Ringworm! How to Cure! Help!

Updated on September 16, 2013
M.B. asks from Colorado Springs, CO
17 answers

My daughter has ringworm on her face, arm and leg. She caught it from her new pet, a guinea pig. I have taken her to the Dr and they said just use the antifungal creams. We've been doing that for over a week - and they don't seem to be working. The dr said you have to wait at least a month, but I'm wondering if anyone has had any luck with any other remedies? I read you can use Vicks on it or Iodine? The one on her cheek is silver-dollar sized and looks so bad. The nurse at her peds office said its not contagious since it was animal to human spread - it won't spread from human to human. Is that true? I have found many nurses to be wrong about info so I'm asking you all? Because I need to send her back to school, she's already missed a week.

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

Thanks all!
I just want to add that I'm sure it's ringworm bc we had the guinea pig tested and it tested positive for ringworm. Now I have it! So I'm pretty sure its ringworm. :( The guinea pig is being treated by me with a bath and cream the vet gave me, and I've moved her to basement while I treat her so my daughter won't have contact.

The reason I've kept her home is bc the teacher asked me to. The teacher is concerned about it spreading to other kids.

The Dr DID NOT give me a prescription cream, she said that they don't recommend the strong cream or the oral medication for kids bc it requires blood work bc its very h*** o* organs? The OTC is what they recommend until a month has passed. We've been using the OTC cream for a week and it has gotten worse. VERY red. That is why I've been to Dr's twice now. The spots on her arm and leg have actually been there a good 3 weeks. I wasn't worried about those, its the big one on her face that people ask about. It would be no bigee if it wasn't on her face and SO big. It cannot be covered at school bc of its location.

Latest update - I bought more bleach, tea tree oil and iodine. I called Dr again and demanded the prescription strength anti-fungal -and got that too. We are going to get rid of this once and for all! I've been bleaching everything for 8 hours now. IT'S me against the Ringworm!

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from San Diego on

My son wrestles so unfortunately has gotten it a few times. We used Lotramin crème in the beginning but recently have changed to a liquid soap/shampoo called Sport. As soon as he started using it, it cleared up the ringworm. We bought it off of Amazon.

Good luck!!

3 moms found this helpful

V.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

I grew up on the farm and caught ring worm several times. My mom always used the Iodine method and it always worked for us. I never skipped school over it, but I also never had it on my face. I was always able to keep it covered in some way so that other kids wouldn't tease me about it.

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

J.S.

answers from Hartford on

EDIT: The teacher is asking for her to stay home for no good reason. Have your pediatrician write a note for your daughter to bring in stating that she's not contagious. And tell your pediatrician that the medication doesn't seem to be working and you want something else. Prescription strength. If you don't feel comfortable standing up to your pediatrician then ask your pediatrician for a referral to a dermatologist.

******************************************************************************

You can go to a dermatologist to make sure that it's ringworm. As long as it's been treated for 24-48 hours, it's not contagious. A school merely requires that it's being treated and covered. There's no reason on earth your daughter should have missed a week of school, and yes, in the first couple of days while it's weeping before treatment it's contagious to other people with skin to skin contact.

The doctor should have prescribed an antifungal cream in prescription strength. A thin layer should be applied once in the morning and once at night. No touching, no scratching, and when it's wash time in the tub, no soap on it.

It can take a month to go away, it can take longer. It takes as long as it takes. The fact that you're panicking over how it looks and are being impatient about this? It's going to make your daughter feel horrible. SEND HER TO SCHOOL AND SIMPLY USE THE CREAM THE DOCTOR GAVE YOU.

If the stuff is spreading, and by "the cream isn't working" you mean that it's getting worse instead of better rather than you're being impatient about seeing results... then you take her back to the doctor. It could be something else... bacterial or viral... that needs attention. They would have to take a scraping and send it to the lab.

It's only been a week. You need to be patient. And SEND YOUR KID TO SCHOOL.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B..

answers from Dallas on

I volunteer with cats, and they almost all come with ring worm. Lotrimin AF is the gold standard. You have to wash EVERYTHING in very hot water. Every day. When she wakes up remove her bedding and replace with clean bedding. Don't reuse towels. Are you treating the animal? That's obviously really important. If she is touching the cage or anything the animal has touched, it will continue.

It is much harder to catch ringworm from a human. It's really uncommon, unless you are touching her a lot. I assume you do, with her being your daughter. That's why daycare workers, parents, and nannies are the ones who typically get ringworm from someone else. If you are treating and covering the spots and not touching them, I think you will be fine.

The thing about ringworm, is stress makes it worse. If she is under stress about it, the ringworm will take much longer to heal.

2 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

Yes, it can spread very easily to others!
I had ringworm once as a teen,. I actually had to go to the doctor and get a prescription for a cream., It cleared up pretty fast.

Let me tell you, that ring itched so bad! It drove me crazy. At night I had to have a big bandage on it, so I would not scratch while asleep.. You are not supposed to touch it or scratch it or it can spread.

Please, please take your child to the doctor. You do not want her to scratch her face and end up with any scaring. The itchiness really does drive you crazy..

2 moms found this helpful

A.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Tree Tea Oil..just a little bit in a cotton swab, 3 times a day, and then apply a little bit of Desitin, diaper rash paste to protect from moisture. My husband caught it time ago and lasted about a year!. We tried everything OTC creams and a prescription given by the doctor....nothing worked until we tried what I told you here. It worked wonderfully and within 1 week he got rid of ringworm.
Good luck!
A. :)

1 mom found this helpful

J.O.

answers from Boise on

Sometimes it can take longer then a month to get rid of, just keep applying the creme.

We had a round last summer on a few of my kids and it tool forever to clear it up, but it did clear up and we've not had a problems since.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.G.

answers from Dallas on

Last time my son had ringworm I used tea tree oil. Cleared it up great ! So much better than any cream I had used. (BTW - my kids have had it a time or 2 - not very much. This last time my son got it from his cousins house.)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.W.

answers from Portland on

Um, twice I have had ringworm, and both times I have caught it from the children I was caring for. Lotrimin AF worked well for me, I used it and covered the site of the ringworm with bandages. It did clear up pretty quickly, so I am wondering if this is a different strain and needs more medication? I'd be at the doctor's on Monday morning for a prescription for a stronger oral antifungal. The animal needs to be treated as well. And while I couldn't find any info via websearch regarding human-to-human transmission, I also couldn't find anything which said it wasn't contagious animal to human to human.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.P.

answers from Cleveland on

Lotromin . The strong foot fungle cream. Also she may need proscription fungle cream. And ring worm is ring worm its contagious no matter what

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.K.

answers from Chicago on

I used to think you only got Ringworms from animals but apparently not! Someone told me it can be passed on to others. My chid got a ringworm and we don't have pets so must be true.
I have always had success with perfume! I spray it on the spot and rub it in....smells good too. I think it is the alcohol in it that does the trick. Might sting a little and then goes red around the perimeter and disappears. It's usuall taken 4 days maybe a little longer.

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

We used Tinacine cream.
It clears it up but it takes time.
Ask the vet if the same cream can cure the guinea pig too.
If not, get the appropriate medicine otherwise she'll just get re-infected.
In the mean time, try a little cover up makeup if she's self conscious about it.
Ringworm is no reason to be any missing school.

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/skin-care/ringworm

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

ring worm is very contagious. My daughter has had it in the past a few times. Each time we used lotramin and it cleared it up. You have to make sure you wash her sheets and pillow case a lot more often than normal (at least a few times a week if not more). Make sure she puts on clean clothes and pajamas. Use the cream 3 times per day for about a month. If you don't do it around 2-3 times a day it will take a lot longer for it to go away and it could spread more easily. After only a week, it will not be all gone. It's a pain, but it does take a good 3-4 weeks for it to go away completly.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Lamisil worked for my son. It did take a long time - more than a month to completely clear, unfortunately. We talked to the school nurse and she said that after we treated it for 48 hours, he could go back to school as long as we kept it covered with a bandaid to keep it from infecting others (and my son did get it from another child, so I know at least some forms are human-human contagious).

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

My son had some patches that looked like ringworm. We tried the cream for 2 weeks. We went back to the doctor and she said there is a type of eczema that looks like ringworm. She changed the cream to another one and it cleared up in 2 weeks.

T.R.

answers from Milwaukee on

Check the link below for more information. Typically, home treatment lasts up to 4 weeks.

Ringworm is a fungal infection, the same type as athlete's foot. The same medicated cream can be used to treat ringworm.

I've had it a few times - once transmitted by a horse @ my barn, & once picked up in the soil & transmitted to me by puppies in my litter.

Interestingly, I was told by my doctor that some people are more susceptible to the fungus than others. Hence, I have gotten it more than once, & my husband never, even though we both cared for the puppies. Also, only 2 puppies out of 10 in the litter needed treatment.

Make sure to keep the areas clean & dry, & wash all clothes, towels & bedding to prevent spread or reinfection.

The only warnings I can see about it are to be aware of bacterial infections. It sounds like these are more likely in untreated cases, or when it causes itching, breaks skin or has drainage.

I don't know why your nurse said it was not able to be transmitted from your daughter to anyone because it came from an animal? It's not like guinea pigs have a special strain of ringworm! But make sure you take the pet to the vet to be checked for ringworm & treated if necessary.

Good luck, & I'm sure in another week you will start to see a shrinking/elimination of the ringworm spots. T.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001439.htm

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

try washing it with vinegar

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions