Ultraviolet Light Ringworm

Already used for medical conditions such as seasonal affective disorder sad uv light treatment combined with anti fungal drug treatments is sometimes used to combat a variety of fungal infections especially those of the skin or nails.

Ultraviolet light ringworm.

However it is not very common. A wood s lamp is an ultraviolet light with a specific wavelength of light which causes some strains of m. Ultraviolet light wood s lamp normally ultraviolet light is not useful in the diagnosis of tinea with the exception of two species microsporum canis and audouinii. The uv light used for identifying ringworm is often known as a wood s lamp by practitioners.

It also can detect skin pigment disorders such as vitiligo and other. Ultraviolet light used in diagnosing ringworm. Ringworm is very badly named because it is caused by a fungus not a worm says dr. In humans ringworm forms a ring shaped raised red rash but this presentation is not common in animals.

A black light diagnosis should not be considered conclusive. John angus a veterinary dermatologist at the university of illinois veterinary teaching hospital in urbana. 50 of the microsporum canis species will fluoresce when the woods lamp is placed near the area of hair loss. The light itself looks bluish or purplish and causes some of the organisms responsible for ringworm to appear to glow yellow or green when the.

A wood s lamp correctly used can be a helpful and cost effective screening tool. Confirm the diagnosis with a culture. Ringworm makes its home on the hair and skin and it affects both people and pets. One of the simplest ways to diagnose ringworm is with the woods lamp which is an ultraviolet lamp also know as a black light.

Take a culture of the suspected fungus with a cotton swab and allow it to develop in a sealed culture media or seek professional assistance. Canis the most common feline ringworm species to fluoresce. A wood s lamp examination is a procedure that uses transillumination light to detect bacterial or fungal skin infections.