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Merck Manual
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Home /
Quick Facts: Skin Disorders /
Fungal Skin Infections /
... /
Body Ringworm /
IN THIS TOPIC

What is body ringworm?

What are the symptoms of body ringworm?

How can doctors tell if I have body ringworm?

How do doctors treat body ringworm?

OTHER TOPICS IN THIS CHAPTER

Fungal Skin Infections
Candidiasis (Yeast Infection)
Tinea Versicolor
Overview of Ringworm (Tinea)
Athlete's Foot
Body Ringworm
Jock Itch
Scalp Ringworm

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Quick Facts

Body Ringworm

(Tinea Corporis)

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Last full review/revision Nov 2018| Content last modified Nov 2018
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NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: Click here for the Professional Version
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Topic Resources

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?

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.

NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: Click here for the Professional Version
Click here for the Professional Version
© 2020 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA)
Athlete's Foot
Jock Itch
Others also read
Body Ringworm (Tinea Corporis) Body Ringworm (Tinea Corporis)
Overview of Ringworm (Tinea) Overview of Ringworm (Tinea)
Overview of Dermatophytoses (Ringworm, Tinea) Overview of Dermatophytoses (Ringworm, Tinea)

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