People are confused about the nature of the ringworm disease. Deriving from its key words, you may have surmised that it would involve having parasites on your body. However, this is not the fact about disease. It is not associated with any types of worms but instead a kind of skin problem that commonly affects humans. Ringworm is characterized by the spreading of a rash in a circular way, which makes it suitable for its name. Aside from that, most common skin problems have medical names with the Latin word tinea, which literally means larvae or worm.
Ringworm is caused by microscopic fungi, which initiates the occurrence of rashes. Although most of the rashes from ringworm are red and circular, not all cases would look the same. These rashes may vary from small bumps to red splotches, which commonly lead to flaking and scaling of the skin. Skin irritation is also one of the major effects of ringworm but this would not be present in all ringworm cases. Ringworm often appears on the warm and moist areas of the body. This can be commonly found on the warm parts of the body such as on the groin, armpit, under the breasts and feet. However, it can also be found on dry areas such as scalp, face and torso. The redness of the affected area often expands and grows in a circular path, which would be accompanied by itchiness and intense burning of the skin. If the ringworm appears on the scalp, this can lead to the possibility of hair loss on the affected area.
Necessary treatments for ringworm can be obtained by consulting a health care provider to help you crape the infected skin without having to damage the surrounding area. You may also receive prescriptions of topical creams such as miconazole, clotrimazole, ketoconazole and terbinafine. These creams are proven effective in curing ringworm if properly applied on the affected skin area. To prevent further damages on the skin resulting from ringworm, make sure that you observe proper hygiene and wear clean clothing at all times. Drying the prone areas would greatly help in preventing the occurrence of ringworm.
