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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Treatment For Skin Rash On The Upper Torso

I have a fairly uncomfortable skin rash on my upper torso, mainly on my upper front and most of my back. There is no open sores or blisters. There have been some stinging sensations but no indication of blistering. I am 76 years old and live in Western Louisiana, do a lot of outside activities and sweat quite a bit. some days I change shirts two or three times a day when really active and sweat a lot. I have self medicated with triple antibotic salve, hydro cortisone salve and this evening I have applied vitamin A&D salve. Also just today the rash appeared in a very intense spread on the inside of my left forearm. Very little on the right forearm.
posted on Tue, 14 Oct 2014
Twitter Wed, 21 Jan 2015 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 22 Jan 2015 Last reviewed on
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Dermatologist,  's  Response
Hello. Thank you for writing to us at healthcaremagic

After going through your query I suggest a possibility of pityriasis versicolor, which is a superficial fungal/ yeast infection of the sebum rich areas like back, shoulders and chest.
The infection is common in hot and humid weather conditions.
Clinically it presents as light brown scaly patches on torso. The scaling is fine Or brawny. The patches are usually asymptomatic.
Diagnosis is usually obvious clinically.
However, a KOH wet preparation made by scraping a small amount of scale from one of the lesions and visualized under the microscope for fungal elements is confirmatory.
Treatment is with single dose of an Oral antifungal e.g either fluconazole Or Itraconzole.
Alternatively, daily antifungal body wash with a ketoconazole based shampoo is also an option.
The lotion should be lathered in well and left for 5 minutes to act and then rinsed off. This should be continued for 5 days.
I suggest you to visit a dermatologist in your vicinity for a confirmatory diagnosis as well as appropriate treatment.

Regards
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Suggest Treatment For Skin Rash On The Upper Torso

Hello. Thank you for writing to us at healthcaremagic After going through your query I suggest a possibility of pityriasis versicolor, which is a superficial fungal/ yeast infection of the sebum rich areas like back, shoulders and chest. The infection is common in hot and humid weather conditions. Clinically it presents as light brown scaly patches on torso. The scaling is fine Or brawny. The patches are usually asymptomatic. Diagnosis is usually obvious clinically. However, a KOH wet preparation made by scraping a small amount of scale from one of the lesions and visualized under the microscope for fungal elements is confirmatory. Treatment is with single dose of an Oral antifungal e.g either fluconazole Or Itraconzole. Alternatively, daily antifungal body wash with a ketoconazole based shampoo is also an option. The lotion should be lathered in well and left for 5 minutes to act and then rinsed off. This should be continued for 5 days. I suggest you to visit a dermatologist in your vicinity for a confirmatory diagnosis as well as appropriate treatment. Regards