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Intertrigo
Intertrigo is skin infection at body folds where rashes appear at infected area. It is very common skin infection; commonly overweight people suffer from this condition. There is inflammation in body folds. Heat, moisture, friction, maceration and lack or air exposure aggravate this condition. Intertrigo is triggered by constant friction of skin over skin. . Affected skin becomes red and irritated.
Skin folds are especially prone to rashes because skin temperature is high there. Skin is generally wet there because of insensible water loss and sweat does not get evaporated. These areas are not exposed air. Skin layers rub each other continuously. These are favorable conditions for the bacteria and fungus to multiply.
Intertrigo usually occurs at skin of inner thighs, genitalia, under the breasts, armpits, behind ears, underside of belly and space between toes and fingers.
Intertrigo Symptoms
Intertrigo can affect anyone and it is further aggravated by some common factors like heat, moisture and lack of air. There are some very common symptoms of intertrigo. Patient feels burning or inflammation at that spot, red and wet skin, sometimes pus gets discharged. There are rashes in armpits, abdomen. Infected skin areas give unpleasant yeasty smell. Severity of symptoms also depends upon the duration of infection and skin being wet.
Some common Intertrigo Infections:
Thrush: In this condition, there are tiny peripheral pustules and skin is moist, peeling and white. Yeast like Candida albicans cause it and it grows very fast.
Erythrasma: Persistent brown patches appear over the skin and are caused by Corynebacterium minutissimum
Tinea pedis: This condition is commonly known as athlete’s foot and occurs because of dermatophyte fungi. There are cracks between toes, peeling of skin and blisters.
Causes of Intertrigo:
Intertrigo is the result of two factors; mechanical and the secondary infection. Rashes from intertrigo appear when two skin surfaces rub over each other for long time and then heat and maceration play main role in developing secondary infection. If skin is constantly wet, it becomes soft and white and this leads to cuts in the skin. This is called maceration. This makes skin prone to infections. Erosion of skin by constant friction makes that area of skin inflamed. Sweat, urine, vaginal discharge and feces make the situation worse.
Other Causes of intertrigo are as follows:
1 Obese people tend to have more problems because skin layers overlap each other due to excessive weight.
2 Intertrigo is also observed in people who are bed ridden due to some disease or wear some medical device which lead to locking of moisture on skin.
3 Autoeczematization is another factor.
4 Some inherited disorders like Hailey-Hailey disease may lead to intertrigo.
5 In infants, it can occur due to diaper use or being wet for longer time.
Treatment for Intertrigo:
Intertrigo can be treated and managed well if we take proper precautions and prescribed medicines. First rule for treating intertrigo is to keep the skin as dry as possible. And medicinal treatment depends upon what type of microorganism has infected it. There may be more than one microorganism present in the rash.
1 Try to reduce the amount of sweating with a mild antiperspirant.
2 Doctor may prescribe topical antibiotic ointments like mupirocin, fusidic acid cream and oral antibiotics like erythromycin and flucloxacillin for treating bacterial infection.
4 For treating fungi and yeast, topical anti-fungal ointments are prescribed. There are oral medicines also to treat these infections.
5 If the inflammation is more severe and unbearable, person can apply, topical steroid steroids of low potency like hydrocortisone. But longer continuous use is not recommended as these steroids because thinning of skin or may lead to ulcers.
Prevention of Intertrigo:
Intertrigo is a common disorder and can affect any person of any age. So there are some basic precautions, you can follow to avoid formation of intertrigo rashes. First keep your skin clean by following proper hygiene. Wash affected area daily with warm water and soap. Completely dry your skin before wearing dry cloths. Apply some talcum powder in between the folds, which separates the two layers of skin. Clean this powders, two three times a day and apply fresh coating. This way skin will be dry. If you get slight Intertrigo rashes, take medicines prescribed by doctor otherwise it will increase very fast.
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