Health

I recently got ringworm on my arm from a client who had it on her nail bed. How do I treat it?

August 01, 2004 | Bookmark +

I recently got ringworm on my arm from a client who had it on her nail bed. How do I treat it?

Answer

Ringworm (tinea corporis) is a fungal infection of the skin that is caused by the same dermatophytes (fungi that can live on skin) that cause nail fungus. The most common dermatophyte is trichophyton rubrum, but several others can cause fungal infections on the skin, nails, and even the hair and scalp. Athletes foot, jock itch, ringworm, and toenail fungus are all infections caused by the same group of fungi.

Sometimes it is difficult to diagnose ringworm by just looking at it because other skin conditions are indistinguishable from ringworm, the most common of which is eczema. I would recommend that you see a dermatologist who can take a painless skin scraping and look at the skin scales under the microscope to make an immediate diagnosis if the fungal hyphae are present. Statistically, it is less likely that you have fungus on your arm than other skin conditions, but you should check it out. The treatment for ringworm is a topical antifungal cream, such as Lamisil, applied to the area twice daily for six weeks. Even if it appears to be gone before six weeks, you should treat the full six weeks to prevent recurrence. — Dr. Rich

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What’s the cause of the pinkish-red oval area on the pad of my client’s toes?

I have a client who has a recurring problem with her fourth toes during the winter months. Both of her “ring finger” toes develop a pinkish-red oval area on the pad. Then a month later, when I see her again, the skin has become dry and hard like a callus, with the layers of skin peeling away to reveal a deeper, dark epicenter.  It’s extremely painful for her and, needless to say, we do not touch it. But it clears up in the summer when she’s wearing open-toed sandals, so I suspect it has to be due to the boots she wears in the winter. Plus she never puts lotion on her feet or uses a foot file in between visits. What do you think causes this?

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What are the big white spots on my natural-nail client’s nails?

I have a client who has been with me for about two years. She used to wear acrylic nails but has been a natural nail client for eight months or so. She has these white spots on her nails — big spots that are dry, but not flaky, right in the middle of the nail. I did try to buff them lightly but they do not come off or grow off. I had a new client come in last week who had the same on her toenails. She said it started after she had a pedicure done at another salon. Can you help?

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