Ringworm - Diagnosing ringworm
- Introduction
- Symptoms of ringworm
- Causes of ringworm
- Diagnosing ringworm
- Treating ringworm
- Preventing ringworm spreading
- Complications
Ringworm is usually easy to diagnose from its appearance and location.
Scalp ringworm
Your GP will usually be able to diagnose scalp ringworm after examining your scalp.
Knowing what type of fungus is causing the ringworm infection can be useful, as some types of antifungal medication are better at treating certain types of fungi. Your GP will remove a small sample of skin from your scalp for testing in a laboratory.
You may be given an antifungal medication to start taking before you receive your test results. If the tests show a different antifungal medication would work better, you will be prescribed that and asked to stop taking the first one.
Body ringworm
Most cases of body ringworm can be diagnosed by your GP after examining your skin and asking you whether you have other symptoms that could be related.
Further tests will usually only be needed if your symptoms are severe or if they fail to respond to antifungal treatment. If this is the case, your GP may remove a small piece of affected skin and send it to a laboratory to be analysed under a microscope.
Microscopic analysis will be able to show if fungi are present and the specific type causing your infection.
Read about how to treat ringworm.
© Crown Copyright 2009
