Hi, My name is Anneli. Ill just explain shortly whats troubling me and i hope that you will be able to give me your opinion of what should i do about it. About a month and few weeks ago i got infected with the ringworm. First i had a little itchy spot on one side of my body just below breast, i wasnt sure what was it until it developed and looked like a big ring. I went to doctor and was advised to use anti-fungal cream Lamisil, it didnt go away but spread. So all my neck was infected, full of smaller rings, they developed kinda differently though, as i could see the light reddish/pink ring from start, not a spot. Gone back to doctor and got another cream, Daktacort and travocort cream, it stopped the existing ringworms growing but after 3 weeks , all my body is infected by the ringworm. As is my boyfriends, but he seems to have it less. After closer looking (as i know by now what im looking) most of his arms and back is full of flaky rashes..Its wierd that on his skin they wont be as classic ringworm looking, more like batches of flaky skin, they only appear as ring-shaped rashes after the shower, so its really easy to miss them and to show doctor. Now  my hands are affected with small tiny rings, hard to see @ first, once ive applied cream to them( they are red at first, but then change to darker rings after) but they still wont go away and never stopped spreading. My head is itching as well, so i quess my scalp is infected as well. My doctor havent prescribed anything else then creams, but the truth is that one 30 gr ( thats the normal size for those creams or smaller) will be gone within a day as its now developed all over my body. After so long time creaming my self and boyfriend its getting very frustrating, time consuming and expensive. One big point i wanna make is that, ive seen them flaky batches on my boyfriend since i met him, and they were only pinky looking after shower, could he be a carrier, like i said the symptoms are rather lighter on him?  barely unnoticeable until after shower. Its most of his body just have to look really close... are we wasting the time with cream? my doctor seems to have a very little knowledge about it, and hopes to see the classic big ringworm what i have on the side and on my neck, missing all other body parts as they are so small ringworms and like  i said applying cream kinda stops them, but not really, they still remain just wont grow bigger, and look darker and harder to notice, so  hes not convinced that anything else is needed to treat the infection but cream, but 1 and half month and my body is fully infected. Should i ask him a bit more aggressive treatment? I know that my writing is kinda long, so im sorry, but id really appreciate your honest opinion. Thanks in advance
Hi Annelid, Thanks for writing in Chat Doctor. The condition can be dermatophytes, satyriasis tricolor etc. Diagnosis cannot be made without visual clue. Your boyfriend can in fact be carrier of organism. Both of you should be treated with oral antifungals for complete cure rather than only topical creams. A visit to dermatologist will confirm the diagnosis. Till the time you can take tab. Cetirizine 10 mg twice daily. It will decrease itching. Hope this helps. Regards Chat Doctor. 