I have a very strange skin problem. Today, I noticed red-outlined circles on my neck, where it meets my scalp. The skin inside them is normal-colored, and upraised, like a dry patch. I did an online search, but found nothing that looks like this. I have noticed them before, but it was about a year ago, and they went away after about a day. They begin near the scalp and work their way upward to end on my scalp. I wish I could take a picture, because it's hard to explain. Any ideas of what this could be? I am experiencing more stress than normal, am more emotional, and have been tired lately. I expect that it is a combo of starting a new internship and having PMS. Those are my only other symptoms.
It certainly does sound like ringworm. The scientific name is tinea capitis, which is ringworm of the skin, scalp and facial area. Ringworm is not really a worm, actually it's a fungus, and a quite common infection. It is extermely communicable, so you do not want to have any direct contact with anyone, and will also need to be careful about indirect contact as well, until it's gone.
The lesions it causes are circular, with redness and raised perimeter. The skin can be dry and scaly. Be careful - you can get a secondary strep or staph infection by scratching.
Most doctors can make a visual diagnosis, but they can also use UV light (Wood's Lamp) for diagnosis. Under the UV light, you will see a green flourescence if the infection is present.
Treatments include:
miconazole (applied to skin topically)
clotrimazole
griseofulvin (oral).
Please see a doctor or nurse practioner to begin treatment.
I've been using hydrocortisone cream on it, and it has almost completely gone away. I have a doctor's appt. for Friday. I think I'm going to go even though the rash is going away, to see if he can do something for my scalp in general. I have a dry scalp that has gotten worse this winter - I assumed the rash had something to do with that. I guess not. I wonder if a dandruff shampoo would aggravate it if it's ringworm. At my last appt. (I saw a different doctor that time), I was prescribed Zetar for my dry scalp, which turned out to be an OTC shampoo - don't think the doctor knew anything about skin conditions at all. Thankfully, I'll be seeing someone else this time, who will hopefully know more about both conditions. If not, I will be angry. Thank you guys for posting. Does sound like ringworm is what this is.
I had those red circles back in 1989. It turned out that it was "Pityriasis". They became numerous and were very irritating, itchy, burning. If untreated, Pityriasis can continue to the arms and trunk. It will eventually run its course, but should be treated with prescription medicated lotion to help alleviate the discomfort and pevent spread. You might feel very hot and won't want to wear clothes over it! It also looks terrible, but is not contagious and once it's gone, there should not be any recurrence later.
It's best to consult a dermatologist for an accurate diagnosis. HTH.
Hmm, I've never heard of that, Ally. I will look into that. I was wondering if any of you experienced an infection along with the skin problem. I read that ringworm can be accompanied by an infection. I was feeling really down and feverish last week. Had a minor sore throat. I thought I was over whatever it was, but today, felt like I was going to faint in class. I felt short of breath and weak. I think part of it was I'm starting a new job along with school, and it's wearing on me. I'm not used to physical work at all - I'm on my feet, and filing, copying - office work. I drank a lot of caffeine today, too, so it may have more to do with that than illness.
I feel better now, still very tired. Will tell my doctor all of this. Not sure if an infection would cause these symptoms - I read that a staph infection and strep are common with ringworm. Not sure exactly what staph is... My heart was beating irregularly too. I get this when stressed - it's hereditary, but rarely happens. My commute is very stressful (lots of freeway exiting and merging, high traffic) and it happened right after my drive to school. Definitely not used to that, as a semi-new city resident. Anyway, sorry for writing a book. I'm just a little concerned.
I have had something similar for the last 10 years; problem starts out as very small red bump which gradually gets larger and larger - it becomes a red raised ring with clear center which is flat; sometimes itches a little bit; lasts very long time - months and slowly the ring breaks up and finally all the red raised area disappears; have done lots of research, have been to a couple of dermatologists; latest theory is that this is bacteriophage plaques. I sometimes get them around my hair line on my neck but mostly on my upper arms. I have just started to learn about bacteriophage plaques - virus that eats bacteria - most of the information on the internet does not address this as a symptom of illness or as a separate skin disorder - very technical information; am looking for anyone to add any information. thanks
My doctor thinks that it is not ringworm, but seborrhaic dermatitis. He examined my scalp and what was left of the rash. My skin has always been really dry, esp. in winter, and I thought I just had a dry scalp. He thinks the rash is related to the dermatitis because this condition can cause redness. He prescribed Nizoral 2%. I'm not convinced I have dermatitis because my skin all over is dry and gets worse in cold weather (dermatitis is caused by a fungus). It could be a combo, I guess. Hopefully, the Nizoral will work for my scalp and prevent any future red rashes.
Red Circles on my Neck 
Thank you guys for posting. Does sound like ringworm is what this is.
