Although their names — ringworm, jock itch, and athlete's foot —
may sound funny, if you're a teen with one of these skin
infections, you're probably not laughing. If you've ever had
one, you know that all of these can produce some pretty
unpleasant symptoms. The good news is that tinea, the name for
this category of common skin infections, is generally easy to
treat. The Basics on Tinea Infections Tinea (pronounced: TIH-
nee-uh) is the medical name for a group of related skin
infections, including athlete's foot, jock itch, and ringworm.
They're caused by several types of mold-like fungi called
dermatophytes (pronounced: der-MAH-tuh-fites) that live on the
dead tissues of the skin, hair, and nails. What Is Ringworm?
Ringworm, which isn't a worm at all, can affect not only the
skin, but also the nails and scalp. Ringworm of the skin starts
as a red, scaly patch or bump. Ringworm tends to be very itchy
and uncomfortable. Over time, it may begin to look like a ring
or a series of rings with raised, bumpy, scaly