Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin usually recognisable for the red circular shaped rash that appears on the skin’s surface where the infection is present. It is a highly infectious condition which means that care must be taken in order to prevent or reduce the risk of spreading from person to person. Ringworm lives and breads on the skin’s surface and can stay live on the surface of clothing and any other materials. Treatment should be used as soon as possible upon diagnosis.

Treatment of ringworm is relatively simple and the most common remedy is that of an anti fungal ointment or cream. Upon diagnosis it is important to contain the virus and limit any shared use of household items. Fabrics should be washed in hot water and bleach used on surfaces in order to kill of the fungi causing the ringworm. The affected area of the skin should be covered to prevent further spreading and also prevent the patient from scratching, given that one of the symptoms is extreme itchiness. Treatment should be continued even after the rash disappears as ringworm has an incubation period of around ten days. This means that despite one area healing up another area may be about to erupt due to the spread of the infection.

Most treatments can be bought over the counter at a chemist but in cases where t ringworm has spread to other parts of the bodies you may need to be prescribed a stronger oral medication. There are also natural remedies available which can also be quite effective in the treatment of ringworm. These consist of herbal and plant based remedies. Raw papaya, mustard seeds, cassia leaves and butea seeds are said to produce positive results in the treatment of ringworm.