The best soap for intertrigo and best treatment for intertrigo depends on how severe the intertrigo is. In this blog I’ll talk about my experience with the intertrigo rash, how I treated it and what can cause it.
When it comes to the best soap for intertrigo, I will touch on both soaps, washes and creams for it. A soap might sound most appealing, but sometimes a leave-on treatment is best for a stubborn rash.
Symptoms of intertrigo
The first symptom I noticed of my intertrigo was a persistent, reddish rash. I got intertrigo on the folds of my neck, and at first I wasn’t sure if it was just my retinoid irritating my skin.
Because intertrigo usually starts as just a mild patch of redness, it can be hard to identify. The second symptom (that soon became the most annoying one!) was the itching. My neck was suuuper itchy and I hated it.
I would say these are the two main symptoms you’ll notice with intertrigo, and the third giveaway is the location of the rash: skin folds.
The affected area is usually one that is often a moist environment, such as skin folds. For example:
- The folds of the neck (these bunch together while you sleep)
- Moist skin under the folds of the breasts
- Under the armpits
- Any skin fold areas, such as stomach folds or fat folds
- Inner thighs or groin area
- Interdigital intertrigo (intertrigo between the fingers)
- Anywhere with excess skin
The underlying cause of intertrigo
The underlying cause of intertrigo is usually quite simple. Much like athlete’s foot or jock itch, a moist environment creates the perfect setting for a fungal infection to grow.
A yeast infection is a type of fungal infection, so in the case of intertrigo they’re basically the same cause. You may also hear about candidal intertrigo. Candida is a type of yeast, AKA a fungus, too.
Other names you might hear circulating about the cause of intertrigo:
- Candida albicans
- Candida infection
If you develop intertrigo, it doesn’t usually indicate there’s something wrong with your health. It’s more that the areas of skin you’re getting it in are exposed to too much sweating or moisture, which leads us on to the possible solutions.
If you’re not sure whether your rash is intertrigo or something else, always consult with your doctor to confirm.
How to treat the development of intertrigo
The best soap for intertrigo really depends on the severity of your rash. Mild cases may go with a simple soap applied a few times per week.
For me personally, my case was mild but I’m not sure a soap alone would have completely resolved it. I used an antifungal cream called Daktarin Gold which is a 2% ketoconazole cream.
Ketoconazole is the name of the active ingredient in many topical antifungal medications.
You’ll find that any anti-fungal cream typically uses an active ingredient ending in ‘azole’, such as:
- Clotrimazole
- Miconazole
- Ketoconazole
Like antibiotics, different funguses respond better to different types of antifungal creams. However, you can’t always select the right one first because you won’t know which you need just by looking at the rash.
I recommend starting with ketoconazole, and if that doesn’t work after 7-10 days you can try another ‘azole’ cream.
Antifungal soap vs antifungal cream
So which is more effective for intertrigo, a soap or topical creams?
You might want to use both if you find your intertrigo keeps coming back, also referred to as chronic intertrigo.
But let me tell you why I chose a cream and not a soap for my particular case. I’m only 28, so when I’m standing up I don’t have noticeable neck folds.
However, when I lay down at night and sleep, the folds ‘compress’ and the intertrigo area can become moist.
I think this all started because I use a lot of skincare products and I love to bring them down onto my neck. Unfortunately I think this contributed to the neck folds area becoming ‘moist’, and thus started my intertrigo.
The reason I prefer to use a cream is so that the area can stay saturated with the antifungal cream all night, rather than just being quickly washed and washed off with it.
It’s really a case of blocking the yeast consistently for 7-10 days, and I think a cream does this best.
Best soap for intertrigo
If you’d still prefer to try a soap, here are some that I’d recommend. These are all from amazon and they’re affiliate links, which means I’ll make a small % if you decide to make a purchase.
Ketoconazole, Aloevera and Glycerin Antifungal Soap
This soap combines ketoconazole, aloe vera and glycerin to combat the fungal infection on your skin while also soothing it.
Aloe vera and glycerin are soothing and hydrating to the skin, which can be helpful if you’ve been itching the area.
Zinc Pyrithione & Keto-conazole Antifungal Soap
This soap for intertrigo and other fungal skin conditions combines ketoconazole with zinc pyrithione. Zinc pyrithione is both antibacterial and soothing.
If you have chronic intertrigo or need to keep it under control, it’d be handy to have one of these soaps in the shower to use regularly.
To apply the soap, lather it up with a bit of water between your hands and apply it to the affected skin. Leave it on for 3-5 minutes before washing off.
If you also use acne washes such as salicylic acid wash for the body, this is also a good tip to get a better result from it!
Best antifungal cream for intertrigo
I’d recommend going into a pharmacy and asking for either ketoconazole or clotrimazole cream to start with. They may be under a specific brand name, but as long as the active ingredient is the same it mostly doesn’t matter.
Fungal infections occur all over the body and skin areas, so the good news is that it’s normal to use an athlete’s foot cream on your arm if that’s where the problem is.
Canesten Athlete’s Foot 1%
This is a clotrimazole 1% cream that can help resolve mild cases of intertrigo.
What about corticosteroid creams for intertrigo?
For just about every inflammatory skin condition there is a steroid cream that can be used. The problem with steroid creams is that they’re often used before anything else is tried.
I’m not totally against steroids BUT there is a time and a place. Sometimes using a steroid cream or calcineurin inhibitors can make things unnecessarily worse.
Again, I’m not a doctor but I have used both and, especially where there is an alternative solution, I think they should be used if nothing else works.
Some examples of calcineurin inhibitors are:
- Pimecrolimus cream (also known as Elidel)
- Tacrolimus ointment (also known as protopic)
To be clear, calcineurin inhibitors are not steroid creams but they can have a net similar effect.
Tips for preventing intertrigo flare ups
There are plenty of little lifestyle tweaks you can make to prevent and reduce your intertrigo flareups:
- Talcum powder can be used on appropriate areas, such as in between thighs, to keep areas dry
- Anything you can do to keep the area drier in general will help. Perhaps swapping to cotton clothes or underwear, for example.
- Barrier creams, such as zinc oxide paste, can be used to protect any skin wounds
- Zinc soap can be used to soothe affected areas of skin
