Ringworm of the scalp usually affects children. This is a common type of a fungal infection of the scalp and has nothing to do with the worms as the name suggests. This is treated with antifungal medications and though the antifungal shampo-is not to-effective, it might be advised along with medication.

Causes of scalp ringworm:

 Most of the times a ringworm infection is transfered from person to person through sharing towels and touching. The fungi and its spores can remain alive on brushes, combs, sheets, furniture and unwashed towels for long. Some people are only carriers of fungi, meaning that they carry the fungi and its spores in their hair and skin but do not have any infection and symptoms. But they might pass the fungi to others who may develop the symptoms.
 It spreads from pets like cats and dogs who are very prone to fungal infection of the skin. They easily pass their infection to children and other family members. Farm animals are also a source of fungal infection and if the farm gate is touched from where the infected cattle passes, it is enough to cause infection.
 Also at times there is no reason and fungi infection can just happen out of the blue. Like for example, the fungi spores can get transmitted through air, they might get into the air by an infected person and land on someone else's head. This can develop into fungi and can cause infection.

Symptoms of scalp ringworm:

 The infection looks more like dandruff, a severe form of dandruff in different parts of the scalp. This is often mistaken to be psoriasis.
 In some infection there is loss of hair leading to bald patches. These patches become scaly and inflamed. The patches might have broken off small hair.
 Several painful pustules and boils occur on the scalp
 In severe infection there is boggy swelling on some part of the scalp, which is known as kerion. This might be tender and oozing and if not treated can lead to hair loss and permanent scarring.
 In severe infections like with pustules and kerion, one might develop high fever and the glands of the neck might swell. 

Treatment of scalp ringworm:
The treatment of the fungal infection of the scalp involves the following:

 Antifungal medicines: these are usually taken in the form of tablets and following are advised:
 Griseofulvin: this is often the first choice and a course of 8-12 weeks is required. The tablet can be crushed and taken with water.
 Terbinafine: the course for this is four weeks and is important to complete the course in order to get rid of the infection.

Fungal Infection on Scalp: How to Treat It?

Scabies is a type of a skin condition that is characterized by itching and rashes. This dermatological condition is caused by sarcoptes scabiei, a type of microscopic mite. A contagious condition, scabies spreads through physical contact. It usually transmits through clothes, towels, sexual contact and other such ways. An estimate shows that scabies infect over 300 million humans worldwide per year.
This eight-legged microscopic mite creates a tunnel in the human skin and lays eggs in it. These larvae move under the surface of the skin and spread across the whole body, once hatched. Dogs, cats and mice can also be affected by the disease. It usually takes 2-6 weeks for the symptoms to develop. Signs and symptoms of scabies involve itching, rashes, sores and thick crusts on the surface of the skin.

Some of the risk factors of scabies are:
1. Scabies spreads through direct, prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a person who has mites.

2. An infected person can easily pass scabies to his/her household or sexual partners. Scabies in adults is usually sexually acquired.

3. The likelihood of scabies increases easily under crowded conditions which involves close body and skin contact. Nursing homes, prisons, and several types of care facilities are sites of scabies outbreaks.

4. Immunocompromised, elderly and disabled people also suffer from an increased likelihood of contracting such.

Complications of scabies include:
1. Persistent and vigorous scratching can break the surface of your skin which can lead to secondary bacterial infections. Impetigo, a superficial infection is quite a common occurrence in case of such.

2. Crusted scabies is the most severe form of scabies which is common among certain groups. People suffering from diseases such as HIV or leukemia and severely ill people who have weakened immune systems are at a higher risk of contracting this condition. This condition, also known as Norwegian scabies is very contagious and also hard to cure.

Depending on the symptoms and severity of the condition, appropriate medications and creams are prescribed by medical professionals.

All About Scabies

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are infections that you can get from having sex with someone who already has the infection. The causes of STDs are bacteria, parasites, and viruses. These infections often do not cause any symptoms, and can still be passed unknowingly from the infected partner to the other. However, some common symptoms include genital itching, lesions, flu / fever like symptoms and feeling pain / pressure in the lower part of the stomach.

There are many kinds of STDs including Chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, syphilis and HIV.

The important thing to understand and know is that these STDs can be prevented.

3 ways of preventing STDS are:

1. Precautions before having sex

There are some things you can do to reduce your risk of contracting STDs before having sex. This include:

  Limiting the number of sexual partners
  Talking honestly with partners about your sexual history
  Getting tested, along with your partner, before having sex
  Getting timely vaccination against HPV and HBV

If you have been diagnosed with an STD you should tell your partner about it and also explicitly ask your partner if they have had an STD.

2. Practice safe sex

Use a latex condom every time you have sex and use a water-based lubricant. If your sex life involves intercourse, anal or vaginal, make up your mind to never have sex without a condom. If you or your partner is at a high risk of STDs, be consistent about barrier use during oral sex as well. Avoid sharing towels or underclothing to reduce the risk of an STD. Check the expiration date of the condom and make sure that it has an air bubble, which shows it has not been punctured. Dispose the condom properly and never reuse it.

3. Don't drink Alcohol or use drugs before having sex

It's impossible to make responsible choices about your sex life under the influence of drugs or alcohol. When you are under the influence of any one of them, you are not in your mind and are likelier to choose a partner you wouldn't have picked otherwise. In that case, you may be at a higher risk of contracting an STD. Also, if you are on birth control pills and you vomit, the pills could lose some effectiveness.



3 Ways You Can Prevent STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)

Chlamydia is a STD, caused due to intercourse, or even sexual contact. This is often accompanied by vaginal discharge or genital pain. Chlamydia can affect both the sexes to any age group, though young sexually active women are mostly diagnosed with it. If left untreated, this STD can cause further complications, some of them, fatal.

Symptoms of Chlamydia in women
1. Abnormal odorous vaginal discharge
2. Bleeding resulting from intercourse or even between periods
3. Pain during menstruation or sexual intercourse
4. Soreness in the lower abdomen
5. A burning sensation or itching around the vagina
6. Painful urination
7. Green or yellow vaginal discharge

Further complications
Infection can extend to the fallopian tubes, leading to a disease called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). PID can bear symptoms such as nausea, severe pain in the pelvic region, fever and unusual bleeding during one s periods. There are also high chances of contracting the chlamydia infection in the anus, the indications being pain, bleeding and discharge from the anus. Oral sex with a person diagnosed with this condition can also result in you contracting this infection in the throat, resulting in soreness, fever and cough.

Causes of Chlamydia in women
1. Chlamydia, being a sexually transmitted infection, primarily spreads through unprotected sex. However, sexual intercourse need not always be the reason behind this disorder. Sexual contact or even indulging in oral sex without using protection (in the form of dental dams) can result in this disease.
2. Newborn infants are also prone to acquiring this infection that is passed on to them by their mothers during birth. Therefore, pre-natal checkups are a must for detection.
3. Rarely, one can contract the infection in the eyes as well, through any form of oral or genital contact.

Chlamydia - 7 Common Signs in Women

The development of bumps and blisters on your skin surface accompanied by severe itching are the symptoms of a skin condition known as scabies. It is caused by a burrowing mite called sarcoptes scabiei. A patient experiences itching in the affected area and the urge for itching gets increased during the night. Scabies is a contagious disease and spreads rapidly among people via a physical contact.

Symptoms
Thin and irregular burrow tracks or blisters are common symptoms of scabies. These tracks generally appear in the folds of the skin. Commonly, scabies appears in the following areas:

Between the fingers
In the armpits
Around the waist and along the insides of the wrist
On the inner elbow, soles of the feet
Around the breasts, buttocks, knees and shoulder blades
In case you had scabies previously, the symptoms usually develop within a few days after exposure. For first-time occurrences, six weeks are required for the symptoms to appear.

Causes
The eight-legged female mite which causes scabies burrows beneath the skin, produces a tunnel and deposits egg in it. After being hatched, the mite travels to the skin surface. Here they become mature and spread to other areas. The body s allergic reaction to the mites, the eggs and their waste material causes the itching. Vigorous scratching of the scabies infected skin can break the skin, allowing a secondary bacterial infection to develop, like impetigo. A severe type of scabies known as crusted scabies can affect some people. 

Crusted scabies usually affects people suffering from chronic heart diseases due to which the body s immune system gets weakened. People who are very sick, hospitalised and aged people in nursing homes may develop crusted scabies. This type of scabies is scaly and crusty, covers large areas all over the body and is difficult to cure.

Treatment of scabies
The involves the elimination of the developments using medicines. There are several lotions and creams, which can be used on a doctor s prescription for treatment. These creams should be applied all over the body. After the application, the medication should be left for eight hours. In case of recurrence of rashes and burrows, a second treatment may be required.

It is important to consult a doctor for proper treatment of scabies. Usually, treatment is recommended for all family members and close friends of an affected person, even though no symptoms of scabies appear in these people.

Scabies - How Dermatological Treatment Can Help?

It is a common knowledge that beer has health benefits when used in masks, scrubs, as conditioners, etc. This reason is good enough for even non-drinkers to stock up their fridges with cans of beer. 
Here are a few ways by which we can use beer to make our skin and hair better:

Use beer as a conditioner - Beer happens to be an excellent conditioner. Mixing one cup warm beer with a teaspoon of jojoba oil makes a natural, non-greasy conditioner. Wash your hair with your regular shampoo and use this mix as a conditioner. The beer in it will give volume to your hair while jojoba oil will add shine and luster.
Use it for a face pack - Take two to three strawberries mash with a fork, add few drops of beer and make a paste. Rub this paste all over your face in a circular motion. Rinse after 15-20 minutes and apply moisturizer on your face.
Soak in beer laced water - Beer can be used in bubble bath too! Mix some soap with beer of your choice and add the mix to the running bath water. Soak in this water and feel your skin become soft and smooth.
Use beer as a hair-pack - Wash your hair with your usual shampoo. Now pour the mixture made of distilled water, beer, two teaspoon apple cider vinegar and few drops of essential oil (any scent), on your hair. Make sure it reaches the hair that is inside as well. Rinse this mixture with lukewarm water. You can do this once a month.
Get the beer glow - Take half a teaspoon of beer, one egg white and a drop of almond extract. Whisk them together and keep aside. On your washed and dried face, apply the mask and let it dry until your skin feels tight. Wash it off with lukewarm water.
From Lybrate: If you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones over Whatsapp, Facebook and other media.

Do You Know What Beer Does To Your Hair & Skin?

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