Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
I may have ringworm	JohnG	01/27/04
hi, I'm 18 yrs. old and I wrestle and one day at practice my coach noticed an oval shaped red, scaly thing on my left cheek which he said was probably ringworm, he told me to go home and put lamisil on it twice a day and it should be gone in about 5 days and then I could go back to practice. After of putting lamisil on it, it got a little smaller but it was still there and so I went to the doctor. The doctor said it was ringworm and perscribed nizoral and I put it on twice a day for 6 days but it was still there. So I went to another doctor who also said it was ringworm and persribed me difulcan to take it for ten days. I've been taking it for two days already but I haven't seen much improvement yet. Why is it taking so long to heal when other wrestler's who I know that had ringworm before took 5 days only? Is this really ringworm? I want to know because I haven't practiced for two weeks already
Answered By		Answered On
bal317		01/28/04
Hello: I can fully understand your concerns. My question is, was the physician you saw a Dermatologist, one who specializes in skin care? That is who I would suggest in seeing. Ringworm, or medically known as, Tinea Corporis, is a fungus. When a person goes to a Dermatologist, there is a testing done on the site affected by scraping off the dead skin slightly, by use of a scaple, then chemicals are used on the sample, and the sample is placed on a slide, in turn it is examined under a microscope to determine the actual type of fungus one would have, this way, the proper type of medication is administered. This test is known as a: KOH test. In general ringworm responds well to topical treatment. The lesion, usually resolves within 2 weeks. But theraphy should be continued for another week. However, lack of or inadequate treatment can result in an infection that won't clear up. So, I would strongly suggest you visiting a Dermatologist, and take with you your already given medication, you could ask for a consult, and this visit will determine what you can expect. I have also found a couple of sites that will fully explain to you about ringworm. www.astdhpphe.org/infect/ringworm.html www.drgreene.com/21_1172.html Hopefully, this will help you. If there is anything further that I may assist you with, please let me know. Please let me know how you come out. Respectfully, bal317 P.S. I know how special your wrestle'ing is, my grandson, is State Champion Wrestler, and he had ringworm, thought he was going to go into shock (ha ha) when he had to stay out for a few weeks. This sport is truely interesting and I hope you wonderful results in your competition days.

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