Both are skin conditions that cause discomfort due to their ugly-looking symptoms. Besides causing physical harm to the body, they also affect you mentally. A person may feel less confident going out with those pesky raised patches on the skin. 

It is important to get treatment to solve those problems and eliminate physical pain. However, you must understand that both skin conditions are different and need separate treatment. 

To determine what condition you are dealing with, read this article, which contains information about the symptoms and causes of ringworm and eczema. 

Can you mistake ringworm for eczema?

In general, there is no way someone can mistake both of these conditions as similar. Both need different treatments, have distinct appearances, and have different causes and triggers.

However, there is a specific type of Atopic Dermatitis known as Nummular Eczema that may look like ringworm if you do not have enough knowledge about each. I have disclosed information about them in this article but first, let’s have an introduction to each disease. 

Ringworm

It is a fungal infection that induces ring-shaped patches on the skin. Ringworm mostly affects nails, skin, arms, legs, and scalp. However, the symptoms can appear on any part of the body.

As a fungal infection, the person who carries this fungus can transmit it to other people and animals, meaning that it can spread from person to person. 

Ringworm mostly affects children under 2 to 10. Adults rarely get affected by it. The fungus thrives in individuals with weak immune systems, so children are more prone to it. 

Symptoms and Causes

If you see the below symptoms in you or your child, you should seek treatment for ringworm:

• Redness

• Ring-shaped patches

• Scaly and raised borders of patches

• Itching

• Blistering

• Pain

• Mild odor

It is mostly caused by a mold-like parasite that thrives on a weak immune system. Another common cause is that an individual gets this disease from an affected person or animal or using objects where this fungus lives. No matter what the exact cause is, the treatment will be the same.

Treatment

Over-the-counter antifungal creams, gels, lotions, and other products are enough for its treatment. Mild symptoms usually fade out within a few weeks without treatment. For severe symptoms, ringworm may take 3 to 4 weeks to be fully cured. It does not harm the skin permanently. The skin goes back to normal after treatment. 

Eczema

Eczema or Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a serious skin disease whose symptoms can last up to years. Unlike ringworm, symptoms of AD do not fade out without treatment. Also, it cannot be fully cured. No one can tell what exactly causes eczema. These are some scenarios that make it more dangerous. 

It mostly affects children under five and is the most common skin condition in babies. 

Symptoms and Causes

If you see the below symptoms in you or your child, you must seek treatment for eczema:

• Itching 

• Redness

• Pain

• Blisters

• Raised rash

• Scales and patches

• Change in skin color

• Mild odor

• Dry/cracked skin

• May leave scars

Currently, there is no known cause for eczema. That is why there is no fully effective cure for eczema. However, some factors like genetics, hormonal disturbance, irritants, environmental factors, and asthma can lead to this condition. Still, no one can tell you what exactly caused AD in you or your child. 

Treatment

Treatment depends on the level of severity. Even if the symptoms are mild, you must seek treatment. In general, a medicated moisturizing cream does the job effectively.

Use the cream before going to sleep and leave it overnight. Itching due to eczema disrupts sleep, so use this cream at night to get good sleep. 

Use it for a few weeks and see if it works. For severe symptoms, consult a dermatologist.

How to tell if it’s eczema or ringworm?

You see, both have similar symptoms, but can those symptoms make it difficult to differentiate between them? The answer is no. If there are ring-shaped patches, it is ringworm. Otherwise, eczema. 

If it is nummular eczema, the patches will be coin-shaped and fully inflamed. They will also be less raised and less crusty than those of ringworm.

Ringworms will show clear skin in the center of each patch. However, the nummular eczema patches will be fully disturbed.

Conclusions

In this article, I have represented their symptoms, causes, and treatment to give you a better introduction to each condition. In the upper paragraph, I have clarified the confusion that most people have about ringworms and eczema. They are different skin diseases with different causes and severity. I hope this article gives you a better understanding of each skin disease.