Ringworm, unlike what its name suggests, is not a worm, but a fungal infection. It can occur anywhere on the body and even on the scalp, beard and head region. The fungal infection develops a raised, red and extremely itchy rash that appears to move outwards and spread. The patch keeps on enlarging and looks inflamed though the inner, circular portion might appear clear. In this guide, we will answer the questions:
- Can you get ringworm in and around your mouth?
- How can you get rid of ringworm on the tongue quickly?
Can ringworm occur inside the mouth and on the tongue?
You cannot get ringworm deep inside the mouth or on the tongue since both these regions are lined with mucous membrane. Ringworm can, however, easily occur around the mouth, on the skin near the lips , on the lips and pretty much all other body parts having the skin’s topmost dead layer. Ringworm, as stated above, is caused by a fungus. The fungus needs the dead skin layer for feeding upon. It also requires moisture to thrive and grow. That should answer the question: ‘how to get rid of ringworm on tongue?’ What you may be thinking is ringworm on the tongue may be some other infection or oral issue. Sometimes, canker sores or mouth ulcers could also be mistaken for ringworm on the tongue.
How can you get ringworm around the mouth?
Ringworm is a contagious skin condition. It can occur around the mouth due to the following circumstances:
- Direct contact with contaminated surfaces. The tiny fungal spores might accidentally fall on the surfaces with which you come in contact.
- Direct contact with infected person or animal. If your partner has ringworm anywhere on the body, then chances of you developing the infection on the lips or around the mouth may increase.
- Ringworm might also occur around the mouth by spreading directly from your other infected body parts. This means that the infection can spread from your arms, legs, hair, head, torso, beard etc and affect the healthy skin around the mouth.
- Habits like scratching or touching your mouth constantly or licking the skin around the lips etc could all lead to ringworm around the mouth.
- Pre-existing skin abrasion through excessive use of tissues or nails can also result in ringworm around mouth.
Many skin infections are very similar to ringworm. Therefore, accurate diagnosis is a must before understanding and evaluating ringworm treatment options.
Your dermatologist will take a swab or culture of the skin and send it to the lab for testing. Under high magnification, the doctor can accurately tell if your skin infection is indeed fungal in nature.
Note that there may be more than one ringworm-patch present on your body and not all of them will be around the mouth. In general, for the purpose of self diagnosis, following symptoms may be noted:
- Raised, dry scaly rash
- The border of the rash will be circular, reddish or pinkish in color
- The rash will be extremely itchy.
If topical antifungal skin creams fail to give you relief, or if the rash is oozing or painful, seek prompt medical attention to prevent potential problems.
What does ringworm look like on a human?
Here are some pictures showing ringworm on lips and around the mouth on humans:
Ringworm on lips: treatment and prevention
Here are some steps for treating and preventing ringworm around mouth and lips:
- Keep your skin dry as far as possible.
- Use mild, non-alcoholic cleansers for cleaning the face. You can use antifungal soaps as well.
- Apply some tea tree oil on the infection. Dilute the oil with some carrier oil such as sweet almond oil etc before using it directly on the rash.
- Avoid kissing others when you have ringworm on the lip.
- Wash your hands immediately if you happen to touch the infection.
- Avoid sharing food and drinks with others as well as personal items like towels, lipsticks, lip balms etc.
- For mild cases of ringworm around the mouth and lip region, apply some over-the-counter antifungal cream containing clotrimazole. Wash the infected region with warm water and mild soap first. Next, dry the skin completely with a towel and apply a thin layer of the topical antifungal medicine. Avoid drinking or eating anything for at least 1 hour. Repeat application after every 3 hours.
- Consider prescription medicine (containing terbinafine or miconazole) if the lip ringworm does not improve in two weeks. You could also take oral/systemic anti fungal medicines containing Fluconazole or Griseofulvin etc to treat ringworm on the lip and around the mouth, but these medicines are actually better for treating ringworm on other parts of the body like scalp, nails etc.
The instructions for using antifungal medicines vary from drug to drug. It is important that you follow the advice given by your doctor. Most ringworm on lip treatment options will show good results in 4-6 weeks. As stated before, what you might think is ringworm on tongue may be some other kind of infection; so, do find out what you are dealing with first before using any antifungal medicine for it.