Rash that won't go away

I know I posted already, but I got a picture this time to go along with it.   This is around my lower belly, obliques, upper thigh.  The rash spreads up the sides of my abdomen and on my lower back above my buttocks.  It stops shortly after my inner thigh, not really in my groin area at all.  Nothing on my penis, lower thigh, arms, or chest.  The rash itches sometimes and the bigger patches are somewhat dry and flaky, but nothing nearly rough looking as when I get my winter eczema.  The pin-***** parts of the rash are slightly raised and itch sometimes.

I've tried mometasone furoate to treat it if it were eczema, because I do get a rash on my upper arms mostly during the winter, but it can also be in a t-shirt pattern.  That cream didn't work for this rash.

I've tried different anti-fungal creams and none of those worked.

I also started taking a generic Zyrtec and diphenhydramine after the rash started for cat allergies, and the rash didn't go away.

Any advice would be appreciated because I don't have medical insurance.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It can be erythrasma. Erythrasma is a chronic superficial infection of the intertriginous areas of the skin. It is true that groins are effected but the typical appearance is well-demarcated, brown-red macular patches. It has to be differentiated from contact dermatitis, psoriasis, sweat dermatitis and fungal infections which may mimic it. Wood lamp examination and gram staining are the tests for its diagnosis.

So nothing can be confirmed without examination. The standard therapy of erythrasma is antibiotics and antifungals because it is caused by a bacteria C minutissimum. Erythromycin is the drug of choice.

Mild steroids are helpful in reducing the inflammation associated with it. But use it only after a dermatologist’s prescription.

I sincerely hope that helps. Take care.