What is Intertrigo?
Intertrigo is an inflammatory skin condition caused by skin to skin friction( rubbing ) that is aggravated by heat and moisture. Moisture trapped in the skin folds due to sweating causes the surface of skin to stick to each other and the moisture increases the friction between the skin folds. It usually looks like a reddish rash.
The most common areas affected are armpits, beneath the breasts, genital area, and abdomen.
Is Intertrigo and fungal infection related?
Intertrigo itself is not fungal infection. It’s an inflammatory skin infection. Intertrigo can leads to bacterial or fungal infection. This is often known as secondary infection.
What parts of the body gets affected with Intertrigo?
It mainly appears in the skin areas that are in close contact each other such as skin folds. The most commonly affected areas are:
- In crease of your neck
- In armpits
- Groin areas
- Beneath or between your breast
- In your inner thighs
- Between your toes and fingers
Babies are at special risk because the skin is more delicate and they are more likely to have moist skin due to drooling and due to diapers. The most common places for babies to have intertrigo are:
- Neck folds
- Groin areas
- In the creases or folds of arms and legs
What are the Causes of Intertrigo?
- Moisture
- Heat/ humid weather
- Lack of air circulation
- Friction between skin folds
It can be complicated by micro-organisms:
- Yeast
- Dermatophyte Fungus
- Bacteria
What are the risk factors of Intertrigo?
Following are the risk factors for intertrigo:
- Poor hygiene
- Malnutrition
- Excessive sweat
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Have a splint, brace or artificial limb
- Exposed to high heat and humidity
- Incontinence
- Tight clothing
- Infants: chubby, short neck, flexed posture
- Suppressed immune system due to chemotherapy or HIV
- Skin disease like psoriasis
What Are the Signs and Symptoms?
Intertrigo can represent itself as-
- Red or reddish-brown rash
- Raw, itchy or oozing skin
- Foul odor
- Cracked or crusty skin
- Satellite lesions
- Diaper rash in babies and incontinent adults
- Urine and feces can aggravate rash and make healing difficult.
Symptoms of intertrigo with infection can includes:
- Having foul odor in the affected area
- Having bumps on your affected skin that contain pus
Is intertrigo contagious?
Intertrigo is not contagious. It cannot spread from one person to another via touch or clothes or utensils.
What are the Investigations for Intertrigo?
There is no formal test or assessment tool to diagnose intertrigo:
- Complete case history
- Physical examination
- Wood’s lamp examination
- Skin scraping and KOH examination
- Bacterial culture for secondary bacterial infection
- In rare cases, a skin biopsy can confirm the diagnosis
What is the Prognosis of Intertrigo?
Prognosis is good after treatment. Condition disappears and self-care helps condition not to reoccur again.
What is the Differential Diagnosis of Intertrigo?
Intertrigo can sometime look like:
- Tinea versicolor
- Folliculitis
- Jock itch
- Athlete’s foot
- Ringworm
- Pemphigus
- Seborrheic dermatitis
- Atopic dermatitis
What is the Management of Intertrigo?
Intertrigo can be managed by taking following steps:
- Manage weight to reduce the size of the fat folds.
- Wear loose and soft clothes like cotton clothes.
- For infants with diaper rash, change diapers frequently
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat a balanced diet
- Keep in a cool and dry place, to avoid sweating
- Wash affected areas with water and soap.
- Use antifungal absorbents powders on affected areas
- After exercising change cloth dry skin first then wear dry clothes
What is the Homeopathic Treatment for Intertrigo?
Homeopathic medicines that can help in management of the symptoms of intertrigo are as follows:
- Arsenicum album: Skin has burning, itching of the skin of the sole of the feet. The rash might be papular and causes burning.
- Graphites: Eruptions between fingers and at joint bents. Eruption oozing a thick honey -like fluid. Tearing, burning and shooting pain.
- Mercurius solubilis: Skin almost constantly moist. Itching, worse from warmth of bed. Profuse perspiration without relief.
- Petroleum: Itching at night. Skin dry, constricted, very sensitive, rough and cracked. Burning pain in the skin. Worse before and during thunderstorm, in winter.
- Sulphur: Symptoms better after application of cold on the affected skin. Skin is rough, dry and peeling. Skin is dark red in colour, with burning sensation. Affects left side of the body more often than right side of the body.
