A close relative of athlete's foot and jock itch, ringworm, also known as tinea corporis, can affect any age group, gender or race. MayoClinic.com explains that ringworm is most common in school-aged children and toddlers. When ringworm affects the scalp, it can cause the hair in the affected area to fall out. Left untreated, scalp-related ringworm could lead to permanent hair loss.
Identification
Highly contagious, symptoms appear soon after exposure to the microscopic ringworm fungus, which infects the hair follicles. Cigna explains that scalp ringworm may first appear as dandruff. As the infection progresses, tiny red blisters develop in circular patterns. The blisters are usually red, scaly, inflamed and may be quite painful. A physician is the best person to perform a diagnosis of ringworm with the use of a skin scraping and microscope.
The Facts
The scaly, circular patches that develop on the scalp as a result of ringworm not only affect the follicle, but also affect the hair itself. In fact, the inflammation and infection often leads to hair breakage at the skin line. Ohio Health Online explains that this hair breakage appears as little black dots in the center of each blister. Over time, the circular patches of blisters grow larger without treatment, involving more and more hair follicles.
Warnings
While there are self-care medications available in pharmacies to treat ringworm, these are only successful if the case of ringworm is mild. Severe cases of ringworm require medical attention and the use of oral anti-fungal medications, according to University of Maryland Medical Center. With successful treatments, scalp ringworm often resolves within four weeks. Severe cases often take longer to heal and involve extreme itching and inflammation. Scratching the scalp to relieve the itch can cause the broken hairs not to grow back.
Significance
Ringworm blisters that become progressively worse or fail to respond to the first round of medication may be subject to bacterial infection. In addition to traditional anti-fungal therapy, antibiotics may also be necessary. Scratching the scalp usually leads to breaking of the blisters, which leaves them open to bacteria introduction and the formation of painful lesions known as kerions. According to Merck, this scenario may cause permanent scarring, oozing and covering the opening to the hair follicles involved. The smothering of the hair follicles makes it impossible for new hair to grow, resulting in permanent hair loss in the affected area.
Solution
In some cases, a physician can treat a kerions before it changes to a scar. Unfortunately, treatment is not always successful and may even complicate the fungal infection, increasing the amount of hair follicles involved. In addition to anti-fungal medications, oral corticosteroids can help combat the scalp ringworm and heal the kerions without unsightly scarring, according to Keratin.com. If scarring keeps to a minimum, each broken hair strand may be capable of growing back. In areas where scarring is eminent, there is no chance of natural hair growth returning.
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