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Original poster

Ringworm?

22 replies

CountessDracula · 04/04/2004 09:56

Dd aged 19 months has a small red round disc of slightly flaky (and very red) skin on the back of her neck - she's had it for a week and I took her to the doc who said it was probably ringworm (which she said is not a worm at all but a fungal infection).

She gave me some canestan cream for it which I've been putting on for 4 days, but it is getting no better. Anyone got any idea if it could be something else, or does ringworm just take a long time to go. And how can we avoid it in future? Could she have got it from the dog (who is wormed, but if this isn't a worm then is that relevant?)

All rather revolting really

OP posts:

Janh · 04/04/2004 10:39

Ringworm is just a variant of athlete's foot if that makes you feel any better, CD! Most of mine have had it, never knew where they got it from, but it often is caught from animals. We used to get Daktarin for it, or Daktacort (same thing + cortisone) and that did work but I can't remember how long it took.

I don't think you can avoid it, I believe it's wildly contagious (but harmless in the wider scheme of things )

Janh · 04/04/2004 10:41

netdoctor

Maybe your dog has it - if so she will have at least one little bald patch.

Blackduck · 04/04/2004 10:51

I got it off our cat - isn't always easy to spot on animals...vets use an ultra violet light (it shows up under it...) It takes just one infected hair! Can't remember how long it took to clear up - a while though I think

Janh · 04/04/2004 11:20

Can you imagine how hideous (and smelly) people must have been in the olden days when they shared their huts with their animals and didn't have toothbrushes or soap let alone antifungal cream?

luckymum · 04/04/2004 11:50

CD....with ringworm the skin usually looks sort of normal in the middle with a ring of red flaky skin around it. Could it be eczema?

cas1968 · 04/04/2004 13:17

Could also be impetigo?

Also highly contagious and treatable with cream.

hth

Original poster

CountessDracula · 04/04/2004 13:50

thanks everyone - it could be ecezma but I tried treating it with hydrocortisone which made no difference, that led the doctor to believe that it might be ringworm, also is so perfectly round which is odd, and very red.

It doesn't look like impetigo either.

If it continues to get worse I'll go back to the doc on monday. The dog seems fine!

OP posts:

Lisa78 · 04/04/2004 14:02

Hi CD, my DS1 had ringworm when he was about 7 - right in the middle of his cheek too. I tried treating it with a bit of hydrocortisone which didn't help and my GP said it was probably the worst thing I could have done!! Anyway, he was prescribed some antifungal cream and we used it for WEEKS before we saw any improvement AT ALL. However, once it did start to get better, it vanished really quickly. It wasn't canesten though - I recall it being quite a high strength one, cos I was worried about rubbing it on his face. From your description, it does sound like ringworm - they can catch it from any animal with fur. I took our dog, cat and hamster to the vet and none of them had it, but then a colleague mentioned that her daughter had caught ringworm from their new rabbit- DS1 had stroked it once... If it wasn't that, I have no idea where he got it from. I don't know how contagious it is from skin to skin contact, he didn't pass it on to any of his friends, but he did have to have his own towels and I washed them after every use
I hope this is of some help - I know it looks awful and it doesn't help that it takes so long to go away, but it doesn't hurt and it does eventually go
I would have your dog checked just incase though, I gather they get bald patches with ringworm but it usually starts off as a pinprick sized area which obviously you wouldn't see
Just think of it as another episode in your run of bad luck!

luckymum · 04/04/2004 14:03

CD, dd has discoid eczema which appears in round patches about as big as your thumbnail, although it is usually on the upper arms and the legs. It can be quite difficult to shift.

Chinchilla · 04/04/2004 21:34

CD - we thought that dh had ringworm a few weeks ago. HOWEVER, when he went to see the doc, he said that it was related to a virus that he had had. Apparently, if you have had a bad cold etc recently, it can make these rashes appear, starting with a lead patch that looks like ringworm. Then the other patches are similar to eczema, and can cover the torso. If this is what your dd has, it will go away of its own accord, and no creams will help. Dh tried them all!

morocco · 04/04/2004 22:50

ds had ringworm a while back and it started off as a weird red patch, perfectly round, then suddenly started growing fast so that over the weekend it had gone from a quarter of a cm wide to 2 cm wide all at once - I could almost see it growing. The cream stopped it growing straight away but the mark didn't shift for weeks - I stopped using the cream after a week though on gp advice so it must have been 'dead' already. Our cat had it on her stomach and I think he caught it off the changing mat that the cat used to sometimes sit on. anyhow, it cleared up fine but took loads longer to get rid of the cat's ringworm. Does that sound like your dd's rash at all? hth

kiwisbird · 04/04/2004 22:54

I have had it totally annoying, neat tea tree oil is good for relieving majoy itch (and by god it itches really badly)
Doc will give either Daktacort or Timodene
take Daktacort
caught ours off kitten grrrr

bigmutha · 04/04/2004 22:57

Tea tree gel from a company called verde in london(they do mail order) is fab for ringworm and safer than neat oil. Do loads of kiddy products too.:

Levanna · 04/04/2004 23:18

Hi, I was misdiagnosed with ringworm when I was prengnant last time. The third (!) doctor I saw realised it was 'Pityriasis Rosea', which was why it wasn't shifting! From what I remember, the 'herald patch' initially wasn't as large as mentioned here , but eventually was, and was on my face (uuurgh!)
It's often confused by GP's with ringworm apparently, so thought it might be of interest.....

SueW · 04/04/2004 23:39

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

kiwisbird · 05/04/2004 09:40

Levanna sounds like that may be me...
I got one patch very itchy on breast when pregnant, another one is onther boob, not responded to any anti fungal, tea trea keeps it under control but now have patches under amrpits shoulder area too...
really VERY itchy at times though
does this sound relevant and what did they use to treat it?

Fio2 · 05/04/2004 09:43

CD make sure your dog doesnt have it, as it is not nice for dogs or cats to get

Original poster

CountessDracula · 05/04/2004 09:43

Ah now that sounds more like it, that rosacea thing. The patch is not itchy and not bothering her, I wonder if that could be it.

Thanks everyone!

OP posts:

Original poster

CountessDracula · 05/04/2004 09:44

well fio I am going to take her to the vet today to check, but I have examined her and I can see no funny patches, she isn't scratching at all etc. What symptoms do they get?>

OP posts:

Fio2 · 05/04/2004 09:50

I think they just go a bit bald in places. My 2 have escaped it so far but I know it is a bugger to get rid of in animals

Chinchilla · 05/04/2004 19:49

That is the name of the thing I mentionned Levanna (which dh had). Thanks, I would never have remembered the name!

Levanna · 05/04/2004 22:43

kiwisbird and chinchilla, sounds like the same thing. It doesn't always itch, but can - tea tree would be ideal to control that, but as for the actual 'rash' itself, it has to run its course, and can take from 6 to 12 weeks .
Funnily enough, spring is a prime time for it to occur, it's not contageous, and tends to happen when you're run down.
More info here and here .
Hope your DD gets well soon CD.

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