Ringworm is one of the most common infectious skin pathologies, which has several varieties, and in case of infection, the incubation period for ringworm in a person depends on its type. Incubation in medicine is the time that elapses from the moment a pathogenic agent (bacteria, virus, microbe, spore) enters the body until the first external manifestations of the disease. A shingles infection, like many others, does not manifest itself immediately: between infection and the onset of the disease itself, it can take from several days to several years (as is the case with shingles).
We deprive the path of infection
People most often suffer from lichen in adulthood - from 40 to 70 years. This is caused by many factors, for example, decreased immunity, chronic diseases, and a lot of stress.
Children can get shingles after contact with sick animals or people. Also, the occurrence of lichen in children can be caused by a decrease in immunity, taking antibiotics or antihistamines for a long time.
The causative agents of lichen are fungi and viruses. You can become infected with them from another person, from animals, or from household items. Sometimes they live on human skin and manifest themselves under favorable conditions.
Prevention measures
Pay attention to the photo with the image of lichen on the leg. To avoid the manifestation of such symptoms on your body, carefully observe the rules of personal hygiene, avoid touching unfamiliar and, especially, sick animals, and when the first strange formations appear on the skin, be sure to consult a dermatologist.
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Ringworm
Ringworm is a fungal disease that can appear on the scalp and throughout the body. This type of lichen has different names: trichophytosis, microsporia (named after the causative fungi), dermatomycosis, dermatophytosis. Very often, children become infected with ringworm from pets.
On the scalp, the disease manifests itself as follows. First, small round lesions appear, in which hair thinning is noticeable. The skin turns red and becomes covered with small scales and peels off. Over time, the hair in this area breaks off at a height of 1-3 millimeters from the skin.
The area with ringworm becomes larger after a while. Along the edges you can notice small rashes, sometimes with liquid inside. Drying, the rash turns into a yellow rim around the source of the disease. There may be several such foci, sometimes it is one large area.
On the skin. The disease can also appear on skin without hair. In this case, it is important not to confuse it with other types of lichen, since their treatment may be different. Ringworm appears in the form of round spots on the face, neck, arms, legs and torso.
Lichen spots in humans can be quite large in size and grow over time. They have a bright red outline, which consists of small rashes and bumps. In the middle, the skin is covered with light, sometimes gray, scales. She is peeling. Unlike the scalp, manifestations of lichen on hairless skin are accompanied by itching and discomfort.
Treatment
If the problem is not treated, the spots on any part of the body will increase. Over time, the disease becomes chronic. It is especially important to treat dermatomycosis in time for girls and women, since they are more prone to the chronic form of ringworm.
To clarify the diagnosis, it is necessary to take a scraping for a bacterial analysis, with the help of which the causative fungus will be determined. Ringworm treatment is usually done externally and internally. Local treatment consists of antifungal and disinfectant creams. It is also necessary to take antifungal drugs internally. It is also necessary to take vitamins and products that improve blood microcirculation.
How many days does it take for lichen to stop being contagious?
I became infected with lichen from an animal, and there is nothing on my skin at the moment.
Am I a carrier and can I infect animals or people? Sometimes the answers are simply amazing! What does “contagious for 7 days” mean? This is a fungal disease that cannot be cured so quickly.
We adopted a kitten, and after 3 weeks my daughter discovered characteristic spots with a red border, and the kitten had a small bald spot. The treatment lasted for 1 month, and she specially picked up the card and counted that we took 4 tests, and the second test, done a week later, showed nothing, but I remember that the doctor then said that it would take a month to be treated and that the test was negative - this does not mean anything, the lichen may appear again. So I counted that 4 tests were taken. That is, it turns out that lichen is contagious for 28–30 days . And the kitten had no signs of lichen, but only a few weeks later the lichen appeared.
The kitten was taken to a veterinary clinic and given several injections. The kitten was also cured.
Somehow in our Soviet childhood, we, schoolchildren, were brought in to help in the state farm calf barn, to take care of the calves. This calf barn was simply a breeding ground for lichen. After a month of caring for the calves, the whole class was treated for deprivation for three months, which, most interestingly, was unsuccessful. Only one seems to be cured, the bald spots heal, and it becomes infected again. This continued until summer began and we went home. From this I can conclude that lichen is contagious until the skin lesions completely disappear and a new layer of fresh young skin grows and there is no further spread. This is approximately from a month to three, depending on the degree of damage to the skin area and the level of hygienic attention to the problem. It is extremely important to minimize the patient’s contact with healthy people.
Ringworm, if it really is one, can be infected as long as there are elements of fungal infection on the skin. Usually they disappear with adequate treatment after about 1.5-3 months.
But fungal spores remain on human hair and skin for a long time.
Even with complete sanitization of the premises and the absence of patients in the team, quarantine is declared for 30 days in various institutions (primarily children's).
Unfortunately, a skin disease such as lichen has been contagious for a very long time.
You can become infected with lichen the entire time it is on the skin.
Therefore, until the lichen completely disappears from the skin, a person is considered contagious.
Ringworm is not a very pleasant disease; at the school where my child goes, one classmate just had shingles. All the parents began to be indignant that the girl was going to school, but the mother there was a drunkard and she had no time for the child. It’s good that the nurse intervened and forbade the child to come to school until the shingles went away.
Ringworm is contagious until the skin becomes clean.
Ringworm is contagious for one to three months, it all depends on the degree of damage.
Until the lichen is completely gone, it is contagious.
There have been cases when the lichen, which seemed to be almost healed and disappearing, began to itch again and grow to the sides. At the same time, everyone who had a close relationship with the patient became infected.
Therefore, lichen can be transmitted at any time, only after it completely disappears from the skin - it is not contagious.
Ringworm is contagious at any stage of its occurrence, treatment and recovery. Even during the incubation period, when you yourself are not awake about the disease, being close to you and tactile contact is potentially dangerous.
After complete recovery and the disappearance of the spots, it is better not to go to public places (baths, swimming pools) for at least 5 - 7 days.
It is very easy to catch lichen from an animal. And if you don’t treat it, it’s bright and itchy, you can infect someone else. It is no longer contagious when, during treatment, it begins to turn pale and stops itching. They told me I had lichen, it went away in 3 days.
It is contagious until it is treated, that is, it will not go away.
It can be contagious at almost any stage of its development.
If you start treatment on time, then in about 1-3 months the lichen will go away and all this time it will be contagious.
It all depends on how successfully and intensively you will treat him and, in general, whether you will treat him in principle. As a rule, if you go to a dermatologist and are treated with the necessary ointments, then after a week it will definitely not be contagious.
Ringworm is a very serious skin disease, which is most often characterized by the appearance of nodular formations that cause severe and intolerable itching. In addition, inflammation and tissue necrosis may appear. Therefore, it is very important to determine the incubation period of lichen in humans in order to promptly minimize the possible consequences of this disease.
Shingles
This disease is also called herpetic lichen. It occurs mainly in adults and older people due to the herpes virus, which causes chickenpox in children. You can become infected with the virus, or it may already be inside the body and wait until your immunity declines to manifest itself.
Shingles dermatosis appears on the skin, mainly on the torso in the ribs area. Usually the rash occurs on one side of the body along the intercostal nerves. At first the skin turns red and swells a little. After a few days, pimples appear and fill with clear liquid. When they burst and dry out, they turn into yellow crusts. Light spots may remain at the site of the rash.
It is typical that the disease is accompanied by severe pain, since it affects the peripheral nerve endings of a person. Often pain first occurs in the body, in the ribs, then rashes appear. After some time, the acne disappears, but the pain may remain.
How to treat?
There are different opinions about whether it is worth treating shingles at home. You should consult a doctor in the following cases.
- If you have serious chronic health problems.
- If a person falls ill in adulthood and suffers a hard illness. In this case, it is necessary to prescribe medications against painful symptoms.
- If the disease progresses with complications: symptoms do not disappear for a month, the rash turns into large areas filled with pus, and health worsens.
There are serious complications of herpes zoster: pneumonia, paralysis, eye damage, meningoencephalitis. If the illness is severe, consult your doctor to protect yourself from complications of herpetic lichen.
Symptoms of the disease
Ringworm affects any area of human skin, but most often the disease develops on the head. In this case, if the patient has a large amount of hair, the first signs of infection may go unnoticed.
You should be concerned if your hair begins to break and fall out for no objective reason. Peeling and unbearable itching also occur. The source of inflammation of the infection begins to appear 7-10 days after infection.
As a rule, after the incubation period of lichen in a person has passed, several foci of fairly large size form. A rash and suppuration forms around them. At the same time, the hair falls out even more, and the ends are covered with a characteristic gray coating.
If lichen appears on the human body, then it is even easier to detect it. Skin swellings appear on the back, arms, legs or chest; they can be pink or red in color.
If your nail plate is affected by fungus, it will eventually become cloudy, rough and rough, and even begin to crumble.
In the saddest case, with a chronic disease, the hair falls out greatly, noticeable bald spots form, and the itching does not stop. The shape of the spots can change, most often they emit a cloying odor.
With an infiltrative-suppurative form of infection, fever, weakness may develop, and lymph nodes will enlarge throughout the body. This form is also accompanied by migraine. This is one of the most severe forms. The number of lesions can be several dozen.
Pityriasis rosea
Pityriasis rosea, or Gibert's disease, can occur at any age. Medicine truly does not know what causes it. There are also differing opinions about whether it is possible to become infected with this type of lichen from a sick person.
The disease manifests itself as follows: a round spot with bright pink contours appears on the skin. It is called maternal plaque. In the middle of the plaque, the skin may peel slightly and look like small scales.
Over time, smaller spots appear on the body, sometimes very small. They appear on the shoulders, on the back and chest, on the arms and legs. It happens that only one large spot appears. The patient may be bothered by itching, pain, fatigue, and deterioration in general health.
After a month or a month and a half, the disease goes away on its own. First, the general condition improves, spots disappear from the skin.
How to treat?
Treatment for pityriasis rosea is usually not required. If a person is very bothered by itching, a dermatologist may prescribe antihistamines. An important condition for a quick recovery is a healthy diet. Eliminate alcoholic drinks, strong tea and coffee, fatty and fried foods, as well as sweets and chocolate from your diet.
Incubation period of lichen in humans
The time from infection to the manifestation of the clinical picture of the disease is called the incubation period. In lichen, it differs depending on the type:
- Pink. The incubation period can last from 2 to 21 days. The first sign is a bright pink oval spot with a diameter of 2-5 cm.
- Encircling. In this form of lichen, the incubation period varies from several days to 4 weeks. The first symptoms are fever, burning and itching of the skin in places where pink spots form.
- Shearer. If a person becomes infected from another person, the incubation period lasts 2-6 weeks. When pathology passes from an animal, it is only 5-7 days.
- Pityriasis. The first signs of this form of the disease may appear 2-3 weeks after infection. Yellow, brown or pink spots appear on the body. In this case, no special sensations arise.
Lichen planus
Lichen planus can be caused by stress, decreased immunity, chronic foci of infection in the body (for example, chronic sinusitis). Sometimes this type of lichen occurs due to prolonged allergic irritations.
Lichen planus appears as polygonal spots on the skin of red and purple color. They can be located on different parts of the body, but most often appear in the folds: on the elbows and under the knees, in the groin, under the armpits. The spots on the skin may coalesce into large areas called plaques. They itch and cause discomfort.
Sometimes red flat fungus manifests itself as severe peeling of the skin, which takes on a scaly appearance. They are usually oval or round spots with white plaques.
In most cases, lichen also appears on the mucous membrane of the mouth, and sometimes the nails are affected. Painful white or red spots appear in the oral cavity, and the gums swell. Sharp pain is felt in irritated areas while eating and drinking. If the legs are affected, they become brittle and rougher. Deep grooves appear on the nails. In advanced cases, the nail plate may move away from the finger.
Treatment methods
Treatment of lichen planus consists, first of all, of eliminating the source of infection, allergies and other causes. Hormonal magicians are also prescribed to relieve symptoms of inflammation, itching, etc. Sometimes antihistamines are prescribed. If such treatment does not produce results, more serious methods are used, such as immunosuppressants.
Since this is a chronic disease, symptoms may recur after some time. To prevent the disease, it is necessary to treat other chronic diseases and foci of infection in the human body, take vitamins, and avoid allergens in food and the environment.
Early treatment
In order to defeat the disease, you need to know for sure whether the patient has such a diagnosis or whether it is just his imagination. So what should be the first step? Consultation and diagnosis with a dermatologist. Only a person with a higher education has the right to prescribe a course of treatment for this disease, because the methods of treatment directly depend on the type of lichen.
What is the treatment if a person has shingles or lichen planus? You won't be able to get by with just one pill. To save a patient from one of these ailments, the doctor must prescribe a whole course of treatment, which may include the following:
- ointments and gels to relieve itching;
- antihistamines;
- immunomodulators;
- phototherapy (ultraviolet radiation);
- retinoids (synthetic vitamin A preparations);
- antibiotics;
- sedative fees.
Pityriasis versicolor or ringworm is treated with antifungal agents, which include both ointments and tablets.
And such drugs are divided into the following groups:
- imidazole derivatives: “Ketoconazole”, “Clotrimazole”;
- allylamine compounds: Lamisil, Binafin, Exifin;
- pyroxolamine derivatives: “Candide”, “Vocadine”.
At the end of the course of treatment, the skin affected by lichen will need to be wiped with salicylic alcohol, which will contribute to the death of dead cells.
To get rid of pityriasis versicolor or rosacea, no special treatment is required. If the patient is bothered by itching, the doctor may prescribe medications for irritation.
Treatment for linear lichen will consist of regular use of anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as B vitamins.
Devergie's lichen requires taking large doses of vitamin A, vitamins B and E. The attending physician can also prescribe sessions of PUVA, phonophoresis, etc.
To cure a patient from lichen vesica, the use of antiviral drugs, interferons, immunomodulators, vitamins E, C, anesthetics if there is pain, etc. will be required.
If the skin is affected by asbestos-like lichen, the doctor may prescribe salicylic oil, ointments and creams to reduce itching, antihistamines, and vitamins B6-B12.
It is important to remember that treatment must be prescribed by a doctor. You cannot self-medicate! Such actions can harm the body!
At home
Is it possible to treat lichen at home? Perhaps, but after consulting your doctor. “Be careful when reading medical books. You could die from a typo,” said Mark Twain.
Medicine is moving forward by leaps and bounds. Every year new drugs appear to combat certain diseases. Ringworm is no exception.
For this disease there is, as one might already assume, a huge number of drugs:
- sulfur-salicylic ointment;
- Candide cream 1%;
- ointment "Nitrofungin";
- "Tsindol";
- "YAM";
- acetylsalicylic acid, etc.
Pityriasis versicolor
This disease has many names: solar, spotted, tubular, colored, multicolored dermatoses. It usually occurs in teenagers and men, and is more common in warm climates. The disease is caused by several types of yeast-like fungi. It is contagious provided that common hygiene items are used: towels, bed linen, etc.
The disease begins with the appearance of dark red or brown spots and rashes. They appear mainly on the neck, chest, back, and sometimes affect the forearms. The spots may peel a little. A person is also worried about other symptoms: itching, excessive sweating, discomfort.
It is typical that areas of skin with rashes become lighter in color than the rest of healthy skin. The pathogen at the cellular level negatively affects the skin’s ability to produce melanin when exposed to sunlight. As the disease progresses, the affected areas become similar to leopard skin. The skin remains patchy even several months after recovery.
Treatment options
Treatment for pityriasis versicolor in humans consists of topical application of antifungal agents to the affected skin. Be sure to consult a dermatologist to find out how to treat ringworm in each case. If the disease is acute, it becomes necessary to take antifungal agents orally. The doctor may also prescribe products to restore skin pigmentation.
Symptoms and treatment of lichen
Recognizing a lichen infection is very simple. The main symptoms of the disease are severe itching of the affected parts of the body, pigmentation changes, and peeling of small areas of the skin. The sooner lichen is detected, the easier it is to get rid of it and the less likely it is to infect others.
In order to avoid severe consequences and complex forms of lichen, when diagnosing a disease, you must contact a dermatovenerological clinic as quickly as possible.
At home, treatment is as follows: treating the affected area of skin with iodine and sulfur ointment, taking immunomodulators. You should avoid getting water on the infected area, otherwise there is a chance of spreading the lichen throughout the body.
Lichen squamosus (psoriasis)
Psoriasis or psoriasis is a non-infectious skin disease that has several forms: plaque, guttate, pustular. Psoriasis can occur due to genetic predisposition, after hormonal imbalances, against the background of chronic diseases, etc.
The plaque form of lichen planus begins with the appearance of small round red papules. Over time, they increase in size and combine into large spots. The affected skin peels and itches. The integrity of such formations can be easily disrupted by simple mechanical actions, for example, rubbing with a towel.
Pustular psoriasis usually occurs on the palms and soles. Papules filled with light liquid appear in these areas. These are very painful formations that prevent a person from functioning fully. With the teardrop form of psoriasis, red teardrop-shaped spots appear on the skin, which itch and flake.
The disease is manifested by the following symptoms:
- itching;
- painful sensations;
- thinning, dry skin;
- cracking and peeling of the skin.
