By Abdul Mondal
What is ringworm?
Ringworm is a skin infection, not a worm. The fungi mold which lives on the dead tissue of your skin, hair, and nails, scalp creates the condition called ringworm.
How do you know you have ringworm?
Red, scaly patch and itching bump are the normal symptoms of ringworm. Day by day, the bump spreads and creates a circle- shaped patch which is scaly inside and bumpy on the outside. As time gone, the ringworm turns flaky, and you might feel tender and sore when you touch it.
In consideration, that ringworm is very contagious. You can get ringworm from other people in case you have skin to skin contact. Your pet can spread ringworm to you, too. Remember to wash your hand carefully after rubbing or cuddling your pet. Avoid touching in public surface or use the same clothes, towels, and brushes with the others are highly recommended for you to prevent getting ringworm. And the last thing, if you are working barefoot on the ground, remember that fungus from soil can cause ringworm, too.
Although the symptoms of ringworm are rather obvious to realize, some skin conditions look like ringworm. The best advice for you is to go to the hospital so that the doctor can take some scrape on your itchy skin area and find for fungus or bacteria living in your skin.
How to avoid ringworm?
Treatment is not as good as prevention. It is true. So what should you do to avoid ringworm? There’s some notice for you to lower the chance of getting this skin infection:
- Keep hygiene and dry enough so that there is no ideal environment for fungus to develop. Change your socks and clean the shoes frequently.
- Wear flip-flops, especially in public location such as swimming pool or the locker rooms to protect your foot from fungus.
- Avoid touching or using the same towels and clothes with people who already have ringworm.
- Do not touch the pet with ringworm and wash your hand with soap after playing with the pets that you don’t know if they have ringworm.
How to get rid of ringworm?
You are wondering how to get rid of ringworm, aren’t you? The treatment mostly depends on how severe your skin condition is. In most case, the doctor describes some over- the- counter medicine for you such as antifungal cream or lotion. It usually takes you 2 to 4 weeks to kill the fungus completely with over- the- counter medicine. The chance of ringworm coming back is also lower. Keep eyes on your ringworm recovery and tell the doctor if you found nothing improved, then the doctor will write a specific prescription for you.
Nonprescription medicine for ringworm usually contains miconazole or clotrimazole in the form of antifungal cream or ointment. Before applying for medicine topically on the affected area, don’t forget to wash the ringworm area with soap and let it dry naturally. For the ringworm condition that reaches blister level, use a large compress to soothe and dry out the blister first. Apply the ointment or cream on the edge or the border of ringworm. Do not stop the treatment process once you find the symptoms go away. The treatment should be followed as the doctor prescribed. Call for help and see the doctor if your condition does not improve.
In most cases, ringworm usually accompanies with groin infection and athlete’s foot. It is necessary to treat both at the same time to avoid re-infection. Especially with athlete’s foot, keep hygiene and spray the medicine carefully if you want it to disappear as this infection can be back faster than you expect.
With fungal scalp infection, antifungal tablets and shampoo are useful. If you have severe itching, heavy dandruff, hair loss, and ringworm on your scalp, wash your hair with over- the- counter anti-fungal shampoo is highly recommended. The fungal and bacteria are killed then the inflammation and infection stop, also. Ketoconazole, selenium sulfide is the common chemical compounds in antifungal shampoo. However, oral medication is vital to treat scalp infection. Ask the pharmacist or your doctor for medication prescription for complete treatment.
Antifungal tablets are useful and effective treatment in most case. However, some people reported about the side effects such as rash, nausea, and indigestion. Follow the treatment guidelines from the doctor as much as possible. Report all the symptoms for the duration you use antifungal medicines to your doctor so that he can find another solution for your condition.
How to get rid of ringworm on your nails? The nail paint combined with antifungal tablets is used to treat fungal nail infection. On the other hand, the paint can have some side effects such as nausea and headache.
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