Ringworm or something else

[Nolawife]

My husband on his low back got what we believe is ring worm almost 3 months ago. He started applying Lotrimin ringworm cream and it help... then started coming back. Then a quick care clinic prescribed him and oral medicine to take over two weeks. That also seemed to help the redness but again it never went away. Now the last two weeks he has been putting tea tree oil on 2-3 times a day, and that did a lot of good and it was almost gone. Now he’s getting little tiny bumps in one area. Like small pimples but they are not pimples nor have a head. They are flesh colored with no redness.

He’s 33 years old, he is a very hygienic person doesn’t smoke or drink, and has been using a non allergen soap since this has been an issue. He’s temporarily out of work and doesn’t have medical insurance can anyone tell me what this may be?

[Sapiophile]

If it's ringworm or staph you will find that gentian violet will stain it moreso than the rest of the skin. Gentian violet is extremely indecisive and very effective but it's also DARK VIOLET and a stain. Using a seperate cotton ball for each step of qtip, wash the affected area with dial antibacterial soap or any soap, apply alcohol rather vigorously, then apply Vaseline, neosporin, or coconut oil generously to the area (mostly to prevent some of the stain from adhering to unaffected skin) take gentian violet on a qtip and gently rub the area. It will adhere darkest to the fungus. Then gently remove the excess violet from the surrounding area with alcohol where there is no fungus (where it isn't darkest). Dab with betadine (gently, so as to not remove the adhered gentian violet) throughout the day. Repeat the process as often as you think you need to, but at least twice per day. Follow the process until the gentian violet has no rash to adhere to. A good test for fungus is it's response to apple cider vinegar. Fungus stings on contact with the vinegar, intact skin won't. If it's fungus add the vinegar to your treatment program after the alcohol step, and again gently after the violet. These products are VERY inexpensive, and if you can't find gentian violet at a store you can find it on Amazon. Ever hear the term gram stain? That's what gentian violet does, it highlights gram positive bacteria and fungus. Research the query "scholarly articles gentian violet fungus and staph" for studies on this topic. I hope this helps. Please update us on your progress. As a side note, again, the violet stains badly. Alcohol can sometimes clean a spill, not always. So do this in an area where you won't regret a spill.

[Sapiophile]

*Typo: I wrote the word indecisive but intended to write inexpensive*

[Nolawife]

Thank you! We are willing to give that a try and I have some apple cider in my pantry so I will give that a go! Thank you

[Sapiophile]

You mentioned you're using tea tree oil. There's a wash called defense soap. It seems to help and is a tea tree oil body soap. You could add a bit of your tea tree oil to it to increase the strength. It also seems to help with fungus. I live in Texas and it's hot and humid here like it is where you are. The sweat helps incubate the fungus and spread it. You end up feeling tingling from the salt in the sweat. Have him shower twice a day if possible. If you have white sheets, change them and bleach them daily. Or use a colored set you don't mind ruining with bleach. Spray your shower with diluted bleach to disinfect the shower. Have him sleep in a t-shirt to try and prevent it spreading. You may want him to fold a sheet in half to sleep in on his side of the bed so he's not sharing sheets with you otherwise you two may spread it back and forth. And, you're very welcome. Update with any progress.

[purple1234567]

Unfortunately, it's very hard to say what it could be- it could be totally unrelated to the ring worm and from something like the heat, or it could be a reaction to the oil he tried, or a number of other things.  Do the bumps itch or hurt at all?  

[Nolawife]

No and the tea tree oil almost eliminated it. We do live in south Louisiana and the heat has spiked over the last few days when the bumps have come back. So heat could be a contributing factor