The product my doctor recommended to protect my son's skin was named Ilex. It was a cream, but VERY thick, like beeswax. It acted as a shield. But this was only because he was weraing diapers at the time. Probably not what you would use.
Tracy
You could try putting KY jelly all over the red area after showering. This will ease irritation and has no medication in it, water soluble.
Thank you so much for your advice. I thought it could be strep and dismissed the idea without asking my doctor.
I don't know if this will help you but when my son was very young and he had bowel issues, he was in and out of the hospital. At one point he had a red bottom which we thought was diaper rash and it turned out to be anal strep, a strange condition. It actually began to bleed and with diapers, that is difficult to deal with! I hope you find out what it is.