Knowing Actually What Are The Symptoms Of Ringworm
Maybe not all people have already known that ringworm is not caused by parasitic worm. Well it is always misinterpreted to have relation with worm anyway. This disease got its name due to the appearance of the infected area which has shape like red ring. This is how this disease is called ringworm.
However it also has clinical term which is also sometime be used. Medical expert will sometimes call it Dermatophytosis to reduce confusion on the term of a disease. Actually the ringworm is not cause by worm like its name but it is caused by parasitic infection from fungi. There are some fungi that may become the cause of this disease. Its names are Dermatophytes, Trichophyton and Microsporum.
These fungi grow in the warm and moist skin but sometimes also in the outer or inner part of hair shaft. The fungi usually attack certain part of body such as feet, fingernails, toenails, arms, leg, trunk, groin area, facial hair, scalp, and face where the area is potential to grow its spores. Usually these spores will grow on the skin which has high moisture and seldom to be exposed by sun. The fungi which are grown make skin infected and eventually spread to make a shape similar to ring. The moisture can come from some areas such as swimming pools, beds, skin folds or locker room.
Children have higher probability to be exposed with this disease. Sharing items such as combs, hats or brushes may lead to the spread of this disease. Animals such as dog or cat also have possibility to be the source of infection as they also bear the same case of human.
Of course ringworm bother the people with this disease as it sometimes give the patient with itchiness and ugly appearance. It may become more troublesome if it appears on the area where it always easily exposed to the other people. It can affect the people opinion to the people with ringworm exposed.
By knowing what are the symptoms of ringworm may be able to prevent the unwanted occurrence in the future. You can take an action before the disease got bad. In this article we will learn about the symptoms of ringworm so you can recognize it before it spread further. Besides we will also give you the tips to treat the symptoms so that it will not get worse later.
The Symptoms of Ringworm
For the people who got the ringworm it is already too late to realize about what are the symptoms of ringworm. But it is not too late to know about its symptoms. There are some signs and symptoms that may be useful for intercept the disease before it is too late. We will learn ringworm from its special case first. Ringworm in the scalp may be considered to be exceptional to explain as it causes you with severe damage.
Ringworm on the scalp may be difficult to be detected as it is covered by many hairs. It started with severe itching in the part of head. At first you may think it as dandruff or other usual hair problem. But if it comes to the second stage you will understand. There will be re ringed that is formed due to blister on the skin. It may not get severe yet but it has already got its basic shape of ringworm. Then it is developed into dry hair and eventually hair will loss from the part of the infection begins. If it is not treated fast the infection will get worst and influence the hair growth. The severe dangerous infection may come to the groin area. It may not influence your appearance but it will be really disturbing as it attacks the sensitive area.
However the symptoms may come in the same way as the other infections on the skin. The infections on the skin actually can be recognized easily. At first the area where the infection is started, the skin will begin to itch while it does not seem to be affected by a clear cause. The itchiness does also not always present so it is quite hard to determine whether it is a fungal infection or not. The area where itchiness begins later develops to be small blister or sometimes it also becomes scaly skin. At this stage the infected area may appear to be uglier and need to be treated.
That is why as soon as the symptoms appear you should make preventive move before it got worse. The way to treat the symptoms will be explain in the next paragraph.
How To Treat And Prevent The Symptoms
After you understand about what are the symptoms of ringworm, next is to understand how to treat and prevent it. To prevent the symptoms of ringworm you should avoid sharing cloth, towels, or other equipment that may have contact with your skin. Before using those items it would be best to wash it with hot water and make sure that it was not used by other people.
Besides you should also make sure that your shoes is dry as it may become the nest of fungi. Be careful with pets with bald spot. It maybe the sign of it to be infected with fungi as it is the same as human when he gets the infection on the scalp. If you accidentally touch it you should wash your hands with anti-bacterial or anti-fungal soap.
To treat the symptoms of ringworm, you can apply topical agents. These agents may be used about one or two weeks to take the effect. The agents that are mentioned are clotrimazole, tolnaftate, or miconazole. After the symptoms get reduced it would be best to use it for another 7 days as the fungi still leave its root that may grow again though you have already do the treatment. In the scalp there may be oral medication to be given as it helps to cure the hair loss. Later, if the symptoms get worse you must consult to the doctor that have specialty in skin so it will be treated as quickly as possible.