eczema vs. ringworm - 1 dry patch

My 11 year old daughter has 1 dry patch of skin on her forearm.  My husband thought it was ringworm so we have been treating it with Tinactin.  It is very white and dry.  It is about the size of a quarter and seemed to get flatter but not gone.  How long will it take to go away?  Is it ring worm?  Do you think I need to be washing everything she is in contact with?  She does not share her clothes.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm anything without examination but it can be ringworm, pityriasis rosea or nummular dermatitis. All three present with round rashes on the body which itch and burn. Pityriasis rosea is a common human skin disease which presents as numerous patches of pink or red oval rash. The rash may be accompanied by low-grade headache, fever, nausea and fatigue and sometimes by itching. Eczema is a form of chronic dermatitis (rash).Allergic reaction is one of the important causes of eczema. Ringowrm is a fungal infection which may present with intense itching.

Treatment is different for all and so a confirmatory diagnosis has to be made first for which I would suggest you to consult a dermatologist. Hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how your daughter is doing. Kind regards