Tips and tricks on how to get rid of ringworm fast. These natural treatments include diet modifications, climate considerations and other lifestyle factors.
Got ringworm? Want to know how to get rid of it fast? The good news is you didn’t catch it from worms. Let’s get that out of the way first.
Now that we know ringworm isn’t caused by worms, let’s find out how to treat and prevent this fungal infection…
The bad news is ringworm is a highly contagious skin rash. Furthermore, it can be downright difficult to get rid of. The fungi responsible for ringworm causes jock itch. And athlete’s foot. These two common skin rashes are types of ringworm.
You can get ringworm on several parts of your body. This happens when there’s an overgrowth of fungus on your skin’s surface. And pesky ringworm can be especially problematic if the fungus is on your toenails. Other areas of the body that might be challenging to get rid of ringworm include the head and fingernails.
If you want to know how get rid of ringworm, there are natural methods. Some of these methods are below. But do you want to get rid of ringworm fast? Then you might want to use a topical medication.
However, even if you want to get rid of ringworm fast, it’s best to learn how to prevent ringworm in the first place.
How to prevent ringworm
There are two main lifestyle contributors to ringworm. The first is climate. The fungus that causes ringworm thrives in hot, moist conditions. Do you go on vacation to tropical climates? You know how it’s always muggy? Your towel and bathing suit never completely dry. It’s this type of hot and damp air that gives rise to a fungal overgrowth.
However, even if you live in a climate that’s not tropical, you can still be vulnerable to ringworm. This is especially true if you belong to a gym or a pool. Locker rooms are fungus breeding grounds. You shouldn’t cancel your gym or pool membership but there are simple things you can do to avoid ringworm (tinea).
First, don’t share towels with anybody. Second, wear flip flops and spray them periodically with anti-fungal spray. Third, try to shower immediately after sweating (with a dry towel).
Certain physical activities that have become popular may also cause ringworm. For example, jiu jitsu, CrossFit, wrestling, and spinning involve contact or close contact with other sweaty people. Remember, ringworm is contagious.
If you’re looking to get rid of ringworm wash and dry yourself immediately after exercising. And when you’re on vacation at the beach, try not to walk around in wet bathing suits for very long. Always have some talcum powder on hand. (If you’re female be careful not to use talcum close to the genitals. There’s a possible link of talcum and ovarian cancer.)
How to get rid of ringworm: diet modification
The second main lifestyle contributor to ringworm is diet. Fungus feeds on sugar. Eating a diet high in sugar makes you more susceptible to ringworm outbreaks. Some people may have the fungus responsible for ringworm on their skin. But they show no signs of ringworm. Indeed, ringworm can be asymptomatic.
However, if you eat and drink things with lots of sugar, there’s more chance the ringworm will be visible. Following a diet low in sugar can help.
Fungus on your body is like the unwanted house guest. You know, someone who crashes on your couch without lifting a muscle to help.
In other words, a parasite.
And the more you let a parasite freeload, the more they want to leech off of you. Fungi is like that. It keeps craving sugar. And if you eat more sugar, the fungi colony grows and grows only wanting more and more.
Eventually, your skin can’t contain the fungus. The overgrowth manifests as ringworm skin rash.
Heavily-processed grains might not seem as dangerous as, say, a can of soda. But grains, especially wheat, quickly converts into sugar.
Prone to outbreaks of ringworm? You might want to take it easy on the alcohol, too. Alcohol can feed the sugar cravings of fungi.
If you’re wondering about dairy, try to limit it. Dairy also has sugar (lactose). Again, a cup of milk might not seem as bad as a can of soda but parasites like fungus don’t care what form of sugar they’re feeding off of.
However, if you can’t live without dairy, make sure it’s grass-fed and organic. Better yet, the best option for dairy is raw. That’s because of the beneficial bacteria. Good bacteria can help keep fungal growth in check.
What does ringworm look like?
Too late to prevent ringworm? Already have it? If so, you may notice a red, ring-like irritation on your skin. The affected area of your skin may appear bumpy with raised outer edges.
There are at least a few dozen different species of fungus that cause ringworm. Depending on the part of the body where the ringworm is, the infection has a different clinical name. All the different ringworm infections begin with ‘tinea.’
There’s tinea cruris. That’s better known as jock itch. There’s tinea pedis, also known as athlete’s foot. In addition, tinea capitis is for the scalp, -unguium for the nails, -manuum for the hands. Finally, there’s -barbae for the beard/facial area.
No matter where ringworm resides, the rash usually begins to appear as spots. These spots can either be flat or appear elevated. At first, the skin is most often dry. Ringworm can be bothersome because of the itchiness factor.
Ringworm rashes usually grow in size if left untreated. The signature ring shape of the rash occurs after the initial outbreak.
Do your best not to scratch the rash. Breaking open the skin can cause an infection.
And if you have cuts or open sores, make sure you keep them clean.
How to get rid of ringworm fast
If you want to get rid of ringworm fast, there are several antifungal topical medications. The brand, Lotrimin, is perhaps the most well known.
However, topical medications don’t always work. If your skin rash doesn’t clear, a dermatologist might prescribe an antifungal medicine you swallow instead of applying to your skin.
How to get rid of ringworm naturally
If you didn’t read the above section on preventing ringworm through diet, here’s the gist of it….
Eliminate all types of sugar or foods that convert into sugar. That means no dairy, wheat, grains, alcohol and high-sugar fruits like ripe bananas.
This is one way to get rid of ringworm naturally. If you starve the fungus of its preferred food source, you may not even need to take any medicine.
Furthermore, there are several all-natural solutions for treating ringworm. These include:
- Tea tree oil
- Grapefruit seed extract
- Apple cider vinegar
- Colloidal silver
- Oregano oil
- Garlic
This natural healing website recommends crushing garlic to make a healing paste. You can add a little olive oil to get a good consistency.
Cover the affected area in a thin layer of paste. After applying you can leave the garlic paste on for up to a couple hours. You can do this a few times a day.
How to get rid of ringworm on face
Ringworms are completely on the surface of your skin. Sometimes, they can appear on your face.
One natural way you can treat ringworm on the face is by using honey. Honey contains antifungal compounds. One of these compounds is hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide is a natural antibacterial. Although ringworm is a fungus, if you have an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, it can give rise to a fungal overgrowth as well.
To use honey for ringworm on the face, you’ll need a cleansing pad. Add some honey to it. You can leave it on for a couple hours and then wash off the affected area. Make sure you dry the area well. In addition, make sure you wash towels after drying ringworm skin rashes.
How to get rid of ringworm on arm
It really doesn’t matter where ringworm is on your body. If you want to get rid of ringworm fast, there’s a few things to keep in mind. Regardless of if ringworm is on your arm, thighs, etc.
First, you’ll want to clean the ringworm rash a few times a day. You can time it around breakfast, lunch and dinner so you don’t forget. Second, dab a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol. Apply to the skin rash. However, do not towel dry the skin rash. Instead, let it air out. Only then should you apply the anti-fungal cream.
Many people make the mistake of applying a bandage over the rash. On the contrary, you shouldn’t do that. Moisture will get trapped in the bandage, only making the problem worse. Wear loose clothing over the rash.
How to get rid of ringworm: conclusion
If you have good hygiene, avoid warm, damp environments and eat a low-glycemic diet, you improve your chances of both preventing and eliminating ringworm. Moreover, the best ringworm outbreak prevention is starving the fungus. In order to do eliminate sugar. The reason: fungus is yeast. And yeast feeds on sugar.
