Ringworm Symptoms

Ringworm symptoms in humans are not always easily detected at the outset. Just because your skin might be itchy and red does not always mean you have ringworm.

In most cases your doctor will be able to determine on the spot whether or not you have ringworm, however a combination of the following symptoms could give you some clues as to the likely diagnoses.

Ringworm Symptoms:
* Severe itching.
* A small red patch that continues to grow.
* A red somewhat flaky rash.
* A red patch that is in the form of a circle.
* Rough and raised ring around red patch.
* Burning feeling on the skin.
* In some cases the affected area will become puss like and ooze.

Ringworm affects more children than adults and is highly contagious being passed from human to human and from animals to humans such as from pet cats and dogs. Ringworm can be prevented by practising excellent personal hygiene particularly after coming into contact with animals, playing contact sports and using communal showers and dressing rooms.

Ringworm symptoms will appear within approximately ten days or so of exposure. Treatment can last anywhere from two weeks to a few months. Stopping your treatment plan as soon as the rash disappears is not a good idea. You must follow through on the full length of the prescribed plan as the infection can still very much be present although not visible to the eye and easily spread to other parts of your body and or to other people.

Some ringworm symptoms such as itching can hamper the success of the anti-fungal medication so topical ointments might also be needed to alleviate the need to scratch. Ringworm can be treated and with most skin conditions, the earlier it’s detected and treatment started the quicker and more successful that treatment method will be.

If you are displaying some or all of the above ringworm symptoms then you should seek advice from your doctor as soon as possible to ensure you can get control of the infection early whatever the diagnosis might be.