Over The Counter Ringworm Treatment

If you identify that your skin is affected by ringworm, you can opt for one of the over the counter ringworm treatments. Wondering how to identify ringworm in humans and how to treat it? Here's the answer. Ringworm is a fungal infection. It is known as ringworm because of the characteristic red ring which appears on an infected person's skin. It generally affects the nails, scalp, the body or the feet. A rash will be formed on the skin area infected by ringworm. As this rash goes on expanding, a ring is visible at its center. Also, ringworm can lead to more than one patch, which might further overlap. The infected area might also become itchy. Is ringworm contagious? Yes, ringworm can spread due to direct or indirect skin-to-skin contact with a person or a pet infected due to ringworm. Moreover, if you touch any object or surface touched by an infected person, there is a possibility of you getting infected by ringworm. Let us know about some ringworm treatment (over the counter).

Over the Counter Treatment for Ringworm
There are many over the counter ringworm treatments that you can use to cure this skin infection. Anti-fungal products are perfect in this case as ringworm is primarily a fungal infection.

Miconazole
Miconazole is an anti-fungal agent with antibacterial properties which helps in controlling the growth of the fungi. When applied twice a day, it helps relieve scaling, itching and irritation caused due to ringworm and other fungal infections. It has minimal side effects like a mild burning sensation.

Ketoconazole
Ketoconazole is a very common ringworm treatment (over the counter) which is available in the form of gel or foam-based cream. It is a very effective anti-dandruff shampoo and treatment for scalp ringworm. It controls scaling, itching and flaking of the scalp caused due to dandruff. Ketoconazole helps slow down the growth of the fungi which causes the infection, when applied over the affected skin, twice a day for 3-5 weeks.

Clotrimazole
Clotrimazole is a commonly used ringworm treatment (over the counter). It is an anti-fungal medication. Applying it over the skin, twice a day, should provide relief from ringworm. It might lead to some minor side effects like redness or a burning sensation.

Mycelex
One of the highly effective over the counter ringworm treatments is Mycelex. Mycelex contains Butoconazole nitrate, which works actively in killing the fungus.

Terbinafine
Terbinafine is a anti-fungal medicine commonly used to treat fungal infections, like ringworm. This over the counter ringworm treatment is available in the form of tablets or topical ointments. It works by weakening the cell membrane which holds the fungal cells. You need to apply the topical terbinafine twice a day, for 2-4 weeks, to treat ringworm. Oral dosage might cause side effects like diarrhea, abdominal pain and the topical ointment might cause itching.

Tolnaftate
Tolnaftate is an effective topical cream which cures lesions covered with hardened crust caused due to ringworm. After removing the crust using tolnaftate, the anti-fungal agents are more effective on this area. Tolnaftate and terbinafine are effective over the counter ringworm treatments which can be used in combination for treating ringworm.

In case the skin infection is not a ringworm infection and you use any of the aforementioned anti-fungal medications, they generally don't have any ill-effects. If you don't see any improvement in the skin infection after using an over the counter ringworm treatment for about 2 weeks, you must consult a dermatologist. While using any topical ringworm treatment available over the counter, you must clean the infected area before applying it. Also, regularly keeping the skin clean and dry is necessary. Remember, ringworm is a contagious skin disease. Hence, make sure that the infected area doesn't come in contact with anyone, as this might spread the infection to others.