What Happens

At first, ringworm of the scalp or beard may look like dandruff with flakes of dead skin on the hair or beard. There may be round or oval patches of baldness. The skin under the hair or beard may be itchy, red, and peeling. The infection can spread gradually and cover a large area.

As fungi invade the hair, the hair becomes infected, brittle, and breaks off near the root, resulting in patches of baldness. If you treat ringworm early, hair loss is usually temporary.

The scalp or the skin under the beard may become very tender if swollen areas and bumps that look like blisters or nodules with pus (kerions) develop. Skin blisters can become infected.

Ringworm of the scalp or beard can cause scarring and permanent hair loss.