Although the word worm is in the name, ringworm is not caused by a worm or any other kind of insect. It is a fungus infection. It can affect people or animals. The name ringworm comes from the tell-tale red ring that appears on the infected person’s skin.
Ringworm in humans can be seen as red circular rashes with healthy skin in the middle. The edges of the rashes are usually raised. It can affect any part of the body including the scalp. Ringworm of the scalp can be seen as a small pimple that becomes larger. You might also notice that the scalp develops rings of rashes much like the ones seen on other parts of the body. Scalp ringworm is most easily seen through the patches of temporary baldness. The hair becomes infected and brittle then breaks off. Ringworm can also be seen on people’s feet and is known as athlete’s foot. Athlete’s foot does not show up with the same red ring rashes and it is easy to treat with over the counter medication. Ringworm is highly contagious and can be spread further throughout the body by scratching and contact with infested bedding or clothing.
The ways a person can get ringworm is direct contact with an infected person or animal. You can also get it from an object that an infected person or animal has come into contact with or even through the soil. It has an incubation period of 10 days meaning symptoms will develop 10 days after exposure. Your medical care provider will diagnose the fungus and can prescribe medication or antifungal cream. The cream is the most effective course of treatment. Apply the cream to the infected area twice a day depending on the cream. Cover the spot(s) with a band-aid or clothing. Make sure that you continue treatment for the entire length of time that you doctor suggests even if the rash has disappeared. You should also wash all of your bedding or any house hold fabric that has come into contact with the rash with bleach and hot water. Repeat the treatment if the uncovered rash comes into contact with you house hold items again. Avoid your rash coming into contact with any other pets or people.
The most effective way that ringworm is spread to other parts of your body is through itching. If you scratch your rash you can then touch or scratch another part of your body spreading the fungus. The ringworm rash is not painful but it is arguably one of the itchiest things you can get on your body. The itchiness will subside through treatment but you have to be strong until then. Even with treatment the itchiness will be at its highest between the third and fifth day that the rash is visible. After that the symptom will begin to subside.
When you are dealing with ringworm you need to be diligent. Stay on top of continuing with the cream for the full prescribed length of time and change the band-aid daily. Ringworm will linger if it is not treated correctly.
Luckily ringworm is a treatable infection. It is a fungus that appears as a circle shaped rash on the skin. Although animals can also get ringworm, taking your pet to the vet will provide you with several different treatment options that are somewhat different to how you would treat you own skin.
Treating ringworm on a human is easier then treating you pet. The first thing you will need to do is damage control around your house. Ringworm is highly contagious and can be spread through contact through blankets and bedding. Wash the fabrics that the ringworm has come into contact with in hot water and bleach. From then on, make sure that your ringworm spot is covered by clothes or a band-aid. Although ringworm is extremely itchy, do not itch it. It can spread very easily to other parts of your body through scratching. It has an incubation period of ten days meaning that even if you have contract ringworm in another area, it will take ten days to show any signs or symptoms.
The best thing to do when you suspect that you have ringworm is to go to the doctor to get a diagnosis but, some people so treat there ringworm with an over the counter treatment. Ringworm is very closely related to athlete’s foot and jock itch because it is a type of fungal infection called “Tineaâ€. For most people, athlete’s foot and jock itch are both easily treated with over the counter medications found in any drug store. But, because the fungus’ are only closely related, you might find that you need a prescription from a doctor. Creams normally get rid of ringworm in humans fairly easily but for some people who have ringworm that have spread to other parts of their body, a doctor might prescribe an oral medication.
Some people have found a few different home remedies that get rid of ringworm. Raw papaya is said to be one of the most effective home remedies for ringworm. The fruit can be sliced and rubbed on the ringworm rashes. Another home remedy that people have used to rid themselves of ringworm is different pastes made separately from mustard seeds, butea seeds or cassia leaves. Some people have also sworn that they can get rid of ringworm by rubbing a little bit of straight bleach onto the rash.
While the treatment for ringworm is fairly easy, getting rid of the ringworm for good is up to you. You need to be diligent about following he doctor’s instructions and the instructions on the medication. Do not stop using the medication if you start to notice that your rash is gone even though the treatment time is not up. Although the rash looks like it has disappeared and the itchy symptoms are gone, the ringworm rash drastically subsided before it totally goes away. If you stop the treatment then, most likely the rash will return. Plus, it is still contagious and it can still spread but, since you are no longer seeing the spot, you most likely will not be taking strides to cover the ringworm area or limit your contact with other people or your pets. In which case, the ringworm will spread even more then it did in the beginning.
Ringworm is a fungus that can not only infect dogs it can infect other types of animals and people. It is extremely contagious and easily passes from pet to human or human to pet. Being aware of its symptoms and signs is very important when sharing your home with animals.
Typically ringworm can be seen in dogs through patches of missing hair. The fungus lives in hair follicles which causes the hair to break off. The dog’s skin that can be seen through the missing hair typically looks like a circle with raised edges. There might be a pale spot in the middle. It commonly causes your dog to become itchy and uncomfortable. The dog’s skin may also become crusty, scaly, or red. Dogs can easily spread their infection to other parts of their body by itching. In humans ringworm can be seen as red circular rashes with healthy skin in the middle of the rash. Itching can spread ringworm in humans as well. It can also be spread through blankets and bedding in both humans and dogs.
If you suspect your dog has ringworm take it to a vet. Your vet can diagnose the fungus’ presence by looking at the skin under a special ultraviolet light or by taking a scraping of the skin and testing it. The test usually takes between one and two weeks to come back with a diagnosis. Your vet will then suggest a treatment. There are several different treatments available to rid your dog of ringworm. All are easy to do and just take persistence. The gestation period between exposure and occurrence with ringworm is ten days. It is possible to not completely rid your dog or home or ringworm in which re-infestation can occur. You will need to stay on top of it and put in the work so it can be eliminated quickly. The first step is to start treating your dog. Your vet might prescribe medication, cream or shampoo. Medication will most likely be prescribed to your dog ad should be given n a daily basis. Although there are creams that can be given to dogs, n average they do not work simply because it is easy for your dog to rub or lick the cream off. The most effective form of treatment is through an antifungal shampoo. Shampoo will remove the fungus spores from the hair and treatment is applied all over the dog’s body at once helping to eliminate fungus spores that have not yet show symptoms. Most likely more then one bath treatment is needed to rid your dog completely.
Along with the treatment f the dog itself, it is important to treat your house for ringworm. Wash your dog’s bedding everyday with bleach and hot water. Avoid direct contact with your dog to avoid becoming infected yourself. If you have other dogs or cats living in your home make sure that you treat them as well. Using the ringworm shampoo on them even if they do not have ringworm will not harm them. The worst thing you can do with ringworm is to not treat it completely. So, when your dog is diagnosed with it, make sure to do everything you need to do everyday and when symptoms subside in your dog, take it back to the vet and have them retest your dog’s hair to ensure that the fungus is really gone.
An eight week old stray kitten showed up at my door one day sick and hungry. I pledged it my love and my home and rushed it to the vet. After at least two trips to the vets office and medication for a cold, my kitten seemed to be on track to a full recovery. Until, that is, I noticed I had started to notice a ring shaped rash on my skin. I went back to the vet to convince them that this kitten did indeed have ringworm that needed to be treated. My kitten was carrying ringworm that went un-diagnosed by him during our first few visits. He gave me a couple of reasons for this and this is why I share this story with you.
Ringworm is a fungus that can be passed from infected animal to animal, from person to animal, from animal to person or you can get it from the soil. Most likely this is how my kitten got ringworm or maybe its mother had it and passed it along. Either way, I now had it as well. It normally shows up on animals by appearing as round lesions missing hair. The lesion might also have scaly skin in the center. They are most common on the head, ears, and tail of a cat. With some infections, the fungus will not be a circular shape. It can spread to the face, lips, nose and chin. It can sometimes look like and autoimmune disease which is what happened in the case of my malnourished kitten. The only hair loss my kitten had was a thinning of the hair in front of the ears which is common in a cat that is malnourished. The down side was that by the time we caught the infection, it had spread to another kitten I had I the house, myself and my dog.
The effectiveness of the ringworm treatment is really up to you and the vet. With small, isolated lesions, a vet might prescribe an antifungal cream. There is also an oral medication available to cats that have a more severe case of ringworm. They might even prescribe a lime sulfur dip. These dips smell terrible and can temporarily turn the cat’s coat a yellowish, range color. One of the most effective ways to treat ringworm is with an antifungal shampoo. The other half of the treatment is up to you.
Once ringworm has entered the life of your cat, drastic steps need to be taken to endure that it will not continue to spread. One of the ways that ringworm spreads is through bedding, fabric or other types of material like gym mats, etc. You need to be diligent about washing everything that you cat is sleeping on everyday in hot water and bleach. In the case of cats, they like to sleep everywhere. Since it is not realistic for you to wash the fabric of your furniture everyday, cover your furniture that your cat goes on or sleeps n in sheets which can be removed and washed everyday. If your cat has a bed, wash that everyday in hot water and bleach as well. Keep the contact that you have with your cat t a minimum. Make sure you change and wash your bedding every day as well. Even if the other pets in your household are not showing signs of ringworm, you should treat them as well. Typically treatment is kept up until two negative lab tests come back in your cat’s favor ensuring that they are ringworm free.
Although the name contains the word “worm†ringworm is not caused by a worm. It is actually a fungus that lives and spreads to the top layer of skin. It is very contagious and people and pets can get it in a number of different ways. The most likely way that people get ringworm is from coming into contact with an infected person or animal. It has an incubation period of ten days so you will not show sings or symptoms until after the tenth day of contact. You can also get it from touching an object that has come into contact with a person or animal that has ringworm such as blanket, clothing like hats, or things like gym mats. The least likely way that people get ringworm is from the soil. It is more likely for an animal to catch ringworm in this way then a person.
In people ringworm shows up as a rash on the skin. It is round in shape and red. Typically it will have healthy looking skin in the middle. The edges of the rash are usually red, raised and the skin can be crusty. The name ringworm comes from the “ring†shape of the rash itself. Jock itch and athlete’s foot are also forms of ringworm. Jock itch is a rash that is seen in the skin folds of the groin. It can be seen as a red, itchy rash. Athlete’s foot appears like thick, dry and scaly skin on the bottom of the feet or between the toes. Ringworm of the hand will look similar to athlete’s foot. The skin between the fingers may be moist and have open sores as well.
The treatment for ringworm is fairly easy. Some people prefer to start with an over the counter anti-fungal medication to start treatment. With some kinds of ringworm with is very effective. But, since there are several different forms ranging in severity, sometimes the only solution is to obtain a prescription for your doctor. You should refrain from scratching your rash. Although it is a very itchy infection, it is the scratching that spreads the infection to other parts f your body. It is very important to wash any fabrics that have come into direct contact with the ringworm infection in hot water and bleach. If you use public showers, wear flip flops in the shower and avoid touching the walls as much as possible. Avoid direct contact your ringworm to other people and pets. You should keep your rash covered as much as possible. Although fungus thrives in a warm damp place, you have more of a chance to spread the infection through contact.
There are really no ways to prevent having ringworm. You can avoid contact with a pet or person who has it but since the symptoms are not always evident right away so sometimes that is hard. Make sure that you wear flip flops in public showers and avoid using towels or touching public areas there. Make sure that if you are going to a gym that the mats are washed regularly especially if you are walking on them in bare feet which are unavoidable in some gyms. Most of all make sure that if you do get a ringworm infection; make sure that you are diligent in your care. The best way that ringworm lingers or spreads is because people do not keep up on the treatment.
The most effective kind of treatment of ringworm in humans is through the use of an anti-fungal cream. Ringworm is a very contagious fungal infection that shows up on the skin in a red ring shaped rash. The skin in the center of the rash may look healthy. The skin on the edges of the ring many be crusty and raised. The rash itself is not painful but it does get itchy. It is the discomfort of the itch that most people find the most bothersome about ringworm.
Since ringworm is not a worm or an insect but a type of fungus, anti-fungus creams work very well to cure the infection. In pets there is also dips and shampoos available for treatment. In humans the typical treatment consists of cream and sometimes an oral medication if the infection is seen throughout the entire body. Over the counter creams can sometimes cure most kinds of ringworm. Ringworm is also known as athlete’s foot when it is found on the feet and jock itch when it is found in the groin. These conditions require little more then an over the counter medication. Creams and ointments that are available without a prescription typically contain miconazole or clotrimazole in them. Brand name anti-fungal creams that contain either one of these drugs are Micatin, Tinactin, Monistat and Lotrimin. Lamisil which is also a name brand anti-fungal cream contains terbinafine which is a drug that will also treat fungus. The rash will need to be washed with soap and water and dried thoroughly before the cream is applied. You should then apply the anti-fungal cream to the rash and spread it beyond the border of the rash. It is important not to stop the medication simply because your symptoms have decreased or gone away completely. With most products you need to continue the treatment for two to four weeks.
If your rash has not improved within at least two weeks of treatment it is time to go to your medical provider. You doctor has a variety of different medications that they are able to prescribe to you in order to help with your ringworm infection. One such medication is known as allylamines. It comes in creams, pills or gels.
Ringworm can also be seen under the nails or in the scalp. A fungal nail infection attacks a finer or toe nails or the skin under the nail. Fungal nail infections can be hard to treat. Fungal nail infections can be hard to treat. You can try an anti-fungal cream, lotion or a nail polish. There are some available without a prescription. The most effective form of treatment for a fungal nail infection is an anti-fungal pill which you can get from your doctor. An anti-fungal pill is the most effective treatment for ringworm of the scalp as well. The fungus affects the hair and sometimes causes it to fall out leaving round patches of missing hair. You can use prescription creams as well to treat ringworm of the scalp.
