Ringworm is usually easy to diagnose from its appearance and location.
Diagnosing scalp ringworm
Scalp ringworm can usually be diagnosed by your GP after a physical examination of your scalp.
Knowing what type of fungus is causing the ringworm infection can be useful, because some types of antifungal medication are better at treating certain types of fungi. Your GP will remove a small sample of skin from your scalp for laboratory testing.
You may be given an antifungal medication to start taking before your test results come back. If the tests show that a different antifungal medication would work better, you'll be prescribed that and told to stop taking the first one.
Diagnosing body ringworm
Most cases of body ringworm can be diagnosed by your GP examining your skin and asking you whether you have other symptoms that could be related.
You'll usually only need further tests if your symptoms are severe, or if they don't respond to antifungal treatment.
If this is the case, your GP may remove a small piece of affected skin and send it to a laboratory to be analysed under a microscope. Microscopic analysis should be able to show if fungi are present and the specific type causing your infection.
Now read about how to treat ringworm.
