For years I, a 72-year-old woman, have suffered from redness, itching (especially at night or in heat) and irritation in my buttock crack. My former GP called it ragaden, a kind of fissures; My current GP says it’s eczema. I have tried miconazole and hydrocortisone but to no avail. Zinc ointment didn’t help either. What else can I try?
Joris Bartstra, journalist with medical diploma
Skin problems are difficult to assess by email. For an effective treatment, it is necessary to look carefully at what is going on. Where exactly is it? How does it look? Is it painful? Does it come and go or is it stable? Does the spot continue to sweat or is it only a little wet after showering? Did the treatments do nothing or help but did the problem come back? The drugs that have been tried so far seem quite logical to me: miconazole is an antifungal agent and hydrocortisone is an anti-inflammatory.
With that combination you get rid of a lot of spots, unless there are bacteria in it, and then an antibiotic should help. It could also be an autoimmune problem, but that should respond a bit to hydrocortisone anyway. If there are bacteria, it should get worse with hydrocortisone. In short: back to the doctor, and if that doesn’t help, ask for a referral to the dermatologist.
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