What Causes Recurrent Fungal Infection In The Groin Area?
no matter how hard i try to keep the area dry and hygienic. Please provide your valuable inputs.
Tinea cruris. Oral and topical antifungals
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX Thank you for writing to us.
I am Dr. kakkar(Dermatologist and Venerelogist).
I have gone through your query and I have noted your concern.
Recurrence of fungal infection in groin region (tinea cruris) may be due to several factors apart from heat, sweat and humidity e.g inadequate duration of treatment, using OTC steroid creams for symptomatic improvement, underlying factors like uncontroled diabetes, obesity/ deep groin folds, wearing improper clothing e.g tight fitting clothes which are less airy, synthetic clothes which are suffocating for the skin and favor retention of moisture.
Therefore general advice related to treatment of fungal infection includes wearing loose fitting cotton clothes, bathing twice daily, keeping finger nails short, avoiding self medication or OTC steroid based creams, using separate towel, washing clothes daily and exposing them to dry out in the sun for at least 2 hours and ironing clothes as well as undergarments.
In addition to the general advice I usually start my patients on an oral antifungal e.g either itraconazole capsules or terbinafine tablets as well as a topical antifungal cream e.g either luliconazole 1% cream or sertaconazole 2% cream. In case of recurrent or tough to treat tinea infections i suggest my patients to continue both oral and topical treatment longer than the usual duration of 2-4 weeks. I ask them to continue for at least 6-8 weeks.
These are all prescription medications and I suggest that you kindly talk to your local practitioner for a prescription regarding the same.
Regards