Health Guide©

RINGWORM (Fungal infection)

Prevention Tips:

• Avoid direct contact with any person or animal that has ringworm. Do not use an infected person's clothes, combs, or towels.

Home treatment:

• Tolnaftate (Tinactin) applied to the skin is an effective treatment. It is available in cream, solution, and powder and can be purchased over the counter. Either the cream or the solution should be applied two or three times a day. Only a small amount is required for each application. Resolution of the problem may require several weeks of therapy but improvement should be noted within a week.
• Selsun Blue Shampoo, applied as a cream several times a day, will often do the job and is less expensive. Ringworm that shows no improvement after a week of therapy or that continues to spread should be checked by the doctor.
  

Scraping the scales, soaking them in a potassium hydroxide solution, and viewing them under the microscope can confirm the diagnosis of ringworm. Some doctors may culture the scrapings. One of the three agents usually will be prescribed if tinactin has failed: haloprogin (Halotex), clotrimazole (Lotrimin), or miconazole (MicaTin).

In infections involving the scalp, an ultraviolet light (called a Wood's lamp) will cause the affected hairs to become fluorescent. The Wood's lamp is used to make the diagnosis; it does not treat the ringworm. Ringworm of the scalp must be treated by griseofulvin, taken by mouth, usually for at least a month; this medication is also effective for fungal infections of the nails. Ringworm of the scalp should never be treated with X-rays.

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