Intertrigo
Home Care
Weight loss and frequent moving of the body are often helpful. Keeping areas of folded skin open with dry towels or blowing a fan across moist areas can also help. Loose, unrestrictive clothing should be worn.
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call your physician if intertrigo persists despite good home care or if it spreads beyond a skin fold.
Your health care provider can often make the diagnosis of intertrigo based upon the appearance of your skin. A skin scraping and KOH examination may also be done to rule out the possibility of a fungal infection. A Wood's lamp may be used to rule out a bacterial infection called erythrasma.
Rarely, a skin biopsy may be needed to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment options for intertrigo include a low-dose steroid cream, a drying agent such as Domeboro soaks, or an antibiotic or antifungal cream applied to the skin.
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