What Does A Fungal Infection Of The Skin Look Like?

Fungal groin infection (tinea cruris) is an infection of the groin caused by a fungus. It is a common problem, particularly in athletes and in the elderly. Treatment with an antifungal foam usually works well. The tips given beneath may help to forestall recurrences.

What is fungal groin infection and how practice you get information technology?

By Robertgascoin (Ain work), via Wikimedia Eatables

Fungal groin infection (tinea cruris) is a fungal pare infection of the groin. Some types of fungal germs (fungi) are normally found on human being pare. They ordinarily do no harm. Even so, if conditions are right they tin 'invade' the skin, multiply and cause infection. The weather condition fungi like best are warm, moist and airless areas of skin, such as the groin, under the arms and under the breasts.

What are the symptoms of fungal groin infection?

Typically the groin becomes itchy and a bit sore, mainly in the pucker betwixt the height of the leg and the genitals. It is more common in men and the scrotum may also be itchy. Red, slightly scaly skin then develops in the groin, usually with a definite edge or border. Both sides are commonly affected. The rash often spreads a brusque fashion downwards the inside of both thighs.

Sometimes the infection spreads to the pare on other parts of the torso (or may have first started in some other area, such as athlete's human foot (tinea pedis)). Fungal infections do not usually get deeper than the peel into the body and are non usually serious.

What is the treatment for fungal groin infection?

You tin can buy an antifungal cream from pharmacies, or obtain 1 on prescription. There are various types and brands - for instance, terbinafine, clotrimazole, econazole, ketoconazole and miconazole. These modernistic creams are proficient at immigration fungal skin infections.

Apply the cream to the surrounding 4-vi cm of normal skin in addition to the rash.
Utilise for every bit long as brash. This varies between the different creams, so read the instructions carefully.
For pare that is particularly inflamed, your physician may prescribe an antifungal foam combined with a mild steroid cream. This would normally be used for no more than 7 days. You may need to go on with an antifungal foam alone for a time afterwards. The steroid reduces inflammation and may ease itch and redness rapidly. However, the steroid does non kill the fungus so a steroid cream lonely should not be used.

An antifungal medicine taken by mouth is sometimes prescribed if the infection is widespread or severe - for example, terbinafine, griseofulvin, or itraconazole tablets.

You can read more about treatments for fungal infections in the split leaflet called Antifungal Medicines.

Photographs showing the typical appearance of fungal groin infection (tinea cruris) and showing how information technology is treated with an antifungal cream until it is almost gone are bachelor in our Further Reading and References department, below.

Preventing recurring fungal groin infection

Wash your groin daily; and then dry thoroughly. Drying is perhaps the most important point. It is piece of cake to put on underwear when your groin is non quite dry. The damp groin is so an ideal site for fungal germs (fungi) to multiply. (A hairdryer is useful if you take hairy groins.)
Change underwear daily. Fungi may multiply in flakes of skin in unwashed underwear.
Cheque for athlete'south foot (tinea pedis) and treat information technology if you take it. Athlete's foot is a common fungal infection of the toes. In a typical example of athlete'southward foot, the skin between the toes is itchy and flaky - especially between the outer two toes. The fungi from athlete's foot may spread to the groin. The same creams are used to treat athlete's human foot and fungal groin infection (tinea cruris).
Practise non share towels with people in communal changing rooms. Launder towels frequently.
Keep your own towel when you have a fungal skin infection to reduce the take chances of passing on the fungus to others.