To paraphrase an old saying, ringworm pictures are worth a thousand words. When writing, it can be difficult to fully express the many visual variations of ringworm.
The location of the fungal infection on the body and the specific type of fungus both play important roles in how a ringworm rash will appear.
So, what does ringworm look like up close? Usually, you'll see a circle-shaped raised red rash, with defined borders. But, that's not always true. Sometimes, it's hard to distinguish ringworm from other skin conditions.
While you shouldn't diagnose ringworm based off of these ringworm images alone, they will give you a better understanding of what to watch out for.
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Dermatophytes are a type of fungi that cause skin, hair, and nail infections like ringworm, athlete's foot, and jock itch. There are literally thousands of different types of dermatophytes. In the following two ringworm pictures, you'll see images regarding Trichophyton tonsurans.
Here is an up close photo of T. tonsurans. You can see mycelia. Mycelia are the structural “body” of fungi. Through the mycelia, fungi are able to absorb nutrients and grow.
In this picture, the dermatophyte T. tonsurans has infected a hair follicle and an actual hair. Presently, T. tonsurans is one the most ubiquitous dermatophytes. In plain terms, it's everywhere!
Face ringworm or tinea faciei is actually quite rare. It's often misdiagnosed as dermatitis, eczema or even rosacea. With tinea faciei, you'll notice red, itchy lesions primarily across the cheeks. You may also see scaly pus filled lesions and swollen lymph nodes of the neck and face.
Facial ringworm can be embarrassing and difficult to conceal. Scratching face ringworm lesions can only prolong one's agony. Scratching can spread the infection to other parts of the body and introduce bacterial infections. In the worst can scenario, scratching may cause permanent facial scarring.
To make matters worse, many people do not realize they have face ringworm. They believe that their tinea faciei is a simple rash. Hence, they treat it with over the counter topical steroid creams. This not only covers up the sign and symptoms of tinea faciei, but can delay actually treatment.
Beard ringworm (tinea barbae) also known as barber's itch affects mens' beards. At greatest risk are men who work with animals. Farmers and veterinarians are perfect candidates for beard ringworm.
Somehow the fungal spores are transported from an infected animal to a man's beard. The spores infect the hair and hair follicles of the beard producing red, inflamed area of skin and raised bumpy lesions.
Another symptom of tinea barbae is feeling no pain when hair is removed from the beard by pulling.
As with face ringworm, severe untreated beard ringworm can lead to permanent facial scarring.
Once kept in check by anti-fungal medications, scalp ringworm has been coming back with a vengeance.
Ringworm of the scalp is common in school-aged children. Kids are in close contact during play and often share hats, combs, and other grooming tools.
Children who are of African descent, particularly African-American children, are at greater risk of developing tinea capitis. Yet, anyone who comes in contact with fungal spores can get it.
Scalp ringworm or tinea capitis shows up so many different ways. You might notice simple dandruff-like flakes and itching. Or you may show signs of patchy hair loss with inflamed oozing scalp sores.
Other typical signs and symptoms of tinea capitis include: circle patches with scaly skin, swelling scalp lesions, and pimple-like bumps on the scalp. Black dot scalp ringworm gets its name from fungal infected hairs that are broken off at the scalp.
Untreated, severe scalp ringworm can lead to permanent hair loss. The main cause of scalp ringworm is the fungus Trichophyton Tonsurans. However, other dermatophytes can cause this type of ringworm. In this ringworm picture, the infecting fungus is Microsporum gypseum. M. gypseum is known to cause a single inflammatory lesion on the scalp.
Body ringworm (tinea corporis) is the most familiar type of ringworm. When most people think about ringworm, tinea corporis is what comes to mind. Known for its circular, well-defined lesions, body ringworm is pretty recognizable.
Tinea corporis is associated with lesions on the arms, legs, and trunk. On children, I've seen it mostly on the forearms. These body ringworm pictures show the classic manifestations on this type of ringworm. The exact look of body ringworm will change based upon the species of the infective fungi.
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