Despite what you may think or what you have heard, ringworm is not caused by a worm, or by contact with a worm or any other insect. In fact, ringworm is a very common fungal infection of the skin. It is contagious, so if you come in close contact with someone else that has this skin condition, you could also be at risk of getting it as well. Here is a closer look at ringworm.

Ringworm sounds a lot worse than is really is—if you have never had it before, you may think that you get ringworm by poor personal hygiene or by coming in contact with worms. Many people mistakenly think this. It was actually believed many years ago that a worm caused ringworm, but this has proven false. Instead, ringworm is caused by a fungal infection on the surface of the skin. People can experience different types of cases—some very severe and some may have only a few spots here and there. The severity of your condition will dictate the type of treatment you will need.

In addition, while it is fairly easy to treat ringworm, you will probably need to treat it by seeing your doctor. If you have round, itchy patches on your skin, then it is probably ringworm. When you make an appointment with your doctor, he or she will examine the spots on your skin and will probably scrape samples for examination. Looking at the skin under a microscope can tell your doctor that it is, in fact, ringworm. There are different types of cases of ringworm. For example, the medical term for ringworm is “tinea” and if you are diagnosed with Tinea corporis, then you have body ringworm. Tinea pedis will refer to ringworm on the feet. Each case will require a different type of treatment.