Underarm rash

I got a rash that simply got worse from day one under left arm (around pit area and down below the chest about 5 inch. along with arm where contact is prevalent).. for no particular reason, nothing in the daily activity's changed. I went to the doc and he gave me bactrim ds, medrol, and an anti fungal steroid cream.. it cleared up in a few days.. about a month later it resurfaced not as bad, it just so happened i had a bacterial infection (unrelated) and was given cirpo 500 for 14 days.. the rash was no longer an issue..  a month after that treatment ended the rash is back. again nothing has changed in my life style. I just woke up one morning and there it was.. again.. :(  It is itchy and red.. no border.. blotchy.. warm to touch.. very stubborn..(similar to heat rash in appearance) nothing over the counter seems to help. Any advice or similar experience with relief will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm anything without examination but it can be due to a fungal infection. Wash your armpit daily and then dry thoroughly by pat drying, not rubbing. A hairdryer is useful if you have hairy armpits. The damp skin is an ideal site for fungi to multiply. Also wear cotton underwear 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 are severe then it will be best to consult a dermatologist.
Hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries. Warm regards.