Miss Directed. Weight Loss

Thick, discolored toenails or fingernails are usually caused by a fungus. Patches of red, flaking skin, on the feet or in the groin area, are called athlete’s foot or jock itch. When the patches of red, flaking skin are in circular patterns on the scalp or the skin, they are called ringworm.

Athlete’s foot, jock itch, and ringworm are also caused by fungi. These fungi cause infections of the skin and nails, but are not capable of causing much else.

Treatment of ringworm with antibiotic ointments—clotrimazole (commercial name, Lotrimin) or miconazole—applied on top of the involved area, is usually effective. Most of these ointments are available without prescription. When the nails are involved, when large areas of the skin are affected, or when ointments do not work, other antibiotics, like ketoconazole or griseofulvin, can be taken as pills and are usually effective.

Small, Colorless Bumps-A crop of small, colorless bumps is usually caused by a virus called Molluscum contagiosum. Each of the bumps often has a central indentation. The most common location is on the face, especially around the mouth, and in the genital region. Molluscum contagiosum seems to be especially common in people with HIV infection.

The major problem is cosmetic. No antibiotics are successful, but a dermatologist can remove the bumps by surgery or by freezing.

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