Herpes zoster and lichen: is it possible to wash and wet the face and body with such an infection? Children's lichen: symptoms, transmission mechanism, incubation period

Stefania is a cat lover. She will never pass by a kitten - she will caress, stroke, feed. Stefania's mother has nothing against it, as she considers her daughter's behavior to be an indicator of kindness and a good, gentle character. Everything changed after bald spots appeared in Stephie’s lush hair, which turned out to be ringworm, “given” to the girl by one of the stray kittens.

The disease that we call ringworm in everyday life is known to doctors under two names: “trichopytosis” and “microsporia”. It is caused by fungi, which means it is very difficult to treat. It’s not for nothing that mushrooms are the most common living creatures on the planet and many species have come to us since the pre-dinosaur period.

Mushrooms are the most “tenacious” organisms. They feel comfortable in cold and warm, damp and drought, and reproduce by spores. An adult fungus sprays them in crazy quantities - several million!

Find out how to properly boost the immunity of a 1-3 year old child by downloading our checklist!

How can a child become infected with ringworm?

Children become infected from each other, but more often through contact with dogs and cats, and not only stray ones, but also domestic ones, those that have free access to the street.

Of course, if a mother sees a bald spot on an animal’s fur, she will never let her child near it. However, in the initial stage, when the lichen has just established itself on the skin or hair, it cannot be noticed even upon close examination. But you can already become infected.

The skin and delicate vellus hair of a child are especially attractive to fungi, and if the baby has a microscratch or his immunity is reduced by some kind of infection, then, in fact, the slightest contact and trichophytosis will settle for a long time.

Treatment

There is no cure for pilaris, but certain medications and home remedies may help. If the latter do not give any result, the doctor will recommend the following:

Lotions with lactic acid to reduce hardness and soften scales
Lotions with alpha hydroxy acid or glycolic acid to reduce the rate of keratinization and skin retention of moisture
Creams with urea to moisturize and soften the skin, as well as get rid of dead cells
Lotions with salicylic acid to soften skin and relieve itching
Topical corticosteroids to relieve itching
Topical retinoids such as tretinoin, adapalene and tazarotene to promote cellular turnover and prevent follicle clogging

It is impossible to prevent the development of tinea pilaris, but you can minimize the intensity of symptoms by strictly following your doctor's instructions. It may take weeks or even months to see results, so be patient. Also, continue treatment even after the rash disappears. Tinea pilaris often returns after treatment is completed.

To improve your skin condition, use the following recommendations:

Rinse skin thoroughly. Avoid scrubbing the affected area. Use warm (not hot) water and mild soap. Avoid any gels or soaps with a strong smell.
Pat your skin dry (but do not rub) after a shower or bath.
Apply moisturizer 2 times a day. Moisturizers containing urea are especially beneficial as they effectively soften dry, rough skin.
Use devices to humidify indoor air.

What does ringworm do to the skin?

When a fungal spore falls on the skin in favorable conditions, it germinates and penetrates into it, gradually spreading, capturing surrounding areas of the skin. Hair follicles are especially tasty for trichophytosis. Fungi fill their entire space and rise up the follicle, accumulating between the hair scales. It is not possible to rise high, since the hair breaks off close to the surface of the skin under its own weight. And the fungus covers the remaining hair with a white sheath, visible even to the naked eye.

Cat scratch disease

Symptoms

With lichen pilaris, the skin may look as if “goosebumps” have run through the body. Most often, the color of the rash matches the color of the skin, differing only in slight redness and inflammation. The areas with the rash may be itchy, but are not painful. With pilaris on the face, the rash resembles acne in appearance, and the person looks flushed. Facial skin may become cracked and dry.

Affected areas of the skin may become darker (hyperpigmentation) or lighter (hypopigmentation) than the rest of the skin. This often occurs when scratching or picking at the rash, but usually goes away with treatment.

How does the disease manifest in a child?

About a week after contact with an infectious animal or person (sometimes even two months later!) the mother notices round spots on the child’s skin, as if sprinkled with flour. Interestingly, the edges of these spots are more brightly colored and raised, resembling a roller. When viewed from a distance, it appears that a lighter spot is inscribed within a darker one. If the spot is on the scalp, then all the hair above it is broken short, as if neatly cut.

Ringworm spots can be round or oval, ranging in size from half a centimeter in diameter to three, less often - larger. Favorite locations are the face, neck, shoulders, forearms and head.

If the child is strong, then ringworm spots do not bother him at all. If you are often ill, with a weakened immune system, then the spots can itch and even fester.

Watch the course of an immunologist “Immunologist: all the most important things about a child’s health” (free in ViLine.Club)

He's lichenful!

Summer has arrived, half-naked kids are happily playing in sandboxes and chasing street kittens. As they say, “every little dirt contains vitamins.” And also ringworm spores. What kind of “beast” is this? How can you get infected with it? How to treat lichen in a child? Littlevan sought answers to these and other questions together with experts.

One name, two diseases

Ringworm is a fungal skin disease. More precisely, two, united by a common term. These are microsporia and trichophytosis. They have common symptoms. However, the cause is various pathogenic fungi. In addition, both people and animals suffer from microsporia, and the first symptoms appear within a week after infection. Trichophytosis occurs only in humans, and the incubation period lasts from 4 to 6 weeks. So, when trying to find out where your child got shingles, don’t rush to blame the neighbor’s cat - perhaps you shouldn’t have sat on a bench at the water park a month ago.

Not just a speck

What does lichen look like in children? With it, round or oval inflammatory spots appear on the body. They are covered with scales and crusts. It also happens that there is only one spot. When washing, you should not rub it with a washcloth or sponge, so as not to spread the infection throughout the body. However, if there are several of them, then it’s also not worth it. If the source of inflammation is on the head, a bald spot appears in this place. Moreover, the hair does not fall out, but breaks off 4-8 millimeters from the skin, as if someone had cut it. This is where the name of the disease comes from.

Most often, the spots are simply itchy. But, if the lichen is not treated or if the child’s immune system is weakened, complications are possible:

elevated temperature;
enlarged lymph nodes;
suppuration in foci of infection.

If the disease is left untreated for a long time or treated incorrectly, the fungus can penetrate deep into the skin and destroy the hair follicles, then bald spots will remain for life.

How is it diagnosed?

At the slightest suspicion, you should consult a doctor, and not frantically type into an Internet search engine: “deprive a child of photo signs of treatment.” Diagnosis is carried out by a dermatologist. Only he can accurately determine whether it is ringworm or not (not every similar spot is like that and vice versa) and prescribe the correct treatment.

To begin with, the doctor will illuminate the suspicious spots with a special Wood's lamp, in the rays of which the areas affected by the fungus will clearly turn green. However, to 100% confirm the diagnosis, a scraping of the affected skin is taken for analysis.

How to treat lichen in a child?

Depending on the severity of the disease, the doctor will either limit himself to local treatment - ointments, alcohol solution of iodine, sulfur preparations - or supplement it with a course of antifungal tablets. If lichen appears on the head, most likely you will have to take them for a long time.

The skin under the hair is the most difficult place to treat, so local medications alone are not enough here, explains Victoria Makarova, a dermatologist at the EMC clinic. During treatment, the child is isolated from contact with other children. You are allowed to return to kindergarten or school after all symptoms disappear and the examination shows the absence of the causative agent three times. The thing is that it is easy to “catch” the fungus, and the main route of infection is contact with a sick person or animal. Moreover, it can also be indirect, for example, through a shared towel or someone else’s slippers. In addition, fungal spores survive travel well in water or soil, so it is very important to wash your child’s hands after the sandbox and take a shower after the pool and sauna.

Don't touch the cat!

Of course, stray animals are the talk of the town. After spending the winter in basements, cute kittens go out in flocks to bask in the sun, and more and more often on the streets you hear: “Don’t touch him, he has lichen!” At the same time, unlike “human” doctors, veterinarians are calmer about the threat from four-legged strays.

In stray animals, lichen is rare. There are no statistics, as you understand. We can only judge by those animals that come to the attention of animal volunteers and doctors. Much more often, stray animals suffer from allergic flea dermatitis and subcutaneous ticks, which is not dangerous for people

If a stray kitten turned out to be so unafraid that it allowed the child to pet it, there is no need to panic about this. According to the veterinarian, it is enough to wash your hands as quickly as possible, at least with water from a bottle or wipe with wet wipes. And for mothers who, taught by bitter experience, always take with them a traveling first aid kit with disinfectant, no animal is afraid.

If your pet is infected, there is no urgent need to hide your child from it. In this situation, Elena Sukhotina advises following the rules of personal hygiene and washing your hands after interacting with the animal, as well as treating the apartment with a steam generator or, for example, the same drug that was prescribed to the cat, but diluted in water in a ratio of 1:50.

Dermatologist at the EMC clinic Victoria Makarova is more categorical: “It is necessary to explain to the child that homeless and street animals should not be touched. This is especially true in the summer when going to the dacha, to the village to visit grandma and to hotels in Mediterranean resorts, especially Turkey and Greece. In addition, infection often occurs from pets. As a rule, these are kittens or other young animals that have recently appeared in the family, often purchased from specialized nurseries. Therefore, it is necessary to pay close attention to the health of your new pet and, if necessary, vaccinate.”

Is it possible to wash yourself if you have ringworm?

Yes, because treating lichen in children can be a long process. But it’s better in the shower, not in the bath, and under no circumstances in the bathhouse. Still water will help fungal spores spread throughout the body, and excess heat is harmful to inflamed skin.

Should I shave my child's head?

Previously, shaving for lichen was mandatory, today many doctors only ask to cut the hair around the affected areas to make it easier to treat. Although from a purely aesthetic point of view it is still unknown what is better - a smooth bald head or several gaping bald spots.

Ringworm under a child's armpit. Just one spot. Maybe just apply iodine on it until it goes away?

Indeed, to cure ringworm at an early stage, treatment with iodine 3-4 times a day for 10 days may be enough. Or maybe not enough. If it is not ringworm, but, for example, pink, then iodine is completely harmful. So it’s better to see a doctor.

Why does a ring appear on the skin?

It's simple: ringworm is a fungus. Only the spore gets on the skin. It sprouts and threads of mycelium stretch out from it in all directions. The fungus itself lives in the upper layer of the skin and feeds on keratin. First, it “eats” keratin reserves near the injection site, then moves on. Without treatment, the diameter of the plaques can reach enormous values.

Human skin, especially a child’s, has the ability to regenerate. As soon as the keratin is restored in the center of the spot, the fungus eats it again - so from the center to the periphery, following the first, a second ring moves, and sometimes a third.

Who is at risk?

Pityriasis pilaris can develop at any age and in any person, but most often it occurs in the first 10 years of life, and women are more susceptible to this disease than men. Ringworm can get worse during pregnancy, after childbirth, or during puberty. Also, with age, it can either completely disappear or reappear.

Many people who experience tinea pilaris have a family history of the disease. In general, it affects about 40% of adults and from 50% to 80% of adolescents.

What are the reasons for the development?

Pityriasis pilaris develops when a protein (keratin) found in dead skin flakes clogs the hair follicle and leads to the formation of a pimple. The important difference is that the cause is not fungi, viruses or bacteria. Tinea pilaris is not contagious. It most often develops during the dry winter months, worsening during the warmer months when humidity rises.

How do you know if your child has ringworm or not?

If you notice spots on your baby’s skin, especially on the head, and even characteristic ones, then immediately go to a dermatologist. The doctor will examine the child’s skin first with a “simple” eye, then under the rays of a Wood’s lamp.

The rays of a Wood's fluorescent lamp cause areas of fungal infection to glow. This is an express diagnostic method.

Then he carefully and completely painlessly scrapes off a few scales from the spot in order to examine them under a microscope and grow them in a nutrient medium. This will accurately determine the type of fungus and its sensitivity to antifungal drugs.

The rash is dangerous and not very: how to identify and what to do?

Symptoms of the disease and diagnostic methods

When the head is affected, bald spots appear - oval-shaped areas where the skin peels and has an unhealthy appearance. Scaly formations resemble dandruff in appearance and are often mistaken for it at the initial stage of the disease. Along the perimeter of the spot there are small bubbles that can open or become covered with yellow crusts.

This type of lichen is usually not accompanied by inflammation, and therefore does not bother a person and does not require specific treatment.

Symptoms of ringworm

When smooth skin is affected, there is a clearly localized spot with bright red or pink edges. This distinguishes superficial ringworm from other types of skin lesions, which can be cured by completely different methods. The spot can form on any part of the body, but usually closer to the head. If left untreated, the spots increase in size. In the center of the lesion, the skin is pale in color compared to the edges.

In the infiltrative-suppurative form of the lesion, large plaques with a bumpy surface occur. Most often, the lesion forms on the head, and the hair follicles are involved in the degenerative process. The plaques are painful to the touch and may ooze pus. With progressive infiltrative-suppurative lichen, fever, general malaise, and enlarged lymph nodes are observed.

The main diagnostic methods are microscopic examination of the epidermis from the lesion and illumination with a special lamp. Analysis of the material makes it possible to accurately identify the lesion, since in some cases lichen strongly resembles ostiofolliculitis, eczema, psoriasis and other dermatological diseases.

How to avoid getting ringworm from your own child?

He does not go to kindergarten or school. But at home all the time. To avoid getting infected from it, you need to:

give him personal items: a comb, a towel, a bag for dirty laundry;
Wash the baby’s underwear and clothes separately, dry them separately and carefully iron them on both sides;
everything that the child comes into contact with must be disinfected;
Disinfect the washbasin and bathtub (shower stall) especially carefully.

Study the course of a dermatologist “Care for children's skin: up to one year, preschoolers and in adolescence” (free in ViLine.Club)

Hygiene for ringworm

Griseofulvin tablets for ringworm should be taken with foods containing fats for the most complete absorption of the drug.

If lichen is localized on the scalp, after hair removal, you should wash it every day with tar or other antifungal soap. You can wash your hair with lotions and shampoos containing selenium sulfide, in a concentration of at least 2.5%. Selenium has the property of destroying fungal spores and helps speed up recovery. However, products with selenium can only be used if there is no suppuration or crusts.

In severe cases of lichen, you should wash your hair with selenium shampoo every day; in mild cases, two to three times a week is enough.

All family members who live in the same area as someone with ringworm can also wash their hair with selenium shampoo to prevent the fungal infection.

In addition, keep all personal items of the patient with ringworm separately - combs, combs, towels, hats, bed linen, etc. Take special care to ensure that potentially infectious items do not fall into the hands of children.

Do not allow other family members to play or be in close contact with someone who has ringworm. Do not scratch the affected areas, even if you really want to - be distracted by doing any tasks that require high concentration. If a child is sick, distract him with games. Unfortunately, nothing can be done at night while you sleep to prevent scratching of the affected area. Therefore, while sleeping, wear protective gloves on your hands so as not to damage the skin with your nails when scratching.

If ringworm is detected in one of the family members, it is best to get tested for everyone living in the same area as the patient.

When treating ringworm on smooth skin, you can, in addition to those prescribed by your doctor, use ointments with miconazole or clotrimazole.

Do not use ointments with hormonal components, as hormones will not speed up treatment. Hormones relieve inflammation, as a result of which, after using ointments containing them, redness on the skin disappears, which people consider a successful recovery and the disappearance of signs of infection. But treatment must be continued, because if you stop it, then after a while the ringworm will recur.

Treatment should be carried out until there is complete absence of fungus in the scraping and complete disappearance of symptoms of infection on the skin. A sign of recovery is the flattening of the rash and the drying out of abscesses, if any. In this case, the skin may become covered with scales and begin to peel off severely.

Complete recovery can be determined as follows: close your eyes and run your finger over the place where the lesion was. If the skin is flat and does not differ from the surrounding tissues to the touch, then we can assume that ringworm has been defeated.

During treatment, a child or adult can go to school and work, unless the attending physician prohibits this. At the same time, it is necessary to carefully observe personal hygiene and not allow colleagues and classmates to touch the lesion. Healthy people should not be allowed to use a comb, clothing, shoes or other personal items of a patient, as they can be a source of infection.

It is recommended to walk in the dark, since the heat emitted by the sun is not recommended if you have a fungal infection.

Clothes should be made of cotton fabric; it is better not to use synthetic fabrics - they create a greenhouse effect, and this in turn contributes to the spread of infection.

Disinfect your apartment and furniture several times a day. Fungal spores can linger in the carpet fibers, so carpets should be removed from the apartment during treatment. If a child plays with a toy, it should be washed immediately after playing.

Perform hygienic treatment of the patient's clothing and linen separately from other things. Change your clothes as often as possible.

It is almost impossible to completely protect yourself, especially for children, from infection with ringworm, but measures should be taken to minimize this risk. The first step is to have your pets checked by a veterinarian. They can be carriers of the disease, even if they look healthy outwardly and there are no signs of infection (bald spots) on the coat.

In the prevention of lichen, it is important to teach the child to wash his hands with soap after any contact with animals. It is imperative to apply disinfection to all personal hygiene items, since fungal spores can exist at their location for a very long time, thereby constantly infecting the patient regardless of treatment.

To prevent your child from becoming infected with ringworm, you need to:

Avoid contact with stray cats and dogs. If this happens, you should immediately wipe the baby’s hands with a damp cloth, and wash them at home with laundry or antibacterial soap twice.
If you have free-ranging cats and dogs in your home, you need to monitor the condition of their fur and skin and, at the slightest suspicion of damage, consult a veterinarian.

Did you know that tea tree oil, Nizoral shampoo and tar soap have antifungal properties sufficient for prevention?

Questions to ask your doctor

Do I really have tinea pilaris?
For what reasons did I develop this disease?
Which treatment option is optimal in my case?
What lotion do you recommend for me?
Do I need to use humidifiers?
Will my condition improve during the summer months?
Can pilaris go away with age?
In what cases should you seek help if your health worsens?
Do I need to make lifestyle changes?
Do I need any prescription medications?

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Symptoms

With microsporia, ring-shaped plaques form on the smooth surface of the skin, the surface of which is swollen and covered with watery blisters. The edges of the plaque are clearly defined, and peeling is observed in the center. Patients also note moderate itching and burning.

When microsporia is localized on the head, the dynamics of development of lichen spots is less noticeable. Patients experience a white scaly coating that covers the affected areas of the head like flour. As the disease progresses, the hair becomes dull and begins to break off, leaving awns no larger than 6-8 mm in size.

Trichophytosis on the smooth surface of the skin develops similarly to microsporia, but when trichophytosis is localized on the head, the hair breaks off much lower - awns of no more than 3 mm remain.

Sometimes the hair breaks off at the level of the skin or falls out completely. In a complicated form of the disease (due to the addition of a secondary infection), pustules form.

You should not count on the fact that you will be able to quickly get rid of the infection; treatment of ringworm is a long process, taking 3-6 weeks. People who self-medicate risk spreading the infection throughout the body, thereby complicating the course of the disease, so consult a doctor at the first signs of illness. After diagnosis, the dermatologist will tell you how to cure lichen as soon as possible without harm to the body.

What to do if you have been in contact with a sick person?

If you know that, for example, your son or daughter has petted an animal that has ringworm, it is worth knowing what to do in this situation.

First, wash your hands using antifungal soap. This could be, for example, laundry soap.
Wash your entire body with the same product. Be careful not to damage the skin, because this makes it easier for fungi to penetrate the skin. This is why do not use a hard washcloth.
You can wash your entire body with a preparation called Citeal diluted with water. This is an effective remedy for fungus.
Wash your hair with a special shampoo that destroys fungi. This could be, for example, Nizoral.
Don't put off these actions. In addition, after 5 days it is better to visit a doctor to make sure that there is no fungus on the body.

READ MORE: Parapertussis in children: symptoms and treatment

By the way, after treatment it is also worth getting checked, washing all the patient’s things, and thoroughly cleaning the room.

It is advisable to isolate the patient from healthy family members, remove all toys and other things, as spores may get on them.

Expert opinion

Anna Avaliani

practicing cosmetologist

If you notice strange rashes on your body, go to the doctor. The fact is that in this case, competent diagnosis is needed. In general, ringworm is not specifically dangerous to human life, but it can lead to some troubles. If you do not start treating it in a timely manner, then you may experience baldness in the affected area in the future, and hair will never grow on it again.

Aisha Baron

plastic surgeon

Treatment of pathology is individual.
Initially, it is worth deciding on the type of lichen, since treatment may differ. If the disease becomes chronic, you will need to use antifungal medications, local remedies, vitamin complexes, and strengthen the immune system. This is all the information you need to know about ringworm. Armed with this knowledge, the patient will be able to timely diagnose this disease in himself or his loved ones and prevent its development.

The treatment will not cause much concern for patients, so it should be started promptly and without delay.

How does infection occur?

Ringworm is considered an infectious disease transmitted by trichophyte and microsporium fungi. In the first case, we are talking about a fungal infection transmitted from person to person through tactile contact. The fungus is tenacious and can remain active for a long time, surviving on human clothing and household items. You can become infected with trichophytosis in a hairdressing or beauty salon, where visitors' hair is manipulated using combs and other common objects. With proper disinfection, infection by fungi is excluded, but it is quite difficult to check the quality of instrument processing.

Symptoms of the disease and diagnostic methods

This type of lichen is usually not accompanied by inflammation, and therefore does not bother a person and does not require specific treatment.

Symptoms of ringworm

Causes

The following factors provoke the development of the disease:

violation of basic hygiene rules;
eating unhealthy high-calorie foods;
environmental problems in the region;
changes in atmospheric pressure;
weak protective functions of the body;
infectious damage to the body;
the presence of other fungal diseases;
excessive dryness of the skin;
lack of vitamin A in the body.

Kinds

The following types of lichen may appear on a child’s head:

Ringworm. The most common type. It got its name because of the effect of hair destruction; hair shafts break off at a distance of several centimeters from the skin, resulting in cracks appearing.
Pityriasis rosea. A rare type of pathology. This disease has not been fully studied by scientists. Both adults and children are at risk of the disease. The peculiarity of this type is the appearance of pinkish spots; there is no destruction of hair, as in the previous type of pathology. Scientists say that this disease is infectious and allergic.
Lichen planus. Its peculiarity is accompanied by the appearance of a red spot; it can be of different shapes and sizes. Hair loss completely falls out in the affected area, as a result of which even hair follicles are not visible.
Asbestos-like lichen on the head. Not everyone knows what it looks like. This species is the least studied. It occurs, as a rule, very rarely, often corresponds to advanced seborrheic dermatitis, and also develops against the background of a fungal infection.