Hair specialist warns common winter habit could leave you BALD: ‘Can spread a highly contagious fungus’
A skin and hair expert today sounded the alarm over the risk of catching ringworm this winter—which may lead to baldness.
Cases of the contagious skin fungus that can cause disfigurement, jumped significantly last year and were blamed on ‘cheap, dirty, unqualified’ barber shops offering skin fades.
But specialists believe people could also be struck down this winter with scalp ringworm by sharing items such as winter hats or Santa hats.
Despite ringworm’s reputation as a scalp disease of Victorian slum-dwellers, it is a common fungal infection, estimated to affect between ten and 20 per cent of the population — mainly children.
Transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, despite its name it is not caused by a worm. It can also be passed on through infected objects, such as bedsheets, combs or towels.
Sam Cinkir, CEO of skin and hair specialists Este Medical Group, said: ‘It is commonly passed on between people sharing items such as towels, combs, hairbrushes, pillowcases and, of course, hats.
‘It can usually be tackled with antifungal medication or dedicated shampoos, but if left untreated for too long it can result in unsightly bald spots.
‘The best advice is to avoid sharing hats with others to minimise your chances of picking up nasty bugs.’
Specialists believe people could also be struck down this winter with scalp ringworm by sharing items such as winter hats or Santa hats
He added: ‘If scalp ringworm is suspected, it’s important to act as quickly as possible to limit the damage and quicken recovery.
‘Do not scratch the sores, as it can help spread the infection to other parts of the body, and immediately wash any bedding or clothing the scalp may have come into contact with.
‘Speak to your GP, who will be able to confirm the diagnosis by examining the head or taking skin samples.’
Cases of ringworm are usually treated with antifungal medications available on prescription such as gels and creams.
But sometimes oral antifungal medication is needed as well.
Common signs of the fungal infection include itchiness, a scaly ring-shaped area, scattering of bumps which range in colour from red on white skin to reddish, brown or grey on black skin.
Slightly raised expanding rings or a round flat patch of itchy skin are other key signs, according to the NHS.
Dr James O’Donovan, an NHS medic and technical advisory group member at the World Health Organization, also advises people to avoid sharing items such as hats with other people.
Sam Cinkir (pictured), CEO of skin and hair specialists Este Medical Group, said ringworm was ‘commonly passed on between people sharing items such as towels, combs, hairbrushes, pillowcases and, of course, hats’
Pictured, illustration of Trichophyton mentagrophytes, the cause of scalp ringworm
In a YouTube video watched almost 200,000 times, he explained this is ‘because fungus can live for a long period of time’.
If a child is affected, it is vital school teachers and parents of classmates are made aware, he added.
‘Other family members should be examined by a doctor and treated,’ he said.
‘Sometimes it’s best for the whole family to be treated with a medicated antifungal shampoo twice weekly for four weeks, whether or not a fungal infection is proven.’
It comes as a group of British barbers last November claimed that ringworm cases had surged.
They believed this was due to more men opting for popular skin fade haircuts — when the sides are shaved short, and length is left on top — at ‘cheap, dirty, unqualified’ shops ‘littering the high streets’.
