Tinea Corporis Follow-up

  • Author: Jack L Lesher Jr, MD; Chief Editor: Dirk M Elston, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jan 24, 2012
 

Further Outpatient Care

  • Follow-up care for tinea corporis should be determined per patient need, severity of infection, and response to treatment.
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Inpatient & Outpatient Medications

  • See Medication.
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Deterrence/Prevention

  • Imperative for preventing the spread of a dermatophyte infection is to discourage close contact between infected and noninfected individuals and to stop the sharing of fomites (eg, towels, hats, clothing).
  • Because dermatophytes flourish in moist environments, patients should be advised to wear loose-fitting clothing made of cotton or synthetic materials.
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Complications

  • The tinea corporis may recur if therapy does not result in complete eradication of the organism, such as when patients stop applying topical therapy too soon or if the organism is resistant to the antifungal agent used.
  • Reinfection may occur if a reservoir, such as an infected nail or hair follicle, is present. Many, if not most, adult patients with tinea corporis also have tinea pedis and unguium, which should be treated.
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Prognosis

  • For localized tinea corporis, the prognosis is excellent, with cure rates of 70-100% after treatment with topical azoles or allylamines or short-term or pulse systemic antifungals.
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Patient Education

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Jack L Lesher Jr, MD  Chief, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Dermatology, Medical College of Georgia

Jack L Lesher Jr, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, American Dermatological Association, American Medical Association, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Medical Association of Georgia, Society for Investigative Dermatology, and Southern Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Janet Fairley, MD  Professor and Head, Department of Dermatology, University of Iowa, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine

Janet Fairley, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, American Dermatological Association, American Federation for Medical Research, and Society for Investigative Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Richard P Vinson, MD  Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L Foster School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Mountain View Dermatology, PA

Richard P Vinson, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, Association of Military Dermatologists, Texas Dermatological Society, and Texas Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Rosalie Elenitsas, MD  Herman Beerman Associate Professor of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Director, Penn Cutaneous Pathology Services, Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Health System

Rosalie Elenitsas, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology and American Society of Dermatopathology

Disclosure: Lippincott Williams Wilkins Royalty Textbook editor; DLA Piper Consulting fee Consulting

Joel M Gelfand, MD, MSCE  Medical Director, Clinical Studies Unit, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Associate Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania

Joel M Gelfand, MD, MSCE is a member of the following medical societies: Society for Investigative Dermatology

Disclosure: AMGEN Consulting fee Consulting; AMGEN Grant/research funds Investigator; Genentech Grant/research funds investigator; Centocor Consulting fee Consulting; Abbott Grant/research funds investigator; Abbott Consulting fee Consulting; Novartis investigator; Pfizer Grant/research funds investigator; Celgene Consulting fee DMC Chair; NIAMS and NHLBI Grant/research funds investigator

Chief Editor

Dirk M Elston, MD  Director, Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology, New York

Dirk M Elston, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous Chief Editor, William James, MD, and previous authors Mary Elizabeth Rushing Lott, MD, and Gwendolyn Zember, MD, to the development and writing of this article.

References

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Large, erythematous, scaly plaque.
 
 
 
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