Tips for Treating Jock Itch
“Jock Itch” is a colloquial term for the rash that occurs on the inner thighs and sometimes spreads to the genitals. It is very common and is experienced by men and women of all ages, not necessarily jocks. And… it doesn’t always itch. So, now that I’ve totally confused you….. What is “jock itch”?
The fancy name for a rash in the folds is intertrigo. Intertrigo can be caused by three main things…. Yeast, Psoriasis, and Fungus. To learn more about these things, see our prior article on Psoriasis and Intertrigo. Most cases of what people call “jock itch” are caused by fungus. So, I’ll focus on fungus in this article.
There are lots of types of fungus. The type that infects the skin is called a dermatophyte. Fungus is in lots of places in our environment and tends to grow in moist areas of the skin.
Tip#1– Pay attention to your feet! Most fungus is spread to the groin from athlete’s foot or toenail fungus. For Dos and Donts on Treating Foot Fungus, see our previous article. For jock itch to get clear and stay clear, the feet usually need to be clear as well.
Tip #2 Put your socks on before your underwear. You heard me right! Think about it….Putting your bare feet and toenails into your underwear drags that fungus up to your groin. Keep it contained.
Tip #3 Don’t use a topical steroid. Topical steroids make fungus grow. Once the fungus has been treated with a topical steroid, a topical anti-fungal won’t work. An oral anti-fungal, terbinafine, is required to eradicate fungus once a topical steroid is used. When in doubt, always treat with a topical anti-fungal first.
Tip #4 Use a Fungicidal topical anti-fungal. Not all antifungals are created equal. Some are fungistatic which means it slows down the growth of fungus. Only a few are fungicidal which means they actually kill the fungus. Choose wisely! Lamisil (generic terbinafine) is one of the few that is truly fungicidal.
Tip #5 Keep the area dry. No matter what the cause, rashes in folds are worse with moisture. Keep the area as dry and friction free as possible. To keep the areas dry, I ususally recommend Zeasorb AF powder which can be purchased over the counter.
Hope these tips will help you address that jock itch at home. If it doesn’t respond after a few months, then it is time to see a dermatologist.
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