My daughter got a ringworm Last year November, I took her to the doctor who gave her persivate ointment and antibiotics.Up to date it has not cleared instead it is spreading all over her head now.I was wondering if is there any special ointment I can buy or home remedy I can use. This worries me I even cut her head bald and she is crying saying kids tease her at school. Please help me.

Hi Worried Mom - So sorry, that must be horrible for her and worrying for you. I really think you need to go to another doctor, because it sounds like the treatment was not effective at all.

Hi, when I was a kid we applied iodine, from a pharmacy, direct to the affected area a couple of times a day, and in two days approx it was gone...

Go to a doctor!

Ringworm is a skin infection caused by a fungus. Ringworm can affect skin on your body (tinea corporis), scalp (tinea capitis), groin area (tinea cruris, also called jock itch), or feet (tinea pedis, also called athlete's foot).

Often, there are several patches of ringworm on your skin at once.

CausesRingworm is a common skin disorder, especially among children, but it may affect people of all ages. Although its name suggests otherwise, it is caused by a fungus, not a worm.

Many bacteria and fungi live on your body. Some of these are useful to you and your body. Others can multiply rapidly and form infections. Ringworm occurs when a particular type of fungus grows and multiplies anywhere on your skin, scalp, or nails.

Ringworm is contagious. It can be passed from one person to the next by direct skin-to-skin contact or by contact with contaminated items such as combs, unwashed clothing, and shower or pool surfaces. You can also catch ringworm from pets that carry the fungus. Cats are common carriers.

The fungi that cause ringworm thrive in warm, moist areas. Ringworm is more likely when you have frequent wetness (such as from sweating) and minor injuries to your skin, scalp, or nails.

SymptomsThe symptoms of ringworm include:

Itchy, red, raised, scaly patches that may blister and ooze. The patches often have sharply-defined edges. They are often redder around the outside with normal skin tone in the center. This may create the appearance of a ring. Your skin may also appear unusually dark or light.
When your scalp or beard is infected, you will have bald patches.
If nails are infected, they become discolored, thick, and even crumble.
Exams and TestsYour doctor will diagnose ringworm primarily based on the appearance of the skin. If tests are needed, the fungus may appear florescent when your skin is examined with a blue light (called a Wood's lamp) in a dark room. A more definitive diagnosis can be made by scraping the affected area of skin and examining the cells under a microscope.

TreatmentRingworm usually responds well to self-care within 4 weeks without having to see a doctor.

Keep your skin clean and dry.
Apply over-the-counter antifungal or drying powders, lotions, or creams. Those that contain miconazole, clotrimazole, or similar ingredients are often effective.
Wash sheets and nightclothes every day while infected.
A severe or persistent infection may require treatment by a doctor. Antifungal pills may be given and are necessary if your hair is infected. Prescription antifungal skin medications, such as ketoconazole, are stronger than over-the-counter products and may be needed. Antibiotics may also be needed to treat related bacterial infections.

Use Tinaderm...the liquid...works like a charm...

If you child has ringworm and it has spread to the head - you will have to go to a Dermatologist. My sons both got ringworm at school when then were about 7 and 9 - and the Lamisol cream worked fine on the body - but the head was a different story. I took them to the dermatologist and she advised a) not to shave the hair, as our kids need hair as extra sun protection and b) lamisol tablets and some other (I cannot remember the name) tablets. The treatment was very effective - cleared up the ringworm within days and the bald patched left by the ringworm grew back very quickly too. My sons are now 13 and 15 and have never had ringworm issues again.

Seriously - spend the money and go to a dermatologist!

<i>a quick way is to apply clear nail polish over the entire area.
It does not allow the worm to breath and it then dies </i>
You are just SO WRONG! Do you get a kick out of giving people useless advice on things of which you know nothing? Wow. Perhaps you're thinking of those maggots that sometimes penetrate the skin if you don't iron your clothes or whatever? They don't even look remotely like ringworm. Even for that maggot, that's not exactly good advice either.

As nicely spelled out above, ringworm isn't a 'worm', it's a fungal infection.

A couple of tips about treating fungal infections: they take A LONG TIME to kill the fungus. Treatment periods are normally a minimum of two weeks, for difficult places like nails and under the hair, it could be longer. You don't just get a cream from the pharmacy, put it on until it looks kind of like it's cleared and then stop. They need to be used for at least a week or so after the symptoms clear.

If it's all over her head, you could even have some bacterial involvement now and need another antibiotic.

My advice is: go and see a proper doctor and ask him for proper instructions on how to use the medication and what to do if the infection either doesn't clear or comes back after following those instructions to the letter. Explain the entire history in detail so s/he knows exactly what to do. When you collect the medication from the pharmacist, ask the pharmacist to confirm the instructions in detail and ask the same question - what to do if it does not clear or recurs. Medical professionals don't mind if you ask questions. If they do mind simple questions about directions for use of a product or what causes an illness, tell them their attitude sucks and find a new practitioner.

By this point, your child might need an anti-fungal medication in tablet or suspension form...these can have side-effects so they're not usually a first-line treatment but they're really useful if something is out of control. Your doctor and pharmacist will advise you. Just make sure to follow their directions and follow up with them immediately if you notice anything that's different to what they said would happen (rash not clearing, rash on other parts of the body, etc.).

My other advice would be let the kid grow her hair back (unless your doctor says otherwise) and be gentle with her, try and build her self-confidence back up. Kids are pretty resilient beings but she will need some extra support to pull through the teasing; as parents we often forget how earth-shattering it can be to be so very different at school.

Just go to your local pharmacist.

speak to your pharmacist about applying a thiobendazole cream .