Skin fungal infection help!

From what I can gather, most people here are dealing with vaginal infections, but my situation is a whole different beast; I’ve managed to pick up some fungal skin infections that are an absolute nightmare, leaving me covered in a rash that makes me look like an extra from a medieval epic, you know, those scenes where they show off all the plague-ridden peasants...

Anyway, I’ve been slathering myself in Ketoconazole and hydrocortisone for three weeks now, but things are actually getting worse; aside from a few spots that cleared up, everything else is just expanding or spawning entirely new patches... does anyone have any similar experiences? And please, don't get mad at me if this has already been discussed extensively—I honestly haven't had the chance to scroll through all 250 pages of this thread...

For the last ten days or so, I've cut out sugar, pastries, and junk, trying to pivot toward a healthier diet, yet this condition of mine just keeps spiraling... 😢

I decided to start a thread about dealing with a fungal skin infection. It all started when I got some irritation from shaving, which unfortunately turned into a fungal issue. It took nearly two months of consistent treatment before things finally cleared up. At first, I was using Nystatin cream, but it didn't seem to be doing much, so I switched over to Ketoconazole.

frozenbadger32 said:From what I can gather, most people here are dealing with vaginal infections, but my situation is a whole different beast; I’ve managed to pick up some fungal skin infections that are an absolute nightmare, leaving me covered in a rash that makes me look like an extra from a medieval epic, you know, those scenes where they show off all the plague-ridden peasants...

Anyway, I’ve been slathering myself in Ketoconazole and hydrocortisone for three weeks now, but things are actually getting worse; aside from a few spots that cleared up, everything else is just expanding or spawning entirely new patches... does anyone have any similar experiences? And please, don't get mad at me if this has already been discussed extensively—I honestly haven't had the chance to scroll through all 250 pages of this thread...

For the last ten days or so, I've cut out sugar, pastries, and junk, trying to pivot toward a healthier diet, yet this condition of mine just keeps spiraling... 😢

Where did you break out? I need to know so I can move this post to its own separate thread. 😁

melloworca6 said:Where did you break out? I need to know so I can move this post to its own separate thread. 😁

Ugh. It’s everywhere... my back, stomach, chest, legs... and now summer is right around the corner, which means all those seasonal clothes are coming out. 🙂

If it spreads all over, I’ll just move this thread over to the Health section. How are you even sure it’s a fungus? Did you actually get a skin scraping or a swab done? Seen a dermatologist yet? To me, this is starting to look more like an allergy. 🤷

melloworca6 said:If it spreads all over, I’ll just move this thread over to the Health section. How are you even sure it’s a fungus? Did you actually get a skin scraping or a swab done? Seen a dermatologist yet? To me, this is starting to look more like an allergy. 🤷

Unfortunately, it really is fungal, not an allergy... they look pretty nasty, what people call ringworm. It all started cropping up after I caught two different bugs in a single month and ended up finishing a course of Amoxicillin.

Did you actually get a swab or just scrape the area? You need to know exactly what you're dealing with and what it's sensitive to; otherwise, you're basically just treating it blindly. If the creams aren't doing the trick, you can always go the oral route with antifungals—something like Diflucan.

melloworca6 said:Did you actually get a swab or just scrape the area? You need to know exactly what you're dealing with and what it's sensitive to; otherwise, you're basically just treating it blindly. If the creams aren't doing the trick, you can always go the oral route with antifungals—something like Diflucan.

No, they didn't; I just received the typical, run-of-the-mill diagnosis from our doctors claiming it’s some fungal infection triggered by antibiotics and that I just need to be patient because these things don't clear up overnight...

It’s honestly driving me crazy how much worse this is getting; I took a little break from using hydrocortisone for a few days and everything flared right back up, which makes sense given that you aren't supposed to rely on those indefinitely... so now I'm stuck in this loop of indecision. Should I just bite the bullet and pay out of pocket to see a private dermatologist, or is it worth the headache of fighting with the local clinic?

I’m not entirely sure how effective corticosteroids are when you're dealing with a fungal infection. I'm not sure if you caught my previous post, but it might just be a matter of finding the right cream—there are several different types of antifungals used to treat these things. I did a quick search online and found this link; just type "antifungals" into the search bar there 😉
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http://besplatniseminarskiradovi.com/index.htm#

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hydrocortisone IS NOT meant for fungal infections. Not for one day, not for a week, not ever...

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@Tyler Fox

Thanks for the link, though according to this, my rash would fall under the category of tinea corporis. The description matches mine perfectly, and while Ketoconazole is supposed to be the go-to treatment for it, I’m definitely not seeing any improvement... It looks like I might have to push back a little bit with my doctor next time.

As for the corticosteroids, I'm really not sure. She prescribed a combination of those two creams, and the lady at the CVS pharmacy even told me it was a solid pairing... 🤷

frozenbadger32 said:@Tyler Fox

Thanks for the link, though according to this, my rash would fall under the category of tinea corporis. The description matches mine perfectly, and while Ketoconazole is supposed to be the go-to treatment for it, I’m definitely not seeing any improvement... It looks like I might have to push back a little bit with my doctor next time.

As for the corticosteroids, I'm really not sure. She prescribed a combination of those two creams, and the lady at the CVS pharmacy even told me it was a solid pairing... 🤷

If that combo is supposed to be so great, then how come everything is getting worse instead of better?

If you don't believe me, just Google it.

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That’s precisely why I decided to come to this forum and seek out some advice in the first place...

Steroids basically just chill out the inflammation, which is why everyone loves them—they work fast, so people think they’re actually getting better. But the whole mechanism? It suppresses your immune response, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what you want when your body is trying to fight off bacteria, viruses, or fungi.

IF you’re dealing with a fungal thing, you need antifungals (both topical and oral, just like melloworca6 mentioned earlier) PLUS you need your own immune system running at 100%.

IF it’s an allergic reaction, you gotta steer clear of whatever triggered it and calm things down with antihistamines—which, unlike steroids, don't come with those nasty, destructive side effects.

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So, she’s basically arguing that everything was fine while I was actually using them, but the second I took a break, the whole thing just flared right back up..

On a different note, I’ve actually overhauled my entire diet over the last ten days—eating way more fruits and veggies, taking echinacea, and hopefully some probiotics too, assuming they can actually do something for my immune system..

No offense to your doctor, but this whole treatment plan just doesn't add up. You don't exactly take antifungals in fits and starts...

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Well, looks like I’ll be hunting down a referral for a dermatologist... It’s not like I’ve dealt with a skin fungal infection before—I've had a yeast infection, sure, but those feminine wipes handled that just fine—so I’m honestly a bit lost on what to expect here. Should things be getting worse, or is this supposed to be settling down by now? Any insight would be appreciated, thanks for all the help!

Maybe try seeing a dermatologist. Your primary care doctor should be able to figure it out, but honestly, you can never be quite sure 🤷.

I actually just saw a dermatologist myself not too long ago. I initially thought it was just a yeast infection from my pads, but she told me it looked more like a skin reaction, maybe dermatitis or something similar. After talking it over with my OBGYN, we adjusted my treatment plan. I started using hydrocortisone—I had actually spent the first few days applying Amoxicillin on my own because I thought it was an ingrown hair, then switched to Johnson & Johnson on my doctor's advice since I feared it might be a fungal issue again, but nothing seemed to help. Anyway, this irritation lasted about ten days, but once I started the hydrocortisone, it cleared up within two days. My OBGYN did warn me to keep an eye on things, though. If it really was a yeast infection, the steroid might just mask the symptoms, but if it was contact dermatitis (from pads, condoms, or something else), the hydrocortisone is the right move—I just need to figure out what's irritating my skin so it doesn't happen again. So, now I'm just waiting for my next period 😁.

Tyler Fox said:Maybe try seeing a dermatologist. Your primary care doctor should be able to figure it out, but honestly, you can never be quite sure 🤷.

I actually just saw a dermatologist myself not too long ago. I initially thought it was just a yeast infection from my pads, but she told me it looked more like a skin reaction, maybe dermatitis or something similar. After talking it over with my OBGYN, we adjusted my treatment plan. I started using hydrocortisone—I had actually spent the first few days applying Amoxicillin on my own because I thought it was an ingrown hair, then switched to Johnson & Johnson on my doctor's advice since I feared it might be a fungal issue again, but nothing seemed to help. Anyway, this irritation lasted about ten days, but once I started the hydrocortisone, it cleared up within two days. My OBGYN did warn me to keep an eye on things, though. If it really was a yeast infection, the steroid might just mask the symptoms, but if it was contact dermatitis (from pads, condoms, or something else), the hydrocortisone is the right move—I just need to figure out what's irritating my skin so it doesn't happen again. So, now I'm just waiting for my next period 😁.

Ugh, seriously? Hydrocortisone on vaginal mucosa? NOPE! 🙂

Check out post # 14 above.

It wasn't actually on the mucous membrane itself, but more on the lower part of the labia majora where the hair is. Just so you know, I’m very careful about using corticosteroids—I only applied a tiny amount for two or three days until things settled down, and I made sure to clear it with both my dermatologist and my OB-GYN first. I haven't applied anything for two days now, so we'll see how it goes. My next period should start in about a week, so I'm planning to switch up my brand of pads to see if that helps prevent this from happening again.