Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
What types of ringworm are there? What are ringworm symptoms and signs?
The following are the different types of ringworm, or tinea:
Tinea barbae: Ringworm of
the bearded area of the face and neck, with swelling and marked crusting,
is often accompanied by itching, sometimes causing the hair to break off. In the days when
men went to the barber daily for a shave, tinea barbae was called barber's
itch.
Tinea capitis: Ringworm of the scalp commonly affects
children, mostly in late childhood or adolescence. This condition
may spread in schools. Tinea capitis appears as scalp scaling that
is associated with bald spots (in contrast to seborrhea
or dandruff,
for instance, which do not cause hair loss).
Ringworm
Tinea corporis: When fungus affects the skin of the body,
it often produces the round spots of classic ringworm. Sometimes,
these spots have an "active" outer
border as they slowly grow and advance. It is important to
distinguish this rash from other even more common
rashes, such as nummular eczema. This condition, and others, may appear similar to ringworm, but they are not due to a fungal infection and require different treatment.
Tinea cruris: Tinea of the groin ("jock itch") tends to
have a reddish-brown color and extends from the folds of the groin
down onto one or both thighs. Other conditions that can mimic tinea
cruris include yeast infections, psoriasis, and
intertrigo, a chafing rash which results from the skin rubbing against the
skin.
Tinea faciei (faciale): ringworm on
the face except in the area of the beard. On the face, ringworm is rarely
ring shaped. Characteristically, it causes red, scaly patches with indistinct
edges.
Tinea manus: ringworm
involving the hands, particularly the palms and the spaces between the
fingers. It typically causes thickening (hyperkeratosis) of these areas, often
on only one hand. Tinea manus is a common companion of tinea pedis (ringworm
of the feet). It is also called tinea manuum.
Athlete's Foot
Tinea pedis: Athlete's
foot may cause scaling and inflammation in the toe webs, especially the one
between the fourth and fifth toes. Another common form of tinea pedis produces a
thickening or scaling of the skin on the heels and soles. This is sometimes
referred to as the "moccasin distribution." In still other cases, tinea causes
blisters between the toes or on the sole. Aside from athlete's foot, tinea pedis is known as tinea of the foot or, more loosely, fungal infection of the
feet. Tinea pedis is an extremely common skin disorder. It is the most common
and perhaps the most persistent of the fungal (tinea) infections. It is rare
before adolescence. It may occur in association with other fungal skin
infections such as tinea cruris (jock itch).
Tinea unguium:
Finally, fungal infection can make the fingernails
and, more often, the toenails yellow, thick, and crumbly. This is referred to as fungal nails or onychomycosis.
The word "rash" means an outbreak of red bumps on the body. The way people use this term, "a rash" can refer to many different skin conditions. The most common of these are scaly patches of skin and red, itchy bumps or patches all over the place.
Athlete's foot (tinea pedis) is a skin infection caused by the ringworm fungus. Symptoms include itching, burning, cracking, peeling, and bleeding feet. Treatment involves keeping the feet dry and clean, wearing shoes that can breathe, and using medicated powders to keep your feet dry.
Itching can be a common problem. Itches can be localized or generalized. There are many causes of itching to include: infection (jock itch, vaginal itch), disease (hyperthyroidism, liver or kidney), reactions to drugs, and skin infestations (pubic or body lice). Treatment for itching varies depending on the cause of the itch.
Jock itch is an itchy red rash that appears in the groin area. The rash may be caused by a bacterial or fungal infection. People with diabetes and those who are obese are more susceptible to developing jock itch. Antifungal shampoos, creams, and pills may be needed to treat fungal jock itch. Bacterial jock itch may be treated with antibacterial soaps and topical and oral antibiotics.
There are many causes of scalp hair loss. This featured article covers the common ones such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata, trichotillomania, and tinea capitis), telogen effluvium, and androgenetic alopecia (male-pattern baldness, female-pattern baldness).
Fungal nails (onychomycosis) may be caused by many species of fungi but the most common is Trichophyton rubrum. Distal subungal onychomycosis starts as a discolored area at the nail's corner and slowly spread toward the cuticle. In proximal subungal onychomycosis, the infection starts at the cuticle and spreads toward the nail tip. Yeast onychomycosis is caused by Candida and may be the most common cause of fungal fingernail.
Children's health is focused on the well-being of children from conception through adolescence. There are many aspects of children's health, including growth and development, illnesses, injuries, behavior, mental illness, family health and community health.
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