severe jock itch

[Tammy407]

My husband suffers from a really bad problem with jock itch. He has been to a dermotologist several times and has tried several types of topical products to no avail. Micatin powder, lanacane, lotrimin, lamisil topical, tinactin, biactin, goldbond powder, zeasorb powder and last the doctor gave him duphlican tablets. None of these products have helped.
He scratches himself at night while sleeping, many mornings I wake up to make the bed and find a bloody mess on the sheets. Is there anything that could help that maybe the doctor hasn't tried? He sees a doctor at Advanced Dermotoloy in Naples, Fl and has for many years. The last prescription of Duphlican came from his Medical physician and it hasn't helped either. No one seems to offer any real hope. I love my husband and I have all but given up trying all these medicines and paying out all kinds of money and finding nothing but more aggrevation for him. Please help find him a cure and me some sanity and clean sheets.

[Giggles35]

Hi tammy tell your husband to take 2 benadryl at night and it will help him sleep and stop itching at night cause night time is the hardest and yeah he will knock out and get good sleep but also he won't be itchy the benadryl takes it away so that way he can heal at night and than durning the day get some antifungal cream to apply once in morning and at night keep doing it for 2-3 weeks and he will get better.

[SPU50]

Clotrimazole 1% twice per day. Keep area clean and at all cost dry with a coat of the cream

[richhenkle]

All I can give you is simple advice.  First, do not use any more bar soap.  Second, purchase Dial Liquid Body Wash soap.  I have found that the best is the "pheremone infused" version.  I have only had success with Dial Liquid soap.  He is to only use this soap for hair and skin washing all over his body.  When he showers, this is the time for him to scratch if he needs to.  It is fine for him to use his fingers or a washrag to scratch during the bath or shower in order to remove dead skin and relieve the itch, however he MUST keep his fingernails cut short at all times in order to prevent the re-spreading of the disease.  He should wash at least 2 times every possible area of his midsection front and back, during this shower.  It is important to wash every single area front and back.  This is critcal.  He will need to shower at least every other day, but it would be better to do so once a day.

He MUST move to tight fitting Boxer Briefs.  These are not Boxer shorts, but are briefs.  They kind of resemble the mormon style of undergarments.  The key in these briefs is that it will separate the scrotum from rubbing on the legs.  He will never get rid of this illness if he only uses whitey tighties.

It would also be good for him to go and swim laps in a chlorinated pool at least once or twice a week.  This will help to dry and kill the causes of the skin disease, but the most important part is the adherence to 1 Liquid Antibacterial Soap ONLY.  As I have explained, Dial Antibacterial Pheremone Infused is the best I have found.

He must allow himself to become very dried off before he puts on his boxer briefs.  This means that he will have to take a little time to dry off and probably use a fan as a method to dry his skin before dressing.

Zeasorb and Gold Bond can help, but overall it is better for his skin to remain in the air and receive the treatments of antibacterial liquid soap, proper underwear, and as much open air drying as he can get.  Swimming in Chlorinated pools will also help, but only a few times a week or the area can get redder.

I know how this can get.  I got it badly after being in a hospital following a hip replacement and bedridden for some time.  What I told you does work.  Another person I know has used Clotrimazole and had some success.  There is also a brand known as Dermin and ProEx.  These also help.

Eventually, once it is cured, stop using rags to wash the affected area and use hands only during bathing or showering.  This will prevent over irritation.  I hope I have helped you.  I know this will work.  I have helped other people do this as well.

If he does not switch to Boxer Briefs,  He will not be able to cure the problem.  If he thinks otherwise, tell him he is only hurting himself.  THROW out all of the old underwear and buy all new Boxer briefs.  

Finally, be very careful what you are using as a washing liquid in your washer and what dryer sheets you use.  If you really care about this, move to an environmentally based washer liquid.  Don't use cheap off brands.  Spend the money to use a very environmentally safe clothes washing liquid.  There are many brands.  I don't use them, but Melaleuca and Amway have some very safe ones, especially Melaleuca.  They also have tea tree oil for skin irritations which works magnificently.

Sincerely,

Rich

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Ask your husband to wash his groins daily and then dry thoroughly by pat drying,not rubbing. A hairdryer is useful if he has 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.Pls don’t apply any medicated powder without informing his dermatologist as it may aggravate the condition.

If the symptoms persist then oral antifungals are needed which are available only on prescription. Pls consult a dermatologist then.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted if you have any additional queries.Kind regards.

[rvdriver]

I know it has been frustrating when I have had jock itch in the past, but there is hope if that is the problem. The fact that your husband has had that much treatment and it does not work tells me, from a layman's point of view, that one of two things is going on. One: it is possible that your husband suffers from something other than jock itch. You may want to consider a different doctor altogether. Second: it may be that the over the counter remedies your husband has tried may not be working because of not following the directions EXACTLY. I know this may seem condescending, but please don't be offended. The reality is, that any time I have had to use any over the counter cure for athlete's foot, which is the exact same remedy for the same fungi as jock itch, according to my cousin, a podiatrist in Vero Beach, Fl., the directions for reapplication, cleaning of the affected area, and application of the creams, are very specific. For one thing, do not use sprays on your body, they burn like crazy and don't do much, but they can be very effective on clothing and in shoes to assist the creams, which are applied LIBERALLY to the affected areas. For another thing, wash all underwear with bleach and do not wear colored underwear, for some reason, dark clothes lend themselves to enabling fungal rashes and infections, both in the genital region and on the feet. Finally, wash the affected area, regardless of pain and burning and scrub with a white wash cloth with hot, soapy water and rinse thoroughly, every day or twice a day, depending on the severity of the fungal infection/rash. Leave open to air as much as possible in a cool, dry environment. It sounds like your husband has what is called "jungle rot," which is caused by too much heat and moisture confined in the genital area. If the problem really is a fungus, and it sounds like it is, it should not be too hard to get rid of, but some fungi are not responsive to usual treatments. You may want to get a doctor to take a sample of the fungus and have it cultured to be identified. There are some "super crud" fungi out there, and once the specific culprit is identified, healing will be much easier. If you are going to try an over the counter, get the best one you can find, as recommended by the local pharmacist, and follow the directions EXACTLY. Remember, with any fungal infection/rash, keep it cool, keep it dry, use good hot soapy water to wash and scrub the affected area several times a day, wash undies in hot water with bleach, only wear white, if the rash is in the leg crease area with briefs, try boxer briefs or boxers, if it is in the leg crease area with boxers, try briefs to seperate the skin, allow to dry in open air before dressing, if possible, if not towel dry thoroughly, then apply antifungal cream liberally and spray inside of undies that contact affected area. Remember, fungi love hot, dark, moist environments. I sure hope this helps, let me know.
A fellow fungal victim.