Ringworm - Moody,TX

If it is ringworm, use tea tree oil. We had a huge ringworm problem a few years ago b/c I had a cat that had it and we ended up having to give him away before the ringworm would go away. It was very very sad; I still miss that kitty. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about...the creams never worked for us, the only thing that worked was tea tree oil. Apply topically 3x/day for 2 wks. Even if it looks like it's gone keep putting it on for that long. And hydrate the skin in between applications b/c it will get dry. Good luck!

You should definitely have the doctor evaluate it. My daughter had ringworm and the doctor instructed us to use lotrimin and warned us that it takes a very long time, months and months, to go away. And it did, but as thelabel advises using lotrimin for this long without a doctor following is I'll advised. As for clomatrizole, that is the most powerful topical steroid ANSI have never heard of it prescribed for infants. I use it myself and the ped told me never to be tempted to put it on the kids. I have been though!

Don't use any more over the counter treatments and definitely do not use Lotrimin. Children and babies have different skin needs than adults and using adult over the counter treatments can cause a chemical burn when used as directed in children. Take her to the pediatrician and get a prescription, that will clear it up!

My son and I have severe skin allergies, so I'm speaking from experience!

Good luck!

Are you positive it is ringworm? What did your child's pediatrician have to say? When my first son was 3 months old I thought he had ringworm on his bottom so I took him to the doctor. Come to find out it wasn't ringworm at all - it was eczema. Eczema can sometimes present as round, red, raised rings.

Hi! I would check with your pedi. first before treating it. Ringworms look like a perfect circle, like a target and red. I used Blue Star oinment on my 5 year old and I got one a couple of years ago and that works instantly. Best wishes.

Have you taken her to your pediatrician yet? I think that would be a good idea before trying self-treatment. Good luck!

I agree, eczema can look like ringworm, and is a lot more likely. Where do think the baby picked up ringworm? I would not put anything else on her without showing it to the doctor.

Make sure when you're applying the cream that you focus on the outer edges because that is where the fungus is. Also, try to rub from outside of the spot(s) to the center (not from in to out) - that way you have less chance of making it spread.
Good Luck!

Ditto M.R.
I am 48 years old and as a child I remember getting a skin biopsy because they thought I had ringworm and it was eczema.
Even now I have to watch socks in the winter and make sure they are all cotton. I only seem to get it on my ankles now for some reason.

Good Luck

My mom used iodine on us when we had ringworm. You just get a cotton swab, dip it in the iodine, and rub it over the area where the ringworm is twice a day. After a few weeks the ringworm will be gone.

But I'm not sure if iodine is safe to use with a 4 month old so talk to your child's doctor before trying it.

You need to have your pediatrician look at it to evaluate it. There is another formula they can prescribe for her (not necessarily stronger, just different formulation), but you need to have someone properly evaluate that it truly is ringworm.

You can use Lotrimin but limit it to a week as already suggested. My older kids had ringworm when they were little and when my youngest got the rashes, I thought it was the same thing. It would not go away so the doc took some scrapings and it had some other name. They gave me a prescription for Clotrimazole, I cannot remember the %, and it worked very well. It almost seemed to burn her skin on the rash site but then it totally went away. It did not botther her at all. Unfortunately it has come back and the creams I have tried have not worked. I plan to bring it up at her appointment next month.

I had ringworm and used this, it worked awesome. http://www.fungusremedy.com/

You can see a picture of it here:

http://www.alphacura.com/

Lotrimin should work, and shouldn't be an issue unless you use it for more than seven days, or the affected area is larger than a quarter. Double check with your child's physician just to make sure, as you don't sound too sure that she has ringworm. Most OTC creams for treating ringworm contain the same active ingredient, and should have worked by now, so I suspect your child may not have it. Fill your pediatrician in completely and see what he/she recommends. My daughter had eczema as an infant, and it can sometimes show up as a round spot, similar in appearance to ringworm. We treated for ringworm on our own, thinking that was the problem, but like with your daughter, it didn't go away, so we took her in to see her ped. and found she had eczema, which is easily treatable also if you have the right stuff for it.

Good luck!

Ringworm is stubborn. It loves warm and moist, so if possible, leave the area unclothed and open to the air. (not sure where the ringworm is.)

Yes, get the entire area---outer edges are the parts that itch the most and scratching causes the area to get bigger.

Check with the doc and see what the best thing is to try......

If you have been using an OTC antifingal cream and it is not working then more than likely it is eczema or another skin condition.

Don't be fooled by a diagnosis of Eczema. This is often a cop-out answer from a ped doctor that does not want to listen to a Mom's instincts!

My little girl had a HORRIBLE time with a fungus in her diaper. It was bright red and shiny. It did not matter what OTC fungal cream we used (including Lotrimin as recommended by her Ped). As she got a little older, she would scratch it raw. The bleeding on her bum got so bad and she cried so much when we changed her that we took her to the Hospital ER and ultimately ended up needing a script.

She is now 3 and we both recently had a round of something that would not clear with an OTC. We filled the script one last time and both used it. We are both now clear.

It was never diagnosed as ringworm, but it seems that fungus is common in little kids. Sometimes it is an out-growth of the warm moist environment on their skin. And, they can pick it up from anywhere - even the dirt off your shoes if they are crawling on your floor. See a doctor (or get another opinion from a specialist before you go the eczema route) and then try to keep her clean and dry - use lots of powder.

~C.

Ringworm (a circular fungus) is a possibility, but in a 4 month old my first thought would be cradle cap (which isn't fungus related at all). For cradle cap (my son had it at 3 months), I oiled up his head with olive oil then used a very soft tooth brush to loosen the scales. I had to wash out his hair a few times to get the oil out, but it cleared it right up.