Weird rash....jock itch or something more? HELP!

Okay, about 8 months ago I got what I thought was a rash on my upper thigh / groin area (only on my legs though) on both sides for about 2 weeks. I went to a general practitioner and he said it was a fungal condition probably from sweating and rolling around in the snow like I had been doing. I was concerned it was an STD but he seemed confident it wasn't. He prescribed me Nystatin. After taking it, it took another 10 days till it went away. (total of around 30 days of symptoms)

Just the past week the same thing started to come back and I'm concerned it might be something more since it came back (particularly herpes since I heard jock itch sometimes looks similar and is confused by doctors!). Also, I have been driving around in a car with no air conditioning in 100 degree weather for 8 hours a day. So I'm sweating alot in that area.

Description of current symptoms: red blotches on upper left thigh. No pain whatsoever. Very dry peely skin where red. Not moist whatsovever. Does not itch. I wouldn't even know its there if it wasn't red. Forms in irregular red dots that are eraser sized and sometime connect. The whole area combined is about a tennis ball in diameter.

Questions:
1.Does this sound like anything more than a fungal infection like my last doctor said? Herpes? Jock itch?

2.I have currently been taking Micotin for 2 days (active ingredient: 2% Miconazole Nitrate) Should I continue doing this?

3.How long should it take to go away if I use Micotin?

4.How long till I see a doctor?


Here is a link to a picture of the rash on my thigh:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/pddfdfc1b251ad033a32093eff46b902a/f7736742.jpg

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Just looks like irritation from sweating to me.  It doesn't sound as though it was ever a fungus, and the fungal cream you used most likely acted as a moisturizer.  Micatin is harmless, but try adding 1% hydrocortisone each time you apply it.  And make an appointment just to know with greater confidence what to do in the future.

Herpes is not even on the list of possibilities.

"Jock itch" is another way of saying fungus.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[carl_umabong]

A related discussion, jock itch... was started.