Redness and Irritation on Skin Between...

I have been dealing with redness and irritation on the area where my vagina and inner thighs meet. It is red and VERY ITCHY and has been for a while. I have applied alcohol and witch hazel. They of course burned and were drying. I have applied A&D ointment and Gold Bond powder which are both cooling and soothing until it gets warm. I have also applied Shea Butter and continued the gold bond powder. This has gone on for a while and I am not sure what else to do. I have Herpes, but this irritation is seldom on the vagina or inside.

I have also used Cortisone 10 which has also been soothing, but I need something to cure whatever it is. I had not assumed it was yeast because it seems so topical, but a girlfriend this morning said it sounded like yeast. I am fed up with the discomfort.

What could this possibly be? There is no discharge or sores.

dk1226

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

There are a few possibilities for this kind of rash.It can be a fungal infection(Tinea cruris) ,sexually transmitted disease and contact or irritant ( xerotic) dermatitis.

Wash your groin daily and then dry thoroughly by pat drying,not rubbing. A hairdryer is useful if you have hairy groins.The damp groin is an ideal site for fungi to multiply.Also wear cotton underwears and change them twice a day. and do not share other people’s towels.Application of local antifungal cream(terbinafine, clotrimazole, econazole, ketoconazole, miconazole) and oral antifungal drugs are the mainstay of treatment.If the symptoms persist then rest of the two need to be probed.Benadryl can be taken for contact dermatitis and STD’s have to be confirmed first by pelvic examination or swabs.

I sincerely advise you consult a dermatologist and get the diagnosis confirmed.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

A rash on the body fold is referred to as intertrigo.  Affected skin is reddened and uncomfortable. Body folds are prone to inflammatory rashes because of relatively high skin temperature, moisture and sweating cannot evaporate and friction from movement of adjacent skin. There is also an increased bacteria and yeasts  in such environments and may result in further damage to the skin.

It is best that you see your doctor to determine the cause of this condition. Visual inspection and complete physical examination are important. A swab for microscopy, culture of micro-organisms as well as skin scraping for for fungi may be done to determine the cause. Treatment also depends on the underlying cause.  Bacteria may be treated with topical antibiotics  while yeasts and fungi may be treated with over-the-counter topical antifungals.

Take care and keep us posted.