Ringworm (tinea): symptoms, treatment, and why steroid creams make it worse
What ringworm is, why steroid-mixed creams make it stubborn, how tinea is diagnosed and treated, and how to stop it coming back.
Also known as: Jock Itch; Ringworm
What tinea infections are
Tinea infections are skin, hair and nail infections caused by fungi called dermatophytes. Ringworm is the common name, but no worm is involved — the name comes from the ring-shaped rash. Tinea is named by where it occurs: tinea corporis on the body, tinea cruris (jock itch) in the groin, tinea pedis (athlete's foot) on the feet, tinea capitis on the scalp, tinea faciei on the face and tinea unguium in the nails.
These fungi thrive in warm, humid conditions and spread by direct skin contact, shared towels, clothes, combs and bedding, and sometimes from pets. In India, dermatologists have reported a sharp rise in widespread, chronic and recurrent ringworm in recent years, with infections that are harder to treat than before. Misuse of creams that mix a steroid with an antifungal is considered an important reason.
Symptoms
- An itchy ring-shaped rash with a raised, scaly edge and clearer centre, which slowly spreads outwards
- Patches that join up into large areas on the waist, buttocks, thighs or under the breasts
- A groin rash spreading onto the inner thighs, often intensely itchy
- Cracked skin between the toes, with itching, peeling or a bad smell
- Scaly patches with broken hairs or bald areas on the scalp, mostly in children
- Thick discoloured nails that crumble
When steroid creams have been applied, the rash may look less red and scaly for a time but spreads wider, loses its typical ring shape, and keeps coming back. This makes diagnosis harder.
Causes and who is at risk
- Hot, humid weather and heavy sweating
- Tight synthetic clothing, tight innerwear and wearing damp clothes
- Sharing towels, clothes, bedding or combs; living in crowded conditions
- Family members or room-mates with ringworm
- Obesity, diabetes and a weakened immune system
- Using steroid or steroid-mixed creams on the rash
- Stopping treatment as soon as the itch improves
How it is diagnosed
A doctor can often recognise tinea from its appearance. A KOH test, in which scrapings of skin, nail or hair are examined under a microscope after treating them with potassium hydroxide, confirms the presence of fungus in minutes. A fungal culture grows the fungus in a laboratory to identify the type; it takes longer but is useful for stubborn, nail or scalp infections. A Wood's lamp can help with some scalp infections.
Several conditions can look like ringworm, including eczema, psoriasis and some rarer rashes, so testing is worthwhile when the diagnosis is unclear or treatment has not worked.
Which doctor to see
A general physician can treat a small, simple patch. See a dermatologist if ringworm is widespread, keeps coming back, involves the scalp, face or nails, has been treated with steroid creams, or has not cleared after a full course of treatment.
You can find dermatologists in Bengaluru or general physicians in Bengaluru on The Doctor Index, each with a registration you can check.
Treatment
Antifungal creams
Antifungal creams such as clotrimazole, miconazole, terbinafine, luliconazole or amorolfine are used for limited skin infections. Apply them to the rash and a margin of normal-looking skin around it. Continue for the full period your doctor advises — usually for some time after the skin looks clear — because stopping early is a common reason for relapse.
Oral antifungals
Oral antifungals, such as terbinafine, itraconazole or griseofulvin, are needed for widespread or long-standing infections and for scalp and nail infections, which creams cannot reach. Courses can be long, especially for nails. Some medicines need liver tests and can interact with other medicines, so take them only on prescription. Resistance to some antifungals has been reported in India, which is one more reason to complete treatment under supervision.
Keeping skin dry
Keeping skin dry is part of treatment. Dry skin folds thoroughly after bathing, wear loose cotton clothes and change innerwear and socks daily. Antifungal powders can help in skin folds and shoes.
Preventing it coming back
- Do not share towels, clothes, combs or bedding
- Wash clothes, towels and bedsheets regularly, and dry them in sunlight if possible; ironing may help
- Treat everyone in the family who has symptoms at the same time
- Wear slippers in shared bathrooms, and keep feet dry
- Take pets with patchy hair loss to a vet
- Keep blood sugar controlled if you have diabetes
When it is urgent
Ringworm is not usually an emergency. See a doctor promptly for a painful, swollen, pus-filled patch, a boggy swelling on a child's scalp, or redness that spreads quickly with fever, which may mean a bacterial infection. Call 112 or 108 for swelling of the face or difficulty breathing after taking a medicine, or if someone is very unwell with a spreading rash and high fever. If you develop yellowing of the eyes, dark urine or severe tiredness on oral antifungals, stop and see a doctor the same day.
Questions to ask at your appointment
- Is this definitely a fungal infection?
- Do I need a skin scraping or culture?
- Which cream or tablet should I use, and for how long?
- Does anyone else at home need treatment?
- Do I need blood tests while on tablets?
- What can I do to stop it coming back?
Common questions
Questions people ask
- Why does my ringworm keep coming back?
- Common reasons are using steroid-containing creams, stopping treatment as soon as the itch improves, untreated family members, damp or shared clothing, and resistant fungi. A dermatologist can confirm the diagnosis, choose the right medicine and advise on household measures.
- Can I use a cream from the chemist for ringworm?
- A plain antifungal cream may clear a small patch. Avoid mixed creams that contain a steroid, which make ringworm worse and harder to treat. If the rash is large, on the face, scalp or groin, or does not clear, see a doctor.
- Is ringworm contagious?
- Yes. It spreads through direct skin contact and shared towels, clothes, combs and bedding, and sometimes from animals. Treating everyone affected, washing fabrics and not sharing personal items helps prevent spread within families and hostels.
- Why do I need tablets if creams helped before?
- Widespread, long-standing, scalp and nail infections need tablets because creams cannot reach deep enough or cover large areas. Your doctor will choose a tablet and course length based on the site, extent and your other medicines.
This condition is usually assessed by a dermatologist. Every profile shows the doctor’s registration and what has been checked.
Dermatologists in Bangalore
A few dermatologists listed on The Doctor Index. They are shown because of their speciality, not a stated interest in Tinea Infections; ask the clinic whether the doctor sees it.
Related conditions
Practical reading
All postsSources
- MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine — Tinea Infections
- Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology — The unprecedented epidemic-like scenario of dermatophytosis in India: I. Epidemiology, risk factors and clinical features
- PMC — Emerging antifungal resistance in dermatophytosis: a clinicomycological study from North India
- MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine — Tinea Infections — Public-domain health-topic summary
- Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium — terminology definitions — HPO licence; definitions reproduced without alteration
Ringworm (tinea): symptoms, treatment, and why steroid creams make it worse is original text by The Doctor Index; the compiled source draft was used for research. Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999; July 2026 data, CC BY 4.0. This product uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (hp/releases/2026-09-01). Only sources listed for this article apply. Source material has been selected and arranged; HPO definitions are reproduced without alteration. No source organisation endorses this compilation. Köhler S et al. The Human Phenotype Ontology project: linking molecular biology and disease through phenotype data. Nucleic Acids Research 2014;42(D1):D966–D974. doi:10.1093/nar/gkt1026.
General information, not advice about your situation. Errors can be reported through the corrections process. Reference TDI-C-2330.