Hi everyone! Haven't posted in so very long. I would blame "life", but truthfully, I've just been hiding under a rock. Trying to work my way out....ugh.

Anyway, I have an embarassing, gross, horrible situation and I'm wondering how it is dealt with by others (because SURELY, please GOD, I am NOT the only one) I have what apparently is heat rash under my belly and in the creases of my thighs. It itches something fierce....except of course when it gets REALLY Bad and then it HURTS. I have tried powdering myself down with Gold Bond and, while it helps temporarily, it does not make it go away. Other than losing 100 pounds (duh...which I am TRYING) how the HECK do I treat this stuff??? Do I just suck it up and go to a doctor and get the "Well, if you weren't such a cow...." speech???

Help please!

it could be a yeast infection...so I would goto the dr. and explain that you realize that your weight is an issue, and that you are working on loosing some, but you need help with the rash.

if youre sure its a heat rash id just try a diaper rash cream..something natural..like burtsbees tends to help me if i get a rash

We call that fold irritation around here. Most of the time, I deal with it with zinc oxide ointment. If it smells like fresh bread, it's yeast, that requires a different ointment. A year ago last summer I dealt with something that was a fungus, that required a third kind of ointment that I had to get from the doctor. I also found it helpful at times to take cut up old t-shirts, and freeze them. I would then put them into the fold to cool it down and make it quit hurting for a while. At almost 600 pounds at one point, I've had more than my share of this. When I quit getting them, that was when things turned weird.

Hi Angela,

I would probably get it checked out also - I have success using the Gold Bond after showering once or twice a day, but if it got sore or extremely itchy, I would see about it.

Good Luck!

I echo the baby rash ointment/zinc oxide solution. You will see a difference overnight!!

Try something like Lanacaine. My Mom gets these all the time, and Lanacaine is the only thing she can find that works outside of a prescription.

I have found that I just have to keep the areas dry, any moisture at all and it get's bad. I wonder what it will be like after all the weight is gone and the excess skin is hanging around? Does anyone have any experience with that?

It's a fungal infection. Think its called Monilla (sp?). My doctor prescribes an anti-fungal cream and powder. Wash the area and dry it very well. Sometimes sticking kleenexes in the fold will help. Try the zinc oxide and the lanacaine and see if that works. I use regular cornstarch baby powder on the area. Gold Bond balls up and hurts and I think its more expensive anyway. The best way to prevent it is to dry the area very carefully every time you shower and bath and use powder. If something should get started, treat it immediately. On hot days, dry it periodically with kleenex or toilet tissue. Hope this helps.

Hi Angela: Good to see you!

I get that all the time in the summer. Besides the cracks where the thighs hit the crotch, I get it under my boobs. I'm pretty sure it's just a heat rash.

I found a great product that's fairly new on the market from Monistat. NO, it's not the vaginal yeast cream. It's called Intimate Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel. It goes on like a cream and then turns to powder. It really keeps the chafing down and helps to heal the soreness.

I found mine at Walmart. It was like $6.52 for a decent sized tube. I just looked it up at walgreens.com so I didn't have to run upstairs and get my tube for the name. You can find it there for $7.99, plus shipping of course.

Hope this info helps.

I get plauged by that in the heat.... I just use a zinc based cream it soon heals it up but it can't half be painful!

NO ONE here can offer you a diagnosis. It is most likely Candida albicans(yeast). It is referred to as Intertrigo. This is the thing most documented when we do abdominoplasties on people post GB surgery.
Best to keep it dry after it is thoroughly washed.
Try some over the counter things if there is no odor. If there is odor, get to Dr quickly. Anti fungals and a steroid will probably be prescribed. There is risk of infection if it persists.
I'd go to the Dr. if you can.

Robyn

When I get irritation- usually under my boobs, the best thing I can do is to make sure I gently wash, pat the area dry- do not rub, followed by a hair dryer on cool setting 2 times per day- more if the weather is really hot & sticky. I find it helpful to use flannel to wash & dry the area- its not abrasive, like terry cloth can be...try to get good quality flannel, not the cheap stuff from WalMart that pills after a couple washes. Once I get the area clean & dry, I put Desitin on it- just a thin layer, and I prefer the creamy version personally. I mix a little Tea Tree Oil into my desitin cream- I use the desitin for feeding tube site so I always have it on hand (diaper cream is a lot cheaper then the stuff my doctors recommended, plus it works better...since they've seen how well it works for me, they've been recommending it to other patients).

In case you don't know what Tea Tree Oil is, its extracted from the leaves of the Tea Tree in Australia and has antibacterial & anti fungal properties- some even say mild deodorant properties too. You can buy 100% pure Tea Tree Oil, though they also sell it at various dilutions, at health food stores and as an ingredient in shampoos, lotions, creams, etc. I had used Tea Tree Oil for several years for minor cuts & scrapes and acne, though I never thought to mix it with the Desitin until I bought some adult diaper cream that had Tea Tree Oil in it- great cream, but considering a tube half the size of baby diaper cream cost 3 times as much, it wasn't worth it for just the Tea Tree Oil, especially when I can add it to the cheaper stuff. When I get a new tube of Desitin, I put about 5 cc Tea Tree Oil in and knead the tube to mix it in- sometimes I find I need to add a little more as the tube gets used. I also mix a little in my shampoo- I feel in love with the Tea Tree Oil shampoo at the salon, but I could never afford it ...now I make my own with whatever shampoo I have

Another big part of getting chronic heat rash & irritations to heal is to expose the area to air at night...I've gotten creative at doing that with my boobs & a tank top...may not look pretty, but it sure helps. With breast, if you're well endowed, the area under your boobs probably hasn't been 100% dry since early puberty And we know constant moisture isn't good- just like they aren't for Athletes Feet or Jock Itch- both of which as fungal/yeast infections. I guess since Crease Crud or Boob Dankness don't have such appealing names for marketing, so we will probably never see any products marketed specifically for it like the guys with their Athlete's Foot & Jock Itch.

You mentioned using powder- personally, it doesn't work for me, if anything, it makes it worse. For one thing, if its corn starch based, the starch can feed the yeastie bugs, if they're present...we don't want well feed, happy yeastie bugs hanging out Talc based powders shouldn't be used in the genital area, as they have been linked to increase risk of cervical cancer, which doesn't leave any options for the most part. For me, the powder either forms clumps of paste or the individual pieces irritate me the same as a piece of sand can.

I know exactly what you mean, i call it chub rub

anywho, we have this great stuff called Bepanthen here in australia, i bought some to put on a new tattoo but when i saw that it was good for rashes i tried it on before going to bed and in the morning the rashes were pretty much gone and not painful at all.
you should see if you can find some bepanthen


-stefanie

Keep it clean and apply Desitin ointment (the kind you use on babies). It will clear up quickly. Or baby powder also works.

I get this sometimes in the summer. The Desitin will fix you right up!