Intertrigo: Natural Remedies

Prevention of intertrigo

Obese or overweight people and infants are at high risk of intertrigo: for this reason, it would be useful to prevent this annoying disorder by applying protective pastes or adsorbent powders (talcum powder), particularly useful to allow the transpiration.

Before applying any product, be it a cream, a talc or a specific lotion for intertrigo, it is essential to carefully clean the area, to avoid "covering" with the products also any mushrooms or bacteria that have infiltrated between the folds of the skin. But the rules for proper personal hygiene are not yet finished: first the products for cleaning the body must be selected, trying to discard the irritating or low quality ones, since they could be a source of damage, thus irritating the skin and causing intertrigo.

Another rule to keep in mind is the drying of the area: in addition to being meticulously cleaned, the folds of the skin, the inguinal, retro-auricular, interdigital grooves etc., require careful drying, since the possible stagnation of water in these locations could facilitate skin maceration, hence intertrigo.

Moreover, for those subjects particularly sensitive to intertrigo, it is necessary that the underwear is cotton, in order to allow the skin to breathe: the synthetic fibers are therefore not recommended, since they tend to suffocate the skin and, preventing transpiration, to promote sweat stagnation, generating redness and triggering that chain mechanism that inevitably ends with bacterial colonization, generating intertrigo.

In conclusion, overweight and obese subjects should follow the rules dictated by food education and a balanced hypochloric diet.

Natural remedies

If the disease is minor, the herbalist offers a wide range of topical products for the restoration of intertrigo: protective pastes, talc (adsorbent powders) and oleolites (oily concentrates obtained from vegetable substances soaked in oil ) are three categories of products particularly indicated in the case of intertrigo. Obviously, when dermatitis has an evident skin maceration, herbal products are no longer sufficient and may need to be associated with specific pharmaceutical specialties (eg antibiotics) indicated by the doctor.

Among the most effective natural remedies against intertrigo we mention:

• Hypericum oil ( Hypericum perforatum ): promotes wound healing, disinfects the area (antiseptic property), acts as a natural antibiotic thanks to hyperforin and promotes re-epithelialization; particularly useful in case of intertrigo.
• Aloe vera ( Aloe vera gel): particularly suitable for its re-epithelising and refreshing properties, useful for ensuring the patient a sensation of immediate freshness. Wound healing is favored by the presence of organic acids, vitamins and polysaccharides.
• Grapefruit seeds ( Citrus × paradisi ): the phytocomplex extracted from grapefruit seeds, rich in bioflavonoids and terpenes, is useful as a disinfectant against bacteria and fungi that colonize the folds of the skin in those subjects suffering from intertrigo.
• Shea butter ( Butyrospermum parkii ) or jojoba liquid wax ( Simmondsia chinensis ): basic components in the formulation of protective pastes: their eudermic, elasticizing, re-epithelising and nourishing properties offer many advantages to an irritated skin, typical of intertrigo.
• Corn starch ( Zea mays L.), zinc oxide, Rice ( Oryza sativa ) and oats ( Avena sativa ) : especially indicated for suppurating wounds, as they act as soothing, astringent and calm the itching caused by intertrigo (components base of the talc).

Summary

To fix the concepts ...

pathology	Intertrigo
Description	Common form of inflammatory dermatosis which mainly involves skin folds subjected to continuous friction
Incidence	It mainly affects infants, young people, the elderly and overweight or obese people
Factors predisposing to intertrigo	Subjects in obvious overweight and obese Intergluteal and inguino-crural folds in newborns Sweat that stagnates between the folds of the skin Slightly alkaline stools that tend to "corrode" the skin (caused by the diaper) Habitual use of shoes that are too tight, made of synthetic material and diapers Bad hygienic conditions and incorrect personal hygiene
Aetiology	Candida albicans Mycetes of the genus Epidermophyton Staphylococcus aureus Streptococcus piogene Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Target anatomical areas of intertrigo	Inguinal area, axillary area, interdigital area (between the toes, especially those of the feet), inframammary fold, abdominal site (for overweight subjects), intergluteal groove and neck folds (typical intertrigo of infants) and retroauriclas grooves. Unusual intertrigo: angular stomatitis and pyogenic perionyxis
Symptomatic picture of intertrigo	Onset: redness, de-epithelialization, peeling of the skin, irritation, redness of the area, itching Evolution: more marked and painful maceration of the skin, cracks, intense pain, bleeding, fissures, blisters and pustules often smelly Severe degeneration: septic dermatitis or impetiginised intertrigo
Diagnosis	Buffer Careful microscopic examination Biopsy
Therapeutic strategies	Application of: painkillers or mild natural anesthetics antifungal / antibiotic ointments or lotions, associated with nourishing and re-epithelizing / healing creams
Prophylaxis	Apply protective pastes or adsorbent powders once or several times a day Thorough cleaning of the area Discard irritating or low-quality products Careful drying of the area Cotton underwear Follow the rules dictated by food education and a balanced hypochloric diet
Natural remedies against intertrigo	Talc, oleolites, protective pastes based on: Oleic oil of hypericum Aloe vera Grapefruit seeds Shea butter, Jojoba oil Corn starch and Oats Zinc oxide, Rice