Ringworm vs Jock Itch: Difference and Comparison

There are a lot of skin diseases that might be serious, or they can be mild. But it all affects our skin so deeply. There are seasonal skin rashes or diseases which is mild, but it can affect your skin so much.

Ringworm and jock itch come under these categories. Both have different causes and symptoms.

Key Takeaways

1. Ringworm is a fungal infection that can affect various body parts, while Jock Itch specifically targets the groin area.
2. Both conditions result from the same group of fungi, but Jock Itch thrives in warm, moist environments more than Ringworm.
3. Treatment for both conditions includes antifungal medications, but prevention measures differ due to the distinct affected areas.

Ringworm vs Jock Itch

The difference between ringworm and jock itch is that ringworm can happen anywhere in your body as it is a fungal infection. Ringworm can cause many symptoms which might be anywhere around your skin. But in the case of jock itch, it only happens around the buttocks or under the knee areas. It is not found everywhere around your skin.

Ringworm has nothing to do about worms, despite its name. Microsporum, Trichoderma, and Epidermophyton are three forms of fungus that can cause ringworm. It is a highly infectious fungus that grows on the scalp and skin.

The ringworm infection can cause scaly, itchy, and red.

It’s a fungal infection of the genital area that gets defined by the fact that it’s common among sports. The illness, also known as tinea cruris, creates an itchy skin infection in the groin, buttocks, and inner thighs.

Chipping or chapped, as well as scaly, red, or brown spots, are common symptoms. The itchy patch is always raised up and the skin is cracked. Overweight people face this problem commonly.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Ringworm	Jock Itch
Definition	Skin-to-skin touch or contact with an affected animal or item spreads ringworm. Ringworm is a cutaneous infection.	Infection of the genital area, inner thighs, and glutes with a fungus. Jock itch is an itchy rash.
Symptoms	In youngsters, ringworm of the head is prevalent, and it can lead to bald patches. Ringworm is a scaly infection.	Ringworm is very common in and common among children. They should bathe, and comb their hair daily.
Medication	Self-care and antifungals are used to treat the infection. Anti-fungal medicine is used to treat ringworm.	The groin area should be kept clean and dry, and topical antimicrobial medicine should be applied.
Prevention	To prevent jock itch, the only way Is to keep yourself moisturized, take a shower every day.	To prevent jock itch, the only way Is to keep yourself moisturized, and take a shower every day.
Other Terms	It is also known as tineas Corporis	It is known as tinea cruris

What is Ringworm?

 A fungal infection of the skin, ringworm, is also known as eczema, dermatophyte infection, or infection of the skin. The term “ringworm” is misleading because the infection is caused by a fungal, not a worm.  

The illness causes a lesion that looks like a worm in the shape of a ring, thus the name.

Ringworm is most frequently used to define tinea corporis (body fungus). However, it can also be used to indicate tinea infections in other places, including tinea cruris (ringworm of the groin). 

Animals and humans are both susceptible to ringworm infestation. The infection manifests as red patches on the skin’s affected places at first, then spreads to other body parts.

The hair, foot, nails, crotch, moustache, and other places may be affected. Your doctor will examine your skin and maybe use a black light to observe your skin in the affected region to confirm the ringworm.

Under a light source, depending on the species of fungus, it may fluoresce (glow).

You can develop ringworm if you do the following things: Small nail and skin abrasions, Intimate association with persons with a ringworm fungal infection, such as sharing infected people’s clothes and towels or sharing a room with an infected person.

After excessive sweating, you don’t take a bath or entirely dry off. Keep your skin wet for extended periods.

What is Jock Itch?

Jock itch is a fungus that creates a red, itchy rash on the body’s warm and wet places. The rash is most common in the groin and inner thighs and might take the shape of a ring. 

Jock itch is named for the fact that it is widespread among athletes. People who sweat a lot or are overweight are also prone to it. Jock itch is not significant, although it is painful and bothersome.

Maintaining the genital area clean and dry and applying topical antifungal drugs to the afflicted skin are possible treatments. Jock itch starts with a reddening of the skin in the groin crease.

In a half-moon form, it frequently spreads over the upper thigh. The rash could be a bracelet with tiny blisters around it. The skin could be flaky or scaly and burn or itch.

The germs that cause jock itch to flourish in moist, enclosed spaces. Jock itch is caused by fungi that can be spread from person to person or transmitted by exchanging infected towels or clothing.

The same fungus that causes an athlete’s foot is to blame. Because the fungus may travel on your hands or a towel, the infection frequently travels from the foot to the groin.

Main Differences Between Ringworm and Jock Itch

1. The main difference you will see about both terms is that ringworms have occurred all around the skin across the scalp, a region with hairs as jock itch is only found around some genital areas.
2. The patches which are found because of ringworm stay for a long time. The patch stays raised upwards, and this fungal infection is common among children. As jock itch is found as an itchy patch around the skin which is genital.
3. The symptoms are also different ringworm has ring-shaped patches which red. But in a jock itch, the skin might be cracked and have an itchy red part.
4. The risk factor for ringworm is that if you share a room or live with a person infected with ringworm, you will also be infected. While the risk factor for jock itch is that if you get overweight, you might phase a problem of jock itch infection.
5. Ringworm is commonly found around children as they go out in contact with many people and play around. While jock itch is common with athletes.

References

1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913847.1990.11710114
2. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2008/0515/p1415

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023