Intertrigo is a common and treatable skin condition that can lead to an infection. It often happens in skin folds where your skin rubs together. The friction causes inflammation that looks like a red, bumpy rash.
1. What is intertrigo?
Intertrigo is a common inflammatory skin condition that is caused by skin-to-skin friction (rubbing) that is intensified by heat and moisture. It usually looks like a reddish rash. Trapped moisture, which is usually due to sweating, causes the surfaces of your skin to stick together in your skin folds. The moisture increases the friction, which leads to skin damage and inflammation.
2. What parts of the body get intertrigo?
Intertrigo can appear in between any skin areas that are in close contact with each other, such as skin folds, and that are often moist.
The most common places that intertrigo occurs include:
- In the crease(s) of your neck.
- In your armpits.
- Beneath or between your breasts.
- Between your belly folds.
- Between your buttocks.
- In your groin at your scrotum.
- In your inner thighs.
- Between your toes and fingers.
Babies are especially at risk for intertrigo because their skin is delicate and they’re more likely to have moist skin from drooling or from wearing diapers. The most common places for babies to have intertrigo include:
- On their buttocks or in their groin area (often referred to simply as diaper rash).
- In between their neck folds.
- In the creases of their skin rolls or folds on their arms and legs.
3. Who gets intertrigo?
Anyone at any age can get intertrigo. Babies often get diaper rash (diaper dermatitis), which is a form of intertrigo. People who have obesity, diabetes and/or a weakened immune system due to underlying disease or medication are more likely to get intertrigo.
4. What are the signs and symptoms of intertrigo?
Signs and symptoms of intertrigo depend on how severe it is and if there is an infection or not.
Early symptoms of intertrigo without infection can include:
Having a somewhat symmetrical red or reddish-brown rash with small bumps in an area where your skin rubs against itself.
Having itching, stinging and/or burning in the affected area.
Feeling uncomfortable or experiencing pain in the affected area.
If intertrigo is not treated in its early phase, you can develop the following symptoms:
Feeling like your affected skin is raw.
Having cracks in your affected skin.
Experiencing bleeding or oozing from your affected skin.
Having skin that is crusted over and/or scaly in the affected area.
Symptoms of intertrigo with an infection can include:
Having a foul smell in the affected area.
Having bumps on your affected skin that contain pus.
Having raised, tender bumps on your affected skin.
5. Can intertrigo cause complications?
If intertrigo is not treated properly, it can cause complications, including:
- Nail fungal infections: If a fungal infection from intertrigo that is between your toes or fingers is not treated properly, it can cause a fungal infection in your toenails or fingernails.
- Cellulitis: Cellulitis is a deep infection of the skin and soft tissue caused by bacteria. If cellulitis is not treated properly, it can be life-threatening. This complication is more common in people who have diabetes and intertrigo.
- Sepsis: If you have an infection caused by intertrigo that is not treated, it could lead to sepsis. Sepsis is a medical emergency caused by the body's response to systemic infection. It can be life-threatening.