Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It Looks and FeelsTreatmentCausesBarber’s Itch Not Improving
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Looks and Feels
Treatment
Causes
Barber’s Itch Not Improving
Barber’s itch is a rare infection also known astinea barbaeor beard ringworm. It typically affects the skin, hair, and hair follicles in the beard and mustache areas in men who grow facial hair.
Barber’s itch most often occurs in dairy farmers and cattle ranchers who have contact with infected animals. Person-to-person transmission can occur after getting a shave in a barbershop that does not follow antiseptic procedures.
Thomas Barwick / Getty Images
How Barber’s Itch Looks and Feels
Barber’s itch usually affects the beard and mustache areas, including the cheeks, chin, and upper neck. Symptoms can range from mild to intense and appear between four and 14 days after the skin comes in contact with the fungi.
Symptoms of barber’s itch can include:
In severe cases, lesions can develop into a kerion. This is an inflamed, boggy, thickened, pus-filled area with scaly spots or patches of broken hair.
In the later stages of barber’s itch, the area can have a pus-filled appearance, with deeper infection in the hair follicle. Without treatment, permanent hair loss and scarring may result.
What Isn’t Barber’s Itch
Milder cases of tinea barbae appear similar to the following diseases that cause comparable symptoms. In making a diagnosis of barber’s itch, it should be differentiated from the following conditions:
Starting Barber’s Itch Treatment
Trying to treat beard ringworm on your own can be difficult. However, suppose you begin treatment in the earliest stages of the disease when your symptoms are mild. In that case, you may have success with one of the following over-the-counter antifungal topical treatments:
If you do not see improvement, you may need prescribed treatments. In addition, prolonged self-medication with inappropriate treatments such as topical creams that containsteroidscan increase the prevalence of unresponsive symptoms.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t notice improvement with topical treatment. Most cases of beard ringworm require prescription antifungal medicine and an individualized treatment plan. In some cases, affected tissue and hair may have to be removed to allow the area to heal.
Understanding Why Barber’s Itch Happens
Depending on the mode of transmission, dermatophytes are classified as anthropophilic (from humans), zoophilic (from animals), and geophilic (from soil). Barber’s itch is a relatively rare disease that usually occurs from direct contact with an animal infected with fungi from theTrichophytonspecies, a type of dermatophyte.
The zoophilic dermophytes most associated with barber’s itch include:
Human-to-human transmission occurs mostly indirectly involving material such as loose strands of hair and shed skin cells. Previously, using a common razor or blade during shaving before single-use razors became widely available caused it more often.
Why Barbers Use AlcoholAfter a shave, barbers traditionally apply alcohol or aftershave lotions that contain a combination of alcohol and a moisturizer. In addition to freshening and moisturizing your skin, these products close pores in your skin and help prevent irritation that results in razor burn.
Why Barbers Use Alcohol
After a shave, barbers traditionally apply alcohol or aftershave lotions that contain a combination of alcohol and a moisturizer. In addition to freshening and moisturizing your skin, these products close pores in your skin and help prevent irritation that results in razor burn.
Because barber’s itch can mimic other skin conditions, getting an accurate diagnosis is important to the success of your treatment. Though fungal infections are relatively common in the skin, hair, and hair follicles, tinea barbae is a rare condition, so misdiagnosis is common.
Treatment of beard ringworm requires an oral antifungal medication for six weeks or longer. The most common treatment involves one of the following antifungals:
For severely inflamed lesions, a short course of the corticosteroidprednisonemay be added to the antifungals to reduce the risk of scarring. It is taken at a dose of 40 mg orally once a day for adults and then tapering over two weeks.
Summary
Barber’s itch, also known as tinea barbae or beard ringworm, is a fungal infection that can often be traced to contact with infected animals such as cows and horses. It affects the beard and mustache area, including the neck, cheeks, and chin, in men who grow facial hair.
Prescribed oral antifungal drugs are the best way to treat barber’s itch. Without treatment, lesions can become inflamed. In extreme cases, inflamed lesions called kerions can occur, causing scarring and permanent hair loss.
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Primary Care Dermatology Society.Tinea faciei (face) and barbae (beard).MSG ERC DoctorFungus (the Educational and Community Resource for the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (MSG ERC).Tinea barbae.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of ringworm and fungal nail infections.Skinsight.Beard ringworm (tinea barbae).American Academy of Dermatology Association.Ringworm: signs and symptoms.Walkty A, Elgheriani A, Silver S, et al.Tinea barbae presenting as a kerion.Postgraduate Medical Journal.July 2020; 96(1137):441. doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-137609Merck Manual Professional Version.Tinea barbae (barber’s itch).American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Pseudofolliculitis barbae.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Acne.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Rosacea.DermNet.Tinea barbae.Jartarkar SR, Patil A, Goldust Y, et al.Pathogenesis, immunology and management of dermatophytosis.J Fungi (Basel). 2021 Dec 31;8(1):39. doi:10.3390/jof8010039American Academy of Dermatology Association.Ringworm: diagnosis and treatment.Samanta I.Cutaneous, subcutaneous and systemic mycology.Veterinary Mycology. 2015Jan 31:11–153. doi:10.1007/978-81-322-2280-4_4Cosmetics Info.Aftershave lotion.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Beard ringworm (tinea barbae).
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Primary Care Dermatology Society.Tinea faciei (face) and barbae (beard).MSG ERC DoctorFungus (the Educational and Community Resource for the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (MSG ERC).Tinea barbae.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of ringworm and fungal nail infections.Skinsight.Beard ringworm (tinea barbae).American Academy of Dermatology Association.Ringworm: signs and symptoms.Walkty A, Elgheriani A, Silver S, et al.Tinea barbae presenting as a kerion.Postgraduate Medical Journal.July 2020; 96(1137):441. doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-137609Merck Manual Professional Version.Tinea barbae (barber’s itch).American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Pseudofolliculitis barbae.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Acne.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Rosacea.DermNet.Tinea barbae.Jartarkar SR, Patil A, Goldust Y, et al.Pathogenesis, immunology and management of dermatophytosis.J Fungi (Basel). 2021 Dec 31;8(1):39. doi:10.3390/jof8010039American Academy of Dermatology Association.Ringworm: diagnosis and treatment.Samanta I.Cutaneous, subcutaneous and systemic mycology.Veterinary Mycology. 2015Jan 31:11–153. doi:10.1007/978-81-322-2280-4_4Cosmetics Info.Aftershave lotion.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Beard ringworm (tinea barbae).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Primary Care Dermatology Society.Tinea faciei (face) and barbae (beard).MSG ERC DoctorFungus (the Educational and Community Resource for the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (MSG ERC).Tinea barbae.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of ringworm and fungal nail infections.Skinsight.Beard ringworm (tinea barbae).American Academy of Dermatology Association.Ringworm: signs and symptoms.Walkty A, Elgheriani A, Silver S, et al.Tinea barbae presenting as a kerion.Postgraduate Medical Journal.July 2020; 96(1137):441. doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-137609Merck Manual Professional Version.Tinea barbae (barber’s itch).American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Pseudofolliculitis barbae.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Acne.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Rosacea.DermNet.Tinea barbae.Jartarkar SR, Patil A, Goldust Y, et al.Pathogenesis, immunology and management of dermatophytosis.J Fungi (Basel). 2021 Dec 31;8(1):39. doi:10.3390/jof8010039American Academy of Dermatology Association.Ringworm: diagnosis and treatment.Samanta I.Cutaneous, subcutaneous and systemic mycology.Veterinary Mycology. 2015Jan 31:11–153. doi:10.1007/978-81-322-2280-4_4Cosmetics Info.Aftershave lotion.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Beard ringworm (tinea barbae).
Primary Care Dermatology Society.Tinea faciei (face) and barbae (beard).
MSG ERC DoctorFungus (the Educational and Community Resource for the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (MSG ERC).Tinea barbae.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of ringworm and fungal nail infections.
Skinsight.Beard ringworm (tinea barbae).
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Ringworm: signs and symptoms.
Walkty A, Elgheriani A, Silver S, et al.Tinea barbae presenting as a kerion.Postgraduate Medical Journal.July 2020; 96(1137):441. doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-137609
Merck Manual Professional Version.Tinea barbae (barber’s itch).
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Pseudofolliculitis barbae.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Acne.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Rosacea.
DermNet.Tinea barbae.
Jartarkar SR, Patil A, Goldust Y, et al.Pathogenesis, immunology and management of dermatophytosis.J Fungi (Basel). 2021 Dec 31;8(1):39. doi:10.3390/jof8010039
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Ringworm: diagnosis and treatment.
Samanta I.Cutaneous, subcutaneous and systemic mycology.Veterinary Mycology. 2015Jan 31:11–153. doi:10.1007/978-81-322-2280-4_4
Cosmetics Info.Aftershave lotion.
Merck Manual Consumer Version.Beard ringworm (tinea barbae).
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
