?

The length of treatment for ringworm will depend on the location and severity of the infection. In most cases, treatment can last from 2 to 4 weeks.

Can ringworm be prevented?

Ringworm can be prevented by practicing good hygiene, avoiding contact with infected people or animals, and keeping your skin clean and dry.

Conclusion

If you suspect that you have ringworm, it’s important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Treatment can help prevent the infection from spreading and becoming worse. At Nao Medical, we offer a range of healthcare services to help you get the care you need. Book an appointment today and take the first step towards better health.

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Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered, construed or interpreted as legal or professional advice, guidance or opinion.

Psoriasis or ringworm? Symptoms, treatment, and other rashes

Psoriasis and ringworm cause discolored, scaly patches on the skin. Knowing their symptoms can help people to identify rashes and differentiate them from other similar conditions, such as eczema.

Psoriasis and ringworm are very different conditions. Ringworm is a fungal infection that will go away with treatment. Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune condition that comes and goes throughout a person’s life.

When someone develops a rash, they may find it difficult to work out what caused it. A doctor can examine or order tests to determine which condition they have.

In this article, we look at the differences between ringworm and psoriasis and compare them with other conditions that can cause similar rashes.

Share on PinterestRingworm, pictured here, is often circular. The shape of psoriasis may be less regular.

Both psoriasis and ringworm can cause red, scaly patches to appear anywhere on the body. Both can also lead to intense itching.

A person who has never had ringworm before or is having their first psoriasis flare may not know which condition they have.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition. It causes red, scaly plaques that may have a gray hue or peel. During a psoriasis flare, a person develops scaly, red, irritated patches of skin because of the skin’s rapid shedding.

Psoriasis is not contagious. Researchers are not sure what causes psoriasis, but it tends to run in families. Certain factors, such as stress or alcohol, can trigger a flare.

Ringworm causes a red, circular, and often scaly rash. Ringworm is highly contagious, spreading quickly through contact with another person who has the condition.

A fungal infection causes ringworm. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with worms.

Both psoriasis and ringworm can develop in similar places. One type of psoriasis called inverse psoriasis can affect the area around the groin. When ringworm affects the groin area, it is called jock itch.

Psoriasis often affects the scalp. When ringworm affects the scalp, it is called tinea capitis.

Some important distinctions between psoriasis and ringworm include:

The shape of the rash

Ringworm is often circular. It typically begins as a rash with a clearly defined border that looks like there is a worm under the skin. The center of the rash appears sunken and may be gray or scaly.

While psoriasis rashes can also be round, the shape is less regular and does not resemble a worm.

Rash risk factors

People develop ringworm after coming into contact with someone else who has the infection. Children, anyone in close contact with children, and people who come into contact with others, such as at the gym, are more likely to get the infection.

Psoriasis is not contagious and can affect anyone.

Rash growth

Psoriasis plaques may spread, appearing on one area of the body and then another.

Ringworm grows larger over several days and can spread to other areas of the body.

Changes in the rash

Unlike ringworm, psoriasis plaques can change in color and texture. They are often red at first and then may become grey and scaly, or crack and bleed.

How the rash feels

Both ringworm and psoriasis rashes are itchy, but the ringworm itch is often more intense. Psoriasis can be painful and may tingle or burn. Some people develop other symptoms with psoriasis, such as a fever or muscle aches.

Share on PinterestAcne begins under the skin but psoriasis is immediately visible on the skin.

Psoriasis can resemble some other skin conditions.

A skin injury can trigger a psoriasis flare. This means that a rash that begins as something else can become psoriasis. For instance, a person who has eczema and psoriasis may find that eczema leads to psoriasis flares.

Some other conditions that may look like psoriasis include:

Acne

Acne usually causes well-defined round sores. The bumps can be very small or quite large and may be painful. Acne lesions usually come to a head and then shrink over several days. Psoriasis does not come to a head. While acne begins under the skin, psoriasis is immediately visible on top of the skin.

Eczema

Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes dry, scaly patches to form on the skin. The patches sometimes appear after a change in the weather or exposure to something that irritates the skin. Eczema can be itchy and scaly but is not typically gray or silvery like psoriasis.

Skin infection

Sometimes, an infected skin injury can look like psoriasis.

Signs of an infection include:

• intense pain
• yellow pus
• red streaks coming from the injury
• swelling
• a fever

Heat rash

Sweating or being exposed to high temperatures can lead to a heat rash. For example, a person might develop a heat rash on their legs after sitting in front of a space heater.

The rash is not usually painful and goes away on its own in a few days. In some cases, a person might need to use corticosteroid cream to speed healing.

Allergic reaction

An allergic reaction can trigger an outbreak of hives. Allergic reactions typically appear suddenly, either because of something that came into contact with the skin or a food allergen.

Allergic reactions can cause other symptoms, too, such as difficulty breathing or feeling sick.

Dry skin

Although psoriasis plaques can look very dry and scaly, dry skin does not cause them. Dry skin can crack open and bleed, and may peel. Unlike psoriasis, dry skin does not change color or shape.

Skin blisters

Some types of psoriasis, including guttate psoriasis, look like tiny blisters. A blister due to skin irritation, such as from a shoe rubbing the foot, typically develops over several days, then bursts and goes away. If the blisters do not go away or are spreading, it could be psoriasis or another skin disorder.

Share on PinterestA person should consult a doctor if their rash is getting worse.

Both psoriasis and ringworm need medical treatment. People should see a doctor if they suspect they have either condition.

People should also see their doctor if:

• The rash is getting worse, and treatment for psoriasis or ringworm does not help.
• Signs of a skin rash or infection develop in someone with a chronic illness or weakened immune system.
• A fever, chills, or muscle aches develop along with a skin rash.
• A skin rash covers much of the body.
• There are signs of an allergic reaction, such as a worsening rash, vomiting, difficulty breathing, or feeling sick.
• A rash, skin irritation, or fever develops following a skin injury.

Psoriasis and ringworm are two possible causes of a red, scaly rash. If someone cannot tell the difference at home, they should speak to a doctor for an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan.

Prompt treatment can help, even when the rash is due to a chronic condition, such as psoriasis. It is essential that people seek help as many skin rashes look alike and it is vital to receive the correct treatment.

Doctors can prescribe antifungal medications to treat ringworm. Some rashes, especially those due to psoriasis, may need several types of treatment.

Finding the right combination of treatments can be difficult at first. A skilled and compassionate dermatologist can help people find treatment options that suit their lifestyle and improve their skin.

10 facts about lichen – Doctor TV channel

October 3, 2019 | 16:24

Beware! One lichen cat can cause a quarantine of 45 days

Of all the types of lichen, ringworm is the most noticeable, unpleasant and common among children. We have collected facts about him that all parents should know.

1. Ringworm is an inconspicuous beginning

Ringworm begins as a small, inconspicuous spot on the skin or head. It is easily confused with a mosquito or other insect bite. Gradually, the spot begins to grow and peel off, causing itching and a desire to scratch. If you do not pay attention to this stain, then others may soon appear, and if you wash in the bathroom with a sponge, then the whole body may become stained. Lichen on the skin has rounded and oval outlines, usually they are clearly defined, scaly scales are visible inside. On the scalp, lichen begins with a small focus 5-6 mm in size: the hair seems to be broken off.

If an animal becomes ill, you may not suspect that you are petting an infected cat, because the incubation period for this disease is very long and the animal may look quite healthy, and after a week it will begin to shed and go bald. To make a diagnosis, the doctor examines the lichen spots using a special Wood’s lamp: under its ultraviolet rays, the lichen glows emerald green. Also, a scraping of scales from the skin is taken from the patient – on the eve of this analysis, the stain cannot be treated with anything.

2. Ringworm is quarantine

Ringworm is a highly contagious fungal disease that affects the skin, nails and hair. Most often, they get sick with children who have touched a lichen cat or dog. But also ringworm can be transmitted through direct contact with the patient, when using shared hats, clothes, towels, toys and other items. Ideally, the patient should be isolated for the entire duration of treatment, and the entire apartment should be disinfected, and more than once. The incubation period is five to seven days if the infection came from an animal, and four to six weeks if the source was a human. Depending on the pathogen, there are two types of ringworm: trichophytosis and microsporia.

3. Ringworm lasts a long time

Ringworm is so contagious that a sick child is not allowed to attend school or kindergarten during the entire treatment, which can last from three weeks to several months. In difficult cases, when lichen affects the hair and is difficult to treat, the child is placed in the hospital for the entire course of treatment. They are discharged only when the person has gone through all the external signs of lichen and all three scrapings, which are taken weekly, showed a negative result. What should a parent do all this time? You can take a certificate for caring for a sick child, but this certificate of incapacity for work is issued only for 14 days. Then you will have to negotiate with your employer. You may have to take unpaid leave.

If an adult becomes ill with deprivation, a temporary disability certificate for an infectious form is issued for a period of 7–15 days. The issue of extending the sick leave is decided by the doctor.

4. Ringworm is a lot of cleaning

When it becomes known that a family member has ringworm, a general cleaning with special agents that kill pathogenic fungi and spores is necessary. The patient’s things are soaked in a disinfectant solution or boiled, it is recommended to quartz the room to kill all lichen spores. They are very tenacious and can live on surfaces for years without treatment, which can lead to reinfection or spread the disease to others. Upholstered furniture is recommended to be cleaned with a steam cleaner; chloramine or chlorhexidine is suitable for disinfection. The patient should sleep daily on a new pillowcase, put on new stretched and ironed clothes, and put the old clothes in a bag separately from other family members. He should have a personal bed, dishes, a towel, a comb and other personal items – they should not be used by other family members. After use, the patient’s personal belongings are soaked in a disinfectant solution for three hours. In the patient’s room, it is recommended to disinfect daily, then boil the rags or simply throw them away.

5. Lichen is not once

It is believed that lichen is very common: 90% of parents experience it at least once. But if children suffer from chickenpox once, then it’s more difficult with lichen: you can treat the baby and after some time find spots again if there is a re-infection. Immunity to the disease is not developed. But doctors say that not everyone gets lichen. For example, a mother sleeping in the same bed with a sick child may not catch the disease if she has strong immunity.

6. Lichen is a limitation

Man is a social being. Locking the patient in the house for three weeks is impossible, and not required. Doctors forbid visiting children’s institutions, public baths, swimming pools, hairdressers, but you can and even need to go outside, because recovery is associated with immunity. Doctors have noticed that people with immunodeficiency, poor health, who are in chronic stress most often get sick with lichen. But the child will not be able to walk with his friends, play on his favorite playground, attend holidays and interesting events. Siblings will have to be separated so that the sick person does not infect the healthy one. Of course, if there is a free room and parents can provide such quarantine.

7. Lichen is noticeable

When treating ringworm, doctors usually prescribe iodine or fucorcin in combination with anti-flu ointments – thanks to them, inconspicuous spots get a bright color and it is almost impossible to hide them from others. This can create additional discomfort for the patient, who did not want to signal his problem so clearly. If there is a spot in the hair, and even more than one, then not everyone decides to go out into the street with such a head. It is not recommended to close the spots, especially if they are located on the neck and face – in this case, the lichen can go to the head and recovery will be delayed indefinitely. If a characteristic spot appeared on the neck of the owner of a long head of hair, doctors urge not to hide it under loose hair, but, on the contrary, to collect it in a tight bun. Washing and combing in the first days of treatment is not recommended.

8. Lichen is a disruption of all plans

You were planning a family vacation or paid for a camp for a child – and then you saw a characteristic spot. What to do? You will have to hand over tickets, cancel the trip, postpone all business and events. And if the child has just started going to school and classes? Again, everything will have to be postponed and treated. As soon as the child is diagnosed with lichen in the Dermatovenerological Dispensary (CVD), the educational institution will be informed about your problem and quarantine will be established. So it’s not possible to move on quietly. This will have to be dealt with.

9. Lichen is a brain explosion

Let’s say you are a responsible parent and honestly told the teacher that your child has lichen and you will be gone for three weeks. Well get ready, this is just the beginning. Expect a heated discussion of the problem in the chat among the parents of classmates. People will be in shock and panic, they will send a hundred messages and maybe even call the principal demanding to invite a dermatologist to the school, keep the patient out of the classroom, take urgent measures, switch to home schooling (depending on the degree of hysteria). If the director is strict, the classroom will be quarantined for 45 days. At this time, children will be let in from a separate entrance, not let out into the corridor during breaks, all lessons, including physical education, will be held in the classroom, and disinfection will take place daily. You may feel guilty or, depending on the strength of your nerves, simply surprised at how many problems arose because of one lichen cat that a child stroked in the country. What awaits the child after returning from quarantine is unknown. Whether classmates will tease him, whether he will fall behind the school curriculum, whether he will fall into the rank of outcasts – all this is very optional, but there will be experiences. You may even regret that you did not go to a private clinic, but registered with the KVD.

10. Lichen is in the past

In the old days, children infected with lichen were excluded from educational institutions, placed under house arrest or in isolated “lichen” orphanage schools, where they could stay for years. In France, such children studied in special institutions on the territory of hospitals. Fortunately, these days, lichen is well treated. And the practice of placing young patients in hospital wards without parents is already becoming a thing of the past. Western doctors are no longer so strict in establishing quarantine for infected children. For example, a guideline for British doctors says that no isolation is required for ringworm: “Once the skin and scalp infection is treated, children can return to school. ” Doctors in Australia are ordered to exclude the child from school only “until the next day after the start of treatment.” The validity of such a decision is also confirmed by analyzes: as soon as treatment is started, a scraping shows a negative result, the stain usually stops glowing.

You can greatly reduce your risk of contracting lichen by vaccinating your pets against it—usually two shots. Do not let your child stroke animals on the street, wear other people’s hats, follow general hygiene – and lichen will forever be a thing of the past.

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Treatment of microsporia in children in the Primorsky district of St.

The fight occurs through contact with people or animals that are already infected, or contact with objects on which there are spores of the infection. Given that the skin of a child is much thinner than that of adults, children are more susceptible to microsporia disease.

Symptoms of microsporia in children

Infection with microsporia is primarily indicated by red spots on the skin of the head or body, which after 2-3 days become gray or pink and covered with small scales. At the sites of skin lesions, itching is felt, the hair becomes brittle. The baby’s sleep pattern is disturbed, appetite disappears. Perhaps a slight increase in temperature, the child becomes capricious and restless. Very rarely, microsporia affects the nail plates.

Diagnostics and methods of treatment

Pediatric dermatologists at the Osnova Children clinic recommend that parents, despite the fact that ringworm does not pose a big threat to the baby’s health, immediately contact our specialists at the first signs of infection to prevent the chronic course of the disease.

Dermatologist after talking with parents and examining the affected skin area of ​​a small patient. Necessary instrumental examinations are assigned:

• Microscopy and dermatoscopy – examination of the scraping of the affected area;
• A culture method in which a fungus is grown under laboratory conditions and its exact type is determined;
• Examination of a small patient with a Woods lamp, with a directed glow of which the affected area glows bright green;
• Biochemical blood test and urinalysis.

The treatment process lasts one and a half to two months. Types and methods of effective treatment of microscopy in children can only be determined by an experienced dermatologist. In no case should you postpone going to the doctor and self-medicate.

Treatment for ringworm is based on topical and systemic medications. The main type of microscopy therapy involves, first of all, applying antifungal ointments to the affected areas of the skin – griseofulvin, terbinafine.

Itraconazole is prescribed for children over 12 years of age. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe systemic therapy with the obligatory intake of antifungal tablets.

Preventive measures

In the prevention of microsporia, the most important place is occupied by a hypoallergenic diet, which excludes products containing preservatives and various chemical additives from the child’s menu. It is necessary to include more vegetables and fruits in the diet, try to exclude the baby from communication with stray animals.