Ringworm is a common fungal infection of your skin or nails. Ringworm has nothing to do with worms. But the rash it causes can be ring-shaped. Therefore the infection has come to be called ringworm. Doctors call these infections "tinea."
What is body ringworm?
Body ringworm is a fungal infection that creates a ring-shaped rash on your face, arms, legs, chest, or belly.
Body ringworm can spread to other parts of your body or to other people if your skin touches theirs
Doctors treat it with antifungal cream or rarely pills
What are the symptoms of body ringworm?
© Springer Science+Business Media
© Springer Science+Business Media
Symptoms include:
Pink or red round patches on your skin with raised, scaly borders
Sometimes, itchiness
How can doctors tell if I have body ringworm?
Doctors can usually tell it's body ringworm by looking at it. To know for sure, doctors may take a small scraping of your skin to look at under a microscope.
How do doctors treat body ringworm?
Doctors treat body ringworm with:
An antifungal cream or lotion
Sometimes, medicine you take by mouth
If you stop using the medicine too soon, the infection may come back.
