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Ringworm, athlete’s foot and jock itch: the rash, treating it, and keeping it from spreading
For anyone with an itchy ring-shaped rash, itchy peeling skin between the toes, an itchy rash in the groin, a scaly bald spot on a child’s head, or a nail that turned thick and discolored. Ringworm is a fungus, not a worm; it is common, it spreads easily, and anyone can get it. This page passes on, by name, what CDC’s ringworm pages say and what the MedlinePlus summary on tinea infections says (from the National Library of Medicine): what it looks like on each part of the body, the cream not to use, how it is treated and for how long, when to see a provider, and how to keep it from spreading at home, in shared showers, with pets and at school. It builds the words to say to a pharmacist, a doctor, a school or shelter staff, and prints a treatment record to keep.
A word with a dotted line under it, like this, opens its official definition, quoted from a U.S. government glossary.
Right now
- Don’t put a steroid cream on a rash that could be ringworm. CDC says many anti-itch and rash creams sold without a prescription contain steroids (corticosteroids), and they can make ringworm worse. Read the label.
- Skin, feet or groin: usually treated with a non-prescription antifungal cream, ointment, lotion or powder for 2 to 4 weeks. Keep using it for as long as directed, even when it starts to look better (CDC).
- On the scalp, or in a nail? See a provider: CDC says creams don’t work on the scalp, and nails change for many reasons, so test first.
- Spreading, very bad, or not gone after treatment? Contact a doctor, and say where you have traveled: CDC says a harder-to-treat kind has been spreading in other parts of the world.
- Any emergency: call 911. That line is ours: MedlinePlus says these infections are usually not serious.
More help
- Another rash or itch: A rash, an itch, or something going around at home: find the right page · Scabies · Head lice · Bed bugs.
- No insurance: When you need a doctor and can’t pay. Diabetes: our diabetes page.
- A place to stay, and a shower: A place to stay.
- All our free tools.
A rash or an itch, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for a rash, an itch or something going around at home, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 14, 2026 on government pages: CDC’s ringworm pages on cdc.gov, Ringworm Basics (reviewed January 6, 2026), Symptoms of Ringworm, Ringworm Causes, Ringworm Prevention and Treatment of Ringworm (each reviewed February 9, 2026); and the summary of the MedlinePlus health topic Tinea Infections, from the National Library of Medicine. The 911 line is ours: no source page gives one. Medicines: CDC’s treatment page names medicines and brands; this page names none and gives no amount. What we left out: medicine and brand names, home remedies, and CDC’s pages for clinicians. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.