Suggest Treatment For Scrotal Dermatitis

Posted on Tue, 13 May 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 13 May 2014 Answered on

Sat, 31 May 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : hi I have itchy scrotum. . and red spots on left testicle it has been itching for last 2 days.. I have been dusting it with clotrimazole powder. pics attached.. These are red bumps just like mosquito or ant bite..
what is this and do I need to worry about it?
what medicine to apply or take..

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (20 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Scrotal Dermatits

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic

I am Dr. kakkar. I have gone through your query. I have looked at the pictures.

I would keep a possibility of scrotal dermatitis.

If I was the treating doctor I would have asked you to apply a topical moderately potent topical steroid cream e.g Mometasone cream (Available as Elocon cream) once daily at night for 2 weeks.

An OTC antihistamine e.g cetrizine 10 mg once daily at night would provide you symptomatic relief from itching.

regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Kakkar (7 minutes later)

what is the cause of this? is it because of the sweating? Is this some sort of infection? I recently got a UTI I am not sure if it got treated completely

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (14 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
LSC

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

It is a form of Neurodermatitis/Lichen simplex chronicus(LSC. Initially itching could be due to any reason, say sweating, dryness, scabies etc but soon on constant scratching the skin gets thickened and in turn incites more itching, and the more you scratch, the greater the skin gets thickened and in turn the greater the desire to scratch. Thus it ultimately becomes a cycle, Itch-scratch Cycle.

It is important to break this cycle with an oral antihistamine and a topical steroid. While antihistamine would decrease the desire to itch that originates from the Central nervous system, a topical steroid allows the skin to get back to normal.

regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Kakkar (17 minutes later)

hi thanks for ur reply.. can we completely rule out dhobis itch or any other bacterial infection bcoz if I dont itch it appears like mosquito bite.. like a bump onlym I sweat alot and therfore have been wearing no underwear at night.. could rubbing have caused this on thigh and groin.. because of the area I m slightly concerned if it is something serious hence the concern.. thnks for ur patience

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (12 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Treat groin and thigh for Fungal infection

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic

You should use a different cream in the groins and thigh area. I would keep a possibility of fungal infection/tinea cruris. Whereas the lesions on scrotum are different (LSC). Anyways scrotum is an uncomon site for fungal infection.

Closely opposing body folds e.g finger webs, upper inner thighs, groin, axilla, submammary folds etc can trap sweat, heat and moisture, therefore making the area favorable for fungal proliferation.

If I was the treating doctor I would have asked you to use a topical antifungal like clotrimazole/sertaconazole/luliconazole cream, twice daily, regularly for 4 weeks. One such cream that you can use is Candid-B cream, twice daily for 4 weeks. for the thigh and groin area.

I would also suggest an oral antifungal e.g fluconazole 150mg once weekly for 4-6 weeks for a more complete cure

An OTC antihistamine e.g cetrizine 10mg once daily would help you in symptomatic itch relief.

An Antifungal dusting powder e.g clotrimazole dusting powder can also be used throughout the summers, it would not only keep the folds dry but also inhibits the growth of fungus/yeast thus preventing recurrence.

regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar