To ask for a teensy bit of medical advice?

[KenLeeeeeeeInnaSantaHat]

Yes I know a bunch of Internet weirdes are not the most reliable source of information but my GP surgery is closed, and both NHS Direct and our local OOH services are only accepting urgent calls.

I suspect that my 4yo DD has ringworm. She has two round patches on her face about the size of 1p and 2p coins respectively which have gotten redder since yesterday. She says it doesn't itch but looking at pictures online, I suspect it may be ringworm.

WIBU to pick up some anti fungal cream today and start applying before seeing the GP tomorrow, or should I leave it alone 'til we've seen someone who will know what the rash is?

[manicbmc]

Are there any chemists open? You could ask the pharmacist.

[festivelyfocussed]

Pharmacist is your friend. Go to the chemist.

[RedHelenB]

could it be eczema?

[SantasHoHoHo]

Yes, a pharmacist will give you good advice. Search online for one that's open today, there's sure to be one locally.

[KenLeeeeeeeInnaSantaHat]

Bugger, I didn't think about pharmacist being closed too. Will have a google and try to find an open one. Cheers for the tip!

[frogspoon]

If it were an adult, and if the potential ringworm was on the body, I would give the cream a go.

But seeing as its a child (and many children have quite fragile, sensitive skin) and it is on the face (again very sensitive), you need to see a medical professional (doctor, nurse, pharmacist etc).

[judgementofsolomon]

Canesten is a gentle anti fungal and will do no harm. Mix it 50/50 with sudocrem.

[hatgirl]

treat it as ringworm for the time being and assume it is very contagious, dont touch it and dont let her touch it. Make sure she uses different towels to the rest of the family. That being said if it is ringworm your DD must have got it from somewhere and you need to identify where (e.g pet/ farm animal friend etc).

It could just be eczema or random dry skin but you must have a reason to suspect ringworm so treat as such until you have sought professional opinion.

[RedHelenB]

I wouldn't treat till you know what it is.

[hatgirl]

my sister got ringworm all the time when we were younger (we grew up on a farm) but strangely neither me or my brother ever did. My brother has got Orf on his hands three years running at lambing time - don't google that condition if you are eating!

[MadameCastafiore]

Our local sainsburys is open and has a pharmacy, why not check to see if there is one near you that is open?

[Montybojangles]

Have you been somewhere she is likely to have got this? If not I would suspect its far more likely to be eczema. This too often appears as round red patches, similar in appearance to ringworm.

[supergreenuk]

Ring worm is a ring (meaning the centre is clear) like a smoke ring. If its red all over it's unlikely ring worm.

[Gryffindor]

IME the only thing that properly kills off ringworm is the strong anti-fungal tablets from the doctor. I had it a few years ago and it dragged on for months with the creams. In the end I even resorted to using neat bleach on it (obviously not recommended!!!!!) before begging the doctor for the meds. It was on my chin.

[Itchywoolyjumper]

Frogspoon is right, please don't treat this until you know what it is. I'd be very wary of diagnosing things from the internet, especially skin conditions, the photos are never really all that clear. I often see patients at work who are adamant they have something because they've seen pictures on the internet and it turns out to be something completely different.
The skin on the face is often a lot more sensitive than on the body and this is much more likely to be true on a little one like your DD. If you put canesten on and your wee one has a skin reaction to it it will make diagnosing the original rash pretty much impossible and getting proper treatment much harder.
I think as long as its not bothering her don't do anything and take her along to a pharmacist as soon as you can. The worst that might happen is that you have to treat a few other people in the family and as long as this presents no problem for you I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[JamesBexleySpeed]

Urgh, orf is why you should always wash and disinfect your hands at the petting zoo.

[KenLeeeeeeeInnaSantaHat]

Thanks for the input. Asda's pharmacy was open so we went over there. The pharmacist said it most likely is ringworm as she's seen an increase in cases round here recently (bleugh) so gave us some canesten cream to put on it & advised making a dr's appointment if there's no improvement by Friday.