Ringworm of the head or tinea capitis is a skin infection caused by fungi (mycosis) that is contagious and can affect people of all ages, although it is more common in children. It can be transmitted from one person to another by direct skin-to-skin contact or with contaminated objects (combs, brushes, clothing…), and also from an infected animal (cats, dogs, horses, goats…) to a human.
Experts from the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) have warned in a press release that there is an outbreak of ringworm in Spain that has been detected in hairdressers throughout the country, and that it would be associated with a fashionable haircut characterized by degraded and shaved. As explained by the AEDV, since 2021 there has been an increase in cases of ringworm on the scalp of adolescents who cut their hair in this way. To show off this type of cut, it is necessary to go to the hairdresser once a week to degrade or shave the hair in the occipital and temporal areas, which may have favored the spread of ringworm through infected electric razors.
The detection of this outbreak of fungal scalp infections and the concern it has generated among dermatologists has been the origin of the study ‘Outbreak of dermatophytosis in the head and neck region associated with shaving in hairdressers: a multicenter descriptive study of a series of cases’, in which they have analyzed 107 cases collected by Spanish dermatologists, and which shows that the fungus that has generated the infection is Trychophyton tonsurans.
The main symptoms of ringworm are “itching and scaling of the area, with hair loss and, sometimes, inflammation, suppuration, pain or fever”
“The lesions appeared predominantly on the nape of the neck and the temporal area, which are the areas where shaving or degradation is most hastened,” said Dr. Leonardo Bascón, dermatologist at the Dermatology Service of the General Hospital of Granollers and lead author of the study. , which indicates that in some cases the lesions may be scaly, while in others they may appear with inflammation –reddish areas– and suppuration. The expert adds that “it is likely that the contaminated shaving material is being shared among the different clients of some hairdressers who are not taking into account the rules for disinfection of the material.”
What is ringworm and what are its symptoms?
The AEDV dermatologists explain that tinea capitis is highly contagious and “mainly affects children from six months to 12 years of age, with a slight predominance in males.” Depending on the mode of transmission of the fungus that causes the infection, they add, there are “three types of dermatophytes: anthropophilic, which generally cause non-inflammatory clinical forms; zoophiles, which usually cause inflammatory forms; and geophilic, causing moderate inflammation”.
Regarding the symptoms of ringworm, “itching and flaking of the area, with hair loss and, sometimes, inflammation, suppuration, pain or fever” stand out.
The authors of the study have stressed that it is essential “to identify affected patients to limit contagion, which is produced by contact with the spores of the fungus with the scalp and hair follicles of the patient.” Dr. José Ignacio Galván, one of the co-authors of the study, recalled that skin manifestations such as flaking, loss or hair loss, itching and pain, inflammation of the area, reddish areas… can lead to suspicion of ringworm, and that its Diagnosis can be confirmed by fungal culture.
“After a correct diagnosis, there is a specific treatment that allows healing”, affirms this dermatologist who adds: “The earlier the diagnosis, the more favorable and lower the risk of sequelae the patient will have”. Although treatment depends on the location of the lesions,
How is ringworm treated?
The treatment of ringworm depends on its location, but it is always necessary to apply antifungal or antifungal drugs to the affected area (topical) or take them orally. Corticosteroids can be used to relieve itching and inflammation.
The ideal, however, is to prevent its appearance, and for this you have to take measures such as washing your scalp regularly, especially after getting a haircut; keeping skin clean and dry and washing hands after petting or playing with pets, avoiding contact with infected animals, and not sharing personal items (clothing, towels, hairbrushes, or sports equipment).
Source: Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV
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