Ringworm is a bothersome condition, and sometimes it can leave lingering issues. On my Web site, I recently answered a letter from a woman whose eight-year-old son had ringworm. She said medications eradicated the disease, but left bumps on his head and lower eyelid, and she wondered what to do.

Ringworm is a common infection caused by the tinea fungus that you can pick up from other people and from dogs and cats. The infection is called ringworm because of its appearance: a pinkish red rash that spreads in a circle (or ring) around a center of normal looking skin. The edge of the circle is raised and looks something like a worm under the skin.

Ringworm is typically treated with over-the-counter antifungal skin creams, powders, or liquids and usually clears up in about four weeks. Although the infection generally doesn't cause serious problems, people with weakened immune systems may have some trouble getting rid of it.

That might have been the problem in this boy's case. I suggested that she take her son to his pediatrician for a diagnosis of the bumps on his head and the blisters on his neck and eyelid. I added that if this is a stubborn case of ringworm, treatment with a prescription fungicidal cream or if necessary an oral antifungal agent should clear it up.

I also pointed out that if her son had developed a bacterial infection secondary to ringworm (from scratching), the pediatrician can prescribe an antibiotic.

I also recommended giving her son a multivitamin plus a supplement of GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) in the form of black currant oil or evening primrose oil. GLA often improves skin conditions. The correct dosage for children is 250 mg twice a day.

In addition, I told her she could use topical calendula cream or lotion made from petals of the ornamental "pot marigold" (Calendula officinalis) to soothe the affected areas of her son's skin.

I recommended looking for products with at least 10 percent extract of this plant, and also washing the irritated skin with a diluted solution of calendula tincture.

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