To think my BF should go to the doctor? (Warning - pics included)

[BFE]

My bf has had these large red areas on his chest/back for around 4 months. He won’t go to the doctor, to be fair it’s not very easy for him to do that as he works 12 hour days. He finally went to the pharmacy last weekend and asked them what they thought it was, they said psoriasis and sold him some E45 itch relief cream and he also got some vitamin D tablets. But now it’s more irritated than ever and so I don’t think the cream is helping, it seems to be doing the opposite.

Is he going to have to take a day off work, or are there any medical types on here that could point us in the right direction?

Do you have a walk-in by you? If he goes soon, the wait won't be too bad.

As other people have said, that looks like classic ringworm. If untreated it does spread like that. It's a slightly odd place for it to start off though as it's passed by contact.

Re read the OP

Pharmacy's have a private room. And can sell him extortionately priced cream. Ime.

I don’t think there is a walk in anywhere around here, I live rurally. There’s minor injury units but I guess that’s not what we need? Not sure they’re open at weekends anyway.

You can order cream on Amazon or online. If it is psoriasis there is a cream to slow it down as dh has it but it looks like ringworm and surprised the pharmacist didn't suggest it.

Call 111, he can send photos to the Dr that way and it doesn't matter if he's not in the same city as his registered GP. If he calls today he can likely get the prescription sent directly to pharmacy and pick up today

Came back on to say 111, but previous poster got there before me.

BF is a muppet to have left it so long. Not untypical for men as I know.

@BFE don't miss the post where someone who actually has psoriasis says it looks like hers when it's in flare.

Because ringworm is so common and it would be surprising if a chemist missed this, I'm tempted to follow up the psoriasis angle as well - which will need a GP appointment

I'd add psoriasis into the differential diagnosed having seen it like this in general practice. Needs skin scrapings to see if fungal too.

He needs to go back to the pharmacy and tell them the cream is not working and it’s getting worse and he thinks it’s ringworm. They will either give him something else or tell him he needs to see GP.

Does he ever have small, fluid filled blisters in the red patches? Herpes can look similar to this when it's on the body. Although it tends to begin as a large red patch, then the blisters will form, then after they pop it will be crusty and red for a while until it heals.

Fucidin is a steroid and antibiotic combination which will not help if this is ringworm and indeed may make things worse.

Fucidin doesn't treat fungal infections it's antibacterial

@Isopodia no there’s not been any fluid filled blisters

I'm thirding the psoriasis diagnosis, especially as he's recently moved house and job (stress). There might well be a secondary fungal infection though.

DS had similar (although much smaller) red patches. GP said ringworm, 4 days of anti fungal cream and it went.

Looks exactly like my psoriasis when it flares too. You can also have fungal psoriasis (flexural). Definitely needs to see a doc and/or a dermatologist.

@BFE don’t just presume it’s ringworm, get him to be seen. As well as plaque psoriasis there is a possibility of discoid eczema.

That looks like a bad case of infected ringworm.

That definitely looks like ringworm imo.

Yes ringworm

Needs to see his gp

May be a bad case of ringworm (have never seen it that large) but could be other things as well such as discoid eczema. He needs to be seen .

fucidin is antibiotic & sometimes with steroid so not for ringworm - but the steroid will reduce inflammation.

He needs to see someone. Even GPs can struggle to diagnose skin conditions.

I had ringworm a few months before my wedding, started off in small patches and then it started to spread all over my body and the patches grew in size. I went to the doctor and they couldn't diagnose it, but referred me to a dermatologist and warned it might take months for referral and I'd probably still be covered in the patches for my wedding.

A week or so later, I saw me SIL2B and she clocked my patches straight away and said, "Are you having that ringworm treated?" I was like, "WTF is ringworm?"

Went back to GP, asked to see a different doctor who confirmed ringworm and prescribed creams. It cleared fairly quickly after that. GP asked if I'd been near horses, or had a dog as you could catch it that way. I'd factually been to a donkey sanctuary in Cyprus just before the patches appeared, so assume I got them there.

Vet checked out dog just in case and she was fine. I was shocked the first doctor didn't know what it was.