Does only ringworm look like ringworm?

[Stoid]

I have a red ring, very slightly itchy. The ring isn't quite closed, but it is a ring.

I'm treating it with prescription cream, it doesn't seem to be getting better. But I dunno.

What I want to know is...does anything other than ringworm look pretty much exactly like ringworm? Because if not, i won't worry about it and just keep treating it.

Actually, to be more to the point, the question is: Does anything deadly, incurable, and likely to kill or disable me look like ringworm?

Because if not I'll just keep treating it and not worry about it.

stoid

[Spoke]

Doesn't tick fever (a/k/a Rocky Mountain fever, a/k/a spotted tick fever) start with a red ring?

[Spoke]

Of course, I guess it's not the season for that one...

[kunilou]

Is it a slightly raised ring, or is it just a round itchy spot? When I had ringworm, it was more of a raised spot.

If you're using a prescription cream, didn't the doctor tell you when you should expect results? If not and it's been more than a week or two, maybe it's time to call the doctor back, or at least ask your pharmacist.

[Smeghead]

Other fungi cause ringworm-like rashes, but they'd most likely be treated with the same stuff, IIRC.

RMSF does start with a rash, but I think it's an all-over rash rather than a ring. It's also accompanied by flu-like symptoms. I think you're thinking of Lyme disease, which does start with a bullseye rash at the site of the bite. But as you say, this isn't really the season...

(IANAD)

[CrankyAsAnOldMan]

My son's eczema patch (on the back of his knee) looks like ringworm.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

you're describing a target lesion, which may be a sign of ringworm, or of a large number of other things. If the lesion is not responding to an anti-fungal agent, a skin scraping should be taken to culture for fungus and/or examine under the microscope. If the diagnosis is in doubt after this, other things should be considered, like eczema, atopic dermatitits, lupus erythematosis, Kawasaki's disease, lyme's disease, erythema multeforme, and a host of others, some trivial, some not so. Statistically, the likelyhood of your lesion having a trivial (ie non-life or health threatening) cause is upwards of 95%, just cuz most rashes are not caused by bad diseases. No great comfort, however, to the other 5%, and I'm not saying the rash shouldn't be taken seriously, only that the odds are in your favor

Qadgop, MD

[Duck Duck Goose]

Eh, Stoidela speaking from experience, skin fungus things like ringworm can take weeks, even MONTHS, to clear up. Just make sure that you're talking to a competent dermatologist and hang in there.

Also, don't laugh, but good nutrition definitely helps. I'm not some kind of health food nut, but it is a fact that your body can fight this thing with only a little bit of assistance from the pharmaceutical industry. Don't expect Pfizer to carry the whole load. ;)

[Zyada]

Many years ago my body became covered with small round scaly patches, most of which had a raised red ring. I was sure I had ringworm (as was my boyfriend at the time).

I went the dermatologist, and he diagnosed me with eczema. He was nice enough to test for ringworm when I insisted, and that showed clean.

He then spent about 20 minutes (but it seemed like an hour) informing me (in a very monotone voice) that eczema was an allergic reaction but it wasn't possible to determine what the allergen was.

Oddly enough, although I still get the odd patch occasionally, I have never gotten more than one or two patches since that outbreak went away.


Go see a dermatologist.