If you have a round swollen red ring on your skin and the inside of it appears to be flaking, you might have ringworm. But don’t panic. Ringworm isn’t an actual worm. Ringworm is a fungal disease of the skin and hair. Also called “circle worms,” ringworm forms a circle shape on the skin. If you would like to take a look at ringworm images to see what a ringworm condition looks like, visit trusted sites such as medicinenet.com, emedicinehealth.com, medlineplus, or wellsphere.com. There are a number of hoaxes out there, so avoid websites that lack credibility or a connection to the world of medicine.

Ringworm comes from dermatophytes or microscopic organisms. The organisms consume the dead outer layers of the skin. The fungus also grows on the hair and nails. On the skin, it can look like the infected person has a worm growing underneath the skin. The worm takes the shape of a ring, hence the name ringworm. Other symptoms of ringworm include sores, itching, and reddened skin. Ringworm can appear on any area of the skin, even the groin area or the feet.

There are a number of different treatments for ringworm, but the treatment type will depend on how mild or severe the case of ringworm is. It will also depend on where the ringworm is located on the body. Depending on the location and severity of the infection, your physician may prescribe a remedy that is as mild as an over-the-counter medicated shampoo or as powerful as a round of potent antibiotic pills. Fortunately, ringworm can be treated quite easily with most medicated shampoos or oral medications, as well a number of prescription creams. When using most types of ringworm treatment options, symptoms typically disappear within four weeks.

Topical ringworm treatment options include: Cruex cream, Desenex cream, Lotrimin cream, lotion, and solution), miconazole (Monistat-Derm cream), ketoconazole (Nizoral cream), and terbinafine (Lamisil cream and solution). Many of these treatment options are effective for foot fungus as well.

Oral ringworm treatment options include: griseofulvin (Fulvicin, Grifulvin, and Gris-PEG), terbinafine, itraconazole (Sporanox), and fluconazole (Diflucan). When used properly, these teatment options are not bad for the liver as many people might believe they are.

Effective medicated shampoos include: Selsun Blue or anti-fungal shampoos that contain ketoconazole 2% (Nizoral) or the newer ciclopriox.

Human parasites and fungus can cause dozens of different problems in human systems from allergies and asthma to inflammation and immune system deficiency. You can prevent human parasites and fungus from growing or beign passed from person to person (or per to person) by cooking foods thoroughly, drinking pure water, washing all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, and washing your hands regularly, especially after using the restroom, handling pets or changing diapers.