What the heck is this circular rash type thing on my back?

[MooseLooseAboutTheHoose]

I’m googling and it’s saying things like Lyme’s disease and Ringworm 😱 What do you think it looks like? What should I put on it?

Photos aren’t great as it’s in the centre of my back and difficult to reach!!!

Oh god, do I need a doctor’s appointment as well? A cream from the pharmacist won’t do the trick?

Another vote for pityriasis. DD and I have both had it.

If it’s ringworm then 60 deg C wash for towels and bedding, change every few days and wear a pyjama top. iron tops if you can’t wash them that hot. 6-8 weeks to clear with cream. There are some types now resistant to one of the creams so go back if it doesn’t improve in a few weeks as you may need to try a different one. It’s a bit like athletes foot, not anything to get freaked about.

You could do an e consult and attach a photo? Or try a pharmacist.

In the U.K. it’s a pharmacy visit not a GP for ringworm these days

Ringworm isn't caused by an actual worm.

It's a fungal infection. Your chemist will give you some cream for it.

Another vote for ringworm. Be warned - it’s extremely contagious! Keep using the cream a good while after it’s “gone” as well - otherwise it can come back…! I’d highly recommend daktarin.

It’s basically the same as athletes foot, just not on your feet. Don’t panic

Yes it will.

And you don't need to see a doctor.

Another vote for ringworm from me. Steroid cream will sort it. My GP told me that for all it's very contagious (as in, don't share towels) I didn't need to stay off work as I presumably wasn't hugging my colleagues.

Either way, hopefully it's easily fixed.

Thanks a million all, seems that most are saying ringworm and many saying pityriasis. Not nice either way but not the end of the world. 6 to 8 weeks is a bit of a pain though. At least no one is mentioning Lyme’s which I’m really glad of.

That bloody spa… I’m wondering now if it was the jets from a jacuzzi maybe? It would be about that height. Could that be where I picked it up do we think? I’ll definitely ring the spa and let them know if it turns out to be ringworm as Mom now has a fungal issue between 2 of her toes since the visit as well.

Not if the pharmacist is sure it's ringworm.

If you google ringworm and herald patch images you will see they look quite similar, it could be either and both look like yours

@MooseLooseAboutTheHoose jets from the jacuzzi or just sitting in the spa cess pool and back contact. It is gross. 🤮 Many more outbreaks of fungal infections now. Can see why The Last of Us was made!

Get your Mum to treat her feet too.

Came here to say pityriasis rosea but looks like it's already been said. If no new lesions emerge, then could consider treatment eg. Antifungal/steroid combination cream in case there's a fungal element. That cream would also sort out a patch of discoid eczema which is less likely as the lesion is ringed

Doesn't look like rash of Lyme disease - look up erythema migrants chronicum if you want more details on that.

Is it itchy?

Get some Canesten Athletes Foot Cream on that.

Just rang Mom and she has been treating her toes with a fungal cream from the pharmacy but turns out she didn’t actually get the pharmacist to look at it, just explained and asked for the cream. She said hers in clearing but not at all cleared yet. Think she should go back and show them now.

A little itchy, which is why I noticed it, but not crazy, want to tear my skin off itchy.

I think this too. My son had this ‘herald patch’ last year and within a few weeks he had an extensive rash of dry red spots over his torso . Non-contagious, not really itchy and they started to resolve after 6 months.

If in centre of back it could also be herpetic - shingles or herpetic eczema or HSV1 or 2.

Do you have any other symptoms e.g. back pain, chills, itching etc?

That bloody spa was NOT cheap either… very ‘upper market’ facility 😡

Come to think of it, I was actually overheating at work on Tuesday. But I put that down to having a little bug. 2 of my closest colleagues were out with a tummy bug on Tuesday and Wednesday. I figured I’d maybe got a touch of it but my immune system fought it off better or something.

So looking it up, it seems the incubation period for ringworm is about 10 days, we were at the spa 4 weeks ago… maybe not from there? Can’t for the life of me think where else it would have come from though.

This, it looks exactly like what my daughter had.