How to Get Rid of Ringworm

What is Ringworm - Cause and Types:

For people who sweat too much and too frequently, especially athletes, ringworm is a common problem, contrary to the ringworm are not caused by actual worms but are actually a fungal skin infection, (the fungus called Tinea). When the fungus ends up growing multiple times on the skin ringworm is the result, and can affect various parts of the skin. Though they rarely pose a serious medical consideration, but the itching can be quite an irritating phenomenon and paying attention to it, can bring effective cure and relief.

Various types of ringworm that can affect one’s skin are : 

Tinea Barbae: This occurs in a man’s beard.
Tinea Corpus: This occurs on the body, and can affect children and adults alike.
Tines Pedis: This is commonly known as athlete’s foot, and occurs on the feet.
Tinea Cruris: Commonly known as jock itch, and generally affects the genital areas.
Tinea Capitis: This affects the scalp usually.

Pictures of Ringworm

How to Get Rid of Ringworm

• Ringworm is an infection that can spread from one infected person to another via contact, hence special care needs to be maintained to not touch infected items like combs, clothes that haven’t been washed etc. even pets should be taken care of as they can carry forth the infection, the most common carriers being cats.
• Being a fungal infection Ringworm need moist areas to thrive in hence you should take special care during summers or times when you are wet.

Effects of Ringworm :

• People suffering from ringworm, usually exhibit symptoms like: 
• Scaly patches that are red and raised which turn red and be blistered, oozing at times. 
• The patches have edges that are well defined, exhibiting the area infected. 
• The fact the redness of the patch is more apparent on the outer edges and fade in the centre hence giving it a ring like appearance 
• Ringworm affecting the scalp can cause bald patches to appear 
• If affecting the nails, they may discolour, grow thick and even end up crumbling. 
• So for people who are suffering from ringworm and are looking for effective ways to be rid of them, here are a few options that you can try and be rid of ringworm.

Medical Treatment : 

• You can opt for the over the counter pills and ointments too if looking for a fast cure and not depending on homemade remedies, there are enough medicines in the market that can help you with ringworm. 
• Opt for anti-fungal treatment and drying powders that have the active element Clotrimazole or Miconazole in them, wash the affected area with anti-bacterial soap or liquids and then apply the ointment/powder on the affected area. Make sure that you keep your surroundings clean and take care of personal hygiene pro-actively. 
• If the problem persists, or seems to be acute then you may require medicines like, ketoconazole which are stronger than the regular medicines, treatment may also be required for the infections that ensue from scratching the infected area. 

Homemade or Herbal Treatments :

• Papaya is said to be an effective fruit in the treatment of ringworm, all you need to do is apply a slice of fruit or rather rub in on the infected area, another effective method is to grind the papaya seeds to a paste and then apply in on the infected area. 
• An effective yet painful way to get rid of ringworm is trying bleach or a hydrogen peroxide solution, painful because it will burn like hell, but it seems to cauterise the infected area. 
• Another effective treatment is to use the juice of the leaves of the cassia tree, not only they help in alleviating the swelling and pain, they help in the infected area in healing quicker too. 
• Raw vegetable juices seem to work quite well too when it comes to the ringworm problem, for example you can use a mixture of both carrot and spinach juice in the ratio of 3:2 so if you’re mixing say about 300 ml of carrot juice, you will have to use around 200 ml of spinach juice to make about half a liter of the aforesaid concoction. 
• Other useful remedies include the application of coconut oil to the affected area which helps in keeping the skin moist and soft; you can also try applying a mud pack twice a day for half an hour each and should be kept up with daily. 
• It is very important to keep one hydrated thoroughly as we tend to not drink enough water which is the cause of most skin problems generally, so try to consume at least 6-8 glasses of water each day to reduce skin problems. 
• Mustard seeds and turmeric is also said to be a great homemade remedy for ringworm as you can apply them over the infected area. You can make a paste out of mustard seeds and use it in generously over the affected area, once the paste dries you should rinse it off with warm water. For external application you can use the juice of raw turmeric and apply it over the affected area, or you can ingest a tablespoon or turmeric powder missed with honey and that should help you purify your blood and be rid of ringworm.