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
This photo shows a pink-to-red, round patch of body ringworm. The patch has raised borders, some scaling, and some clearing of the center at the bottom of the patch.
Image provided by Thomas Habif, MD.
Both patches seen in this photo are caused by tinea corporis. A scaly border can be seen in the patch on the right.
© Springer Science+Business Media
The round patch of body ringworm seen in this photo has a raised border and a mostly clear center.
© Springer Science+Business Media
This photo shows a scaly, red patch characteristic of tinea corporis. The center appears less clear than on light skin because the infection has caused inflammation.
Image courtesy of Karen McKoy, MD.
The center of this patch is dark (called central hyperpigmentation) because the infection has caused inflammation in it.
© Springer Science+Business Media
This photo shows a pink-to-red, round patch of body ringworm. The patch has raised borders, some scaling, and some clearing of the center at the bottom of the patch.
Image provided by Thomas Habif, MD.
Both patches seen in this photo are caused by tinea corporis. A scaly border can be seen in the patch on the right.
© Springer Science+Business Media
The round patch of body ringworm seen in this photo has a raised border and a mostly clear center.
© Springer Science+Business Media
This photo shows a scaly, red patch characteristic of tinea corporis. The center appears less clear than on light skin because the infection has caused inflammation.
Image courtesy of Karen McKoy, MD.
The center of this patch is dark (called central hyperpigmentation) because the infection has caused inflammation in it.
© Springer Science+Business Media
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.
