Kurap, panau and other fungal skin infections: how to recognise and treat them

Types of fungal skin infection

Kayap isn’t a fungal infection. It is shingles, caused by the chickenpox virus, and needs different treatment. See our guide to shingles (kayap).

How kurap spreads

Kurap is caused by fungi called dermatophytes, which live on skin, hair and nails. It spreads through:

• skin contact with an infected person, for example in contact sports
• sharing towels, clothes, bedding, shoes or socks
• damp floors in gyms, changing rooms and shared bathrooms
• pets, especially cats and kittens. A Hospital Melaka study found that a fungus caught from cats caused more than half of scalp ringworm cases. Take a pet with scaly or hairless patches to the vet (kurap kucing can pass to people).

Heat, sweat, tight clothes and shoes, diabetes and a weak immune system all make infection more likely. It usually appears 1 to 3 weeks after contact.

Panau is different. It is caused by an overgrowth of Malassezia, a yeast that normally lives on everyone’s skin. It flares in heat and sweat and isn’t passed from person to person in the usual way.

Treatment for kurap (ubat kurap)

For kurap on the body, groin or feet, a pharmacist can recommend an antifungal cream such as clotrimazole, miconazole or terbinafine:

• Wash and dry the area well, then apply the cream thinly to the rash and about 2 cm of normal skin around it, usually once or twice a day.
• Keep using it for 1 to 2 weeks after the rash has gone. Stopping as soon as it looks better is a common reason it comes back.
• Most rashes improve within 2 weeks. Treatment can take up to 4 weeks.
• Treat athlete’s foot at the same time as jock itch, as the fungus spreads from the feet to the groin, often via a towel or underwear.

Antifungal tablets, prescribed by a doctor, are needed for scalp ringworm (creams can’t reach the hair roots), most nail infections, widespread rashes, and infections that haven’t cleared with cream. Scalp ringworm usually needs at least 4 weeks of tablets, and nail infections up to 6 months.

Why steroid creams make kurap worse

Steroid creams calm itching and redness, so kurap can seem better at first. But they weaken the skin’s defences and let the fungus spread underneath, leaving a larger, less typical rash that is harder to recognise and treat. Doctors call this tinea incognito.

• Combination creams containing both an antifungal and a steroid are sold over the counter in Malaysia. Reviews have found they don’t cure the fungus any better than an antifungal alone, so use them only if a doctor advises.
• In 2025, researchers at Universiti Malaya reported Malaysia’s first confirmed cases of Trichophyton indotineae, a fungus behind an epidemic of widespread, treatment-resistant ringworm in South Asia that has been linked to steroid cream misuse. Some of the Malaysian patients had not travelled abroad and had used steroid creams, and some responded poorly to standard treatment.
• Check that creams and traditional remedies are registered with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA). Registered products carry a MAL number. The Ministry of Health has repeatedly warned about unregistered products found to contain hidden steroids.

If you are unsure whether a rash is fungal, see a doctor before using a steroid cream. Our guide to itchy skin explains the safe use of steroid creams for eczema.

Treating panau

• Use an antifungal shampoo or wash containing ketoconazole or selenium sulfide on the affected skin. Leave it on for 5 to 15 minutes, then rinse. A common routine is daily for a week, then once a week for a month. Antifungal creams work for small areas.
• The colour takes weeks to months to return after the yeast has gone, especially pale patches. That doesn’t mean the treatment failed. Sun exposure makes the patches more noticeable.
• Panau often comes back in hot weather. Using the wash once or twice a month can help prevent it.
• See a doctor if it is widespread or keeps coming back. Antifungal tablets are sometimes used.

Preventing fungal infections

• Dry your skin thoroughly after bathing, especially between the toes, in the groin and in skin folds.
• Change out of sweaty clothes and socks promptly, and wear loose cotton clothing and socks.
• Don’t share towels, clothes, shoes, combs or hats. Use your own towel for your feet.
• Wear slippers in shared showers, gyms and changing rooms.
• Wash gym clothes and towels after each use.
• Check pets for patchy hair loss, and wash your hands after handling them.

When to see a doctor

• the rash hasn’t improved after 2 weeks of antifungal cream, or keeps coming back
• it is on the scalp, or affects the nails
• it is widespread, or you have used a steroid cream on it
• you have diabetes or a weak immune system
• the skin becomes hot, swollen and painful, or you have a fever, which can mean a bacterial infection
• you aren’t sure it is fungal. Eczema, psoriasis and other rashes can look like ringworm. See our guide to psoriasis.

A doctor can often tell by looking, and may gently scrape some scale to test for fungus. For an intensely itchy rash that is worse at night and affects others at home, see our guide to scabies (kudis buta).

Where to get a skin rash checked

A GP can confirm a fungal infection, prescribe antifungal tablets for scalp, nail or stubborn infections, and refer you to a dermatologist if needed. Our directory lists GP clinics across Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and other states, including clinics open in the evening and at weekends.

Browse the clinic directory

Frequently asked questions