Diagnosing ringworm hinges on the understanding that ringworm is not caused by a worm. Instead, it is the result of a fungal infection. The fungi that produce ringworm in humans both live and grow on the outer most layer of the skin as well as on the hair shafts. They are most fond of growing in areas that are warm and moist, such as in skin folds and in swimming pools and locker rooms. 

Ringworm is typically diagnosed by the presence of a rash that is shaped like a ring. A trained physician will be helpful in diagnosing ringworm, and he or she may accomplish this through observation of a skin scraping. The procedure is to scrape the skin from a ringworm rash and look at it underneath a microscope. Thanks to the higher magnification that is available through a microscope, it is easy to look for the fungus that causes ringworm.

Once ringworm has been identified through identification of a ring shaped rash or through a microscope skin scrape diagnosis, it may be treated easily, as it is not difficult to remove from the body. The typical treatment for ringworm of the skin is the use of creams that may be purchased in most pharmacy and health care stores without a prescription. The creams are applied to the skin as directed in order to kill the yeast mold and fungi that cause ringworm.

It is possible that the rash on the skin will clear up within a few days once a person begins to treat it with ringworm cream, but it is important that the cream is still used until it is no longer prescribed to be used by the label or by the patient's physician. This is important because if the fungi are not thoroughly killed by the cream, which they might not be if the cream is not applied for the full length of the prescribed span, then they might begin to grow again once the cream is no longer being applied, which will result in the return of the infection. 

There are some cases where the first cream a person tries might not be as effective as necessary. In such cases, a physician may prescribe extra strength pills that will quickly kill the fungus. It is important to treat the ringworm infection to keep the skin from blistering and becoming infected with additional bacteria.