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ringworm or dermatitis ?

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About 4 weeks ago I had small spider like bumps (small, hard and itchy) along the bottom part of the inside of my elbow, and a line of similar bumps on the top of my knee. Of course I scratched them alot in the beginning. Then after a few days they seemed to be going away. At the end of the week I left for my vacation in Europe. While there the bumps on my inner elbow started to flair up again, get bigger and 2 more formed symetrically on the top part of my inner elbow where two lower ones were (I was afraid at this point that it was contagious). At this point I went to local doctor who said it looked like an allergic dermatitis and prescribed a clobetasol propionate cream. After a week the rash on my arm looked worse and had become 3 connected circles of rashes-Each the size of quarters (The bumps on my knee however went away). Also, I developed a flat non-scaley round rash on the side of my breast where my arm touches. Once back home I went to my doctor who examined scrapings from my arm and said it was ringworm and prescribed Ketaconazole cream. She also said that it was a bad case since the cortisone was actually feeding it. A week later on the Ketaconazole, and the redness and swelling increased to double what it was- though it always looked lighter in the mornings. My doctor at that point sent me to a dermatologist (yesterday). He took scrapings, found no ringworm, and declared it contact dermatitis. He took me off the Ketaconazole cream and put me back on a clobetasol propionate foam (Olux). After using it twice yesterday, I woke up this morning, my arm is itchy (I am not scratching) and it is more red than past mornings. Now I am afraid that it was partially healed ringworm and I am feeding it again with cortisone- plus since I believed him yesterday when he said it was not contagious, I took to hugging my kids again... Arrrgh... Help.
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replied July 25th, 2008
Doctor
Which doctor do you believe more - to the local doctor or to the dermatologist?

It seems to me that you believe the local doctor more. I would follow the dermatologist's instructions because he is probably greater expert for skin disorders.

You can request for a second opinion from another dermatologist.
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