Tinea is commonly known as ringworm, a fungal infection that can be found anywhere on the body. It gets its name because of the circular rash it causes. The name of the infection is determined by where it’s at on the body. In the case of tinea manuum, the word manuum means the infection is on the hands.
Types of Tinea
Also known as “dermatophytosis," tinea can appear almost anywhere on your body, and the name tells you where on the body it is. The two most common types of tinea infection are athlete’s hand and athlete’s foot.
You might recognize some of the common types of ringworm infections by different names.
Athlete’s hand
Athlete’s hand, or tinea manuum, is the name used if the ringworm infection is on one or both hands. It can be on the palm or the back of the hand, or in the skin folds between the fingers.
Athlete’s foot
Athlete’s foot, or tinea pedis, describes ringworm infections on the foot, most often between the toes.
Jock itch
Jock itch, or tinea cruris, is a ringworm infection in the groin area, inner thighs, and the butt crack, called the gluteal cleft.
There are also these type of ringworm infections:
Scalp ringworm
Scalp ringworm, tinea capitis, is more common in children. The fungal infection is on the scalp.
Body ringworm
Body ringworm, tinea corporis, affects more than just one spot – it goes all over the body. It’s most often found in the skin folds, though.
Nail ringworm
Nail ringworm, tinea unguium or onychomycosis, affects toenails most often, but it can affect fingernails.
Symptoms of Tinea Manuum
Ringworm on your hands may include the following symptoms:
- Itchy round patch on the back of your hand
- Dry skin on the palm of your hand
- Cracks in the skin in the palm of your hand, perhaps with white scales
- Pain and swelling
- Blisters and pimples on your fingers
Tinea manuum rash
Aside from these symptoms, you could have a rash that often looks like rings or circles together, but the centers are clear. They are red or pink, but on darker skin, they can look brown or gray. The important thing is that it’s a discoloration of the skin. The circles in the rash could have raised scaly borders, too.
Causes of Tinea Manuum
Around 40 types of fungus can cause ringworm, and they thrive in warm, humid places.
Tinea manuum risk factors
Along with being a humid environment, you may be more at risk for getting ringworm if you:
- Sweat heavily
- Play contact sports, like wrestling or football
- Use public showers, locker rooms, and sport facilities, like swimming pools
- Live in close contact with other people, like in a dormitory
- Share hygiene products with others without disinfecting
- Share towels, clothing, or bedding
- Are obese
- Have diabetes
- Have high blood pressure
- Have atherosclerosis
- Work with your hands with members of the public, as do hair dressers and massage therapists
- Work with animals, as do farm workers, groomers, and veterinarians and veterinary technicians
- Work with chemicals, or cars and machines
- Have a history of dermatitis on your hand
How does tinea manuum spread?
Tinea manuum is very contagious, so it doesn’t take much to spread it or get it. You can get it by:
- Skin-to-skin contact with an infected person
- Petting an animal that has ringworm, including your pets
- Touching soil infected with ringworm
- Using an object infected with ringworm
You can even spread ringworm to other parts of your body. One of the common causes of tinea manuum is when you have tinea pedis on your foot and you scratch it with your bare hand.
It's rare for ringworm to spread below the skin’s surface. If you have a severely weakened immune system, it can be harder to be clear of infection.
Diagnosing Tinea Manuum
Your doctor can perform a simple physical exam. But since tinea manuum can be harder to determine, your doctor may take skin scrapings to look at under a microscope.
Depending on the type of infection, your doctor may recommend a culture. This is when they examine a skin sample to find out the type of fungus that’s growing.
Treating Tinea Manuum
A few treatments can help you get rid of tinea manuum. Whichever one you use, it can take up to six weeks for the infection to go away completely.
Over-the-counter-treatment for ringworm
The first step for many people is to try over-the-counter (OTC) ringworm creams or ointments, called topical antifungal agents. It’s important to follow the directions on the product for the best results.
The instructions may vary between products, but in general, these antifungal agents are applied to the tinea manuum twice a day for two to four weeks. The rash or other symptoms might go away before the recommended time is up, but don’t stop using it just because the symptoms are gone. Finish the recommended treatment.
Sometimes, the treatment works but the ringworm returns and you have to do the treatment again.
Tinea manuum medication
If the OTC products don’t work or the infection is severe, your doctor might prescribe oral medication, such as terbinafine and itraconazole. Just as with the OTC products, the symptoms will likely go away before you finish your full treatment, but that doesn’t mean the infection is gone completely. Finish taking the medications as prescribed to make sure it’s gone.
Tinea manuum home treatments
There are no home treatments for this type of infection. Only antifungal medications will make it go away.
Preventing Tinea Manuum
You can reduce your risk of getting tinea manuum and spreading it to others by minding your daily habits. Here are a few things you can do.
Don’t share with others. To prevent infecting other people, avoid sharing personal items. If you need to, disinfect the items if you can.
Treat every infection. If you have ringworm in multiple places, proper treatment is important. You need to treat every area at the same time. If you don't treat every area fully, you may get a secondary infection of ringworm.
Wash your hands frequently. Tinea manuum can spread to other areas if it's not treated and managed. Washing your hands frequently will keep the fungus from spreading.
Dress light. Avoid layers and thick clothing in humid weather. Wear loose cotton clothes to promote an environment that won’t support fungus. Similarly, avoid sweating too much. If that’s not possible, regular showering may help.
Keep shared areas clean. Shared areas such as gyms, schools, and locker rooms can easily spread ringworm fungus. If you're an athlete, keep your gear clean and shower after wearing it to keep fungus growth to a minimum.
Fully dry after bathing. Before putting on your clothes for the day, make sure your skin is fully dry. Towel dry, air dry, and use a hair dryer on cool to make sure your skin is dried before putting clothes on.
Takeaways
Tinea manuum is the hand’s equivalent of athlete’s foot. Tinea manuum is a fungal infection – ringworm, on the hand. It’s very easy to catch and spread, so it’s important to make sure you wash your hands often and thoroughly, especially after handling animals, soil, and objects such as towels used by someone else, that could have the fungus on them. If you do get tinea manuum, it’s important to use or take the recommended medication exactly as prescribed to make sure it goes away.
Tinea Manuum FAQs
What does tinea manuum look like?
Tinea manuum can cause a red rash with circles, red patches on the back of your hand, and dry scaly skin on the palms of your hands. On darker skin, those patches can look brown or gray.
How long does it take tinea to fade?
How long it takes for tinea to fade varies, but if it hasn’t gone away after six weeks of treatment, you should speak with your doctor because you may need to try another type of medication.
What’s the difference between tinea manuum and dermatitis?
Tinea manuum is a fungal infection. Dermatitis is swelling and irritation of the skin, but it isn’t caused by an infection, nor is it contagious.
What can be mistaken for tinea manuum?
There are a few skin conditions that could be mistaken for tinea manuum. They include:
- Contact dermatitis, inflammation, and irritation from touching something, like detergent
- Atopic hand dermatitis, itchy, dry hands
- Psoriasis, a skin disease that causes itching and scaly patches
- Keratolysis exfoliativa, peeling skin on the palms of your hand
Will tinea go away by itself?
No, tinea is a fungal infection that needs treatment to go away. If it’s not treated, it will spread.
