And why do some people get it more than others?
I get patches of it quite often and I’m a very clean person.
It’s just kind of a weird/gross thing and I don’t like it. What can a person do to prevent ringworm?
My fiance’s daughter also gets it. We don’t know why or what the hell to do to stop it.
It’s really not that bad, just little spots every now and then. But still, I’d rather not deal with it at all.
Here is what you need to know. It is caused by one of several related fungi.
Are you sure it’s ringworm?
Indy,
While you cannot prevent fungal infections, (I get them all the time, we call it haole rot here) they are easy to treat. Take a hot shower and wash your skin with dandruff shampoo. (I like selson) Then take a paper napkin and soak it in rubbing alcohol. Apply it to the area and leave it there for an hour or so, make sure it doesnt dry out. Wash the area again and apply an anti fungal cream. (I like monistat), it comes in big tubes and both me and the wife casn use it. (TMI)
This is a one day treatment and works for me without fail. I find it much easier than rembering to apply creme for a couple weeks without forgetting.
I find a 50/50 mix of acetone/alcohol works better but my infections are stuborn and I wouln’t recomend it unless one of the board docs chimes in and says yea.
My wife never gets these “highly contagious” fungus spots, though oddly enough we have frequent skin to skin contact.
Some people are more susceptiblt to the fungus which causes ringworm than others, I don’t know why really, however if your immune system is depressed you’ll be more susceptible.
Ringworm spores can live in the environment for six months or more under ideal conditions. Think little mushrooms on your skin, they fruit and drop spores. Wiping things over with a mild bleach solution, vacuuming carpets and upholstery thoroughly can help. Use towels and face cloths once and wash them in hot water or mild bleach, wear clothing only once before washing and washing your hands after handling clothing, etc. can help prevent the spread of spores into the environment and re-infection.
Is there a carrier in your environment? A few years ago my houshold, including me, the dogs and several cats were infected with ringworm by a rescued kitten. The infections kept recurring, even after treatment, because, as it turned out, my old cat, because of her ill-health, was unable to shake the infection through topical treatment, and kept passing it on.
She was treated, as was I, with an internal antibiotic which works against fungal infections (it’s called Griseofulvin in Australia), and that worked. It’s a treatment to be a little cautious with, because it has been associated with liver failure in cats. But if you do take it, I was told to take it in the presence of fat (i.e. buttered toast or, I, suppose, chocolate) because it helps the drug absorb better.
In the end I found the easiest and most effective treatment for me was using tea-tree oil topically (make sure you’re not allergic to it if you’re going to use it, some people are). Swimming everyday in a chlorinated pool also helped, but I was at my family home, it seems a bit icky to take your ringwormed self to a public pool, even if the chlorine does kill the fungus.
Eventually you do, I think, build up a resistance to it.