Pityriasis Rosea Or Ringworm

Pityriasis rosea or ringworm

       How can one tell for sure that the skin disease they suffer from is pityriasis rosea or ringworm? Well, for one, only a dermatologist can determine whether you have been affected by pityriasis rosea or ringworm. The difference between those two is rather minimal to the naked eye. However, a specialist can tell immediately that if the physical manifestations belong to pityriasis rosea or ringworm.

        For example, the aspect of the lesions in pityriasis rosea is slightly different from the physical manifestations of ringworm: the pityriasis rosea pustules are uniform in color and texture, varying from angry red, when they first appear, to light pink, when they are almost cured. The ringworm spots are specifically shaped: they look like a target. More precisely, the affected area has several concentric circles with white spaces between them. Also, these lesions do not have any sort of liquid in them.

       Both ringworm and pityriasis rosea are rather harmless skin conditions. So, why is it so much of a problem to misdiagnose them? Well, for one very pertinent reason: they do not have the same cause. Actually, their pathogen agents are not even from the same species: pityriasis rosea is a viral infection, while ringworm has a fungal cause. This means, obviously, that they cannot be treated with the same drugs.