Fungal Infection in 17 Month Old

Dear L., I think you should get a second opinion from a skin MD as to what this is. I have had two experiences with regular doctors misdiagnosing skin things with bad and time-consuming results...and MOST important: it makes NO sense to put cortisone on a fungal infection-it is absolutely contra-indicated! (I was wrongly diagnosed with excema by a regular doctor, prescribed a cortisone cream, the infection got MUCH worse, and finally saw a dermatologist who realized immediately it was a fungal thing. she explained that the cortisone was exactly the opposite remedy for a fungus which was why it had flourished so... )it may end up being best to not put anything on this and exposing the area to air and light as much as possible ..but i think you should get a good diagnosis as to what it is..best of luck to you and your dear little one..

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Hello L.,
I'm not sure if this had been said (I don't have a chance to read the other responses) but cortisone is not good for a fungal infection. I had a fungal rash recently and the doctor told me that cortisone will make it feel much better, but it also make the rash worse. She said the antifungal cream (a steroid) they gave me had a little in it just to sooth it, but if the rash didn't go away in two weeks she would prescribe something with the cortisone in it. She also said to reduce the amount of processed sugar I ate.
I hope this helps!
C.

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Hi L.,
Our 18-month-old sons just had the same problem. We went to the doctor as well, and were prescribed an ant-fingal cream (* correction to my original post --it is called clotrimazole), so we used it for 7 days, 3 times a day, changed boys every two hours, at every change washed them and dried the skin with a blow dryer (mild setting), and then applied the cream. It cleared out in about a week. We did the no-diaper running-around thing too, but the main thing was changing more frequently, drying the skin with the blow dryer until completely dry and applying the cream. Good Luck!

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Change brand of diapers?
Let her run around bare fanny if possible. You did not mention which Rx. Lotrimin? Did they give you the POWDER medicine? Ask for that. Good luck!

If it is fungal, you should notice an improvement within 3 or 4 days. I'm surprised the dr. suggested using cortisone and anti-fungal creme at the same time. In my experience it's usually one or the other, but not both. I would try one at a time. Usually whatever works will show some improvement within two days.

See: Camille, below, says you shouldn't use cortisone and anti-fungal at the same time. She's right on. As a skin nut, I've discovered most drs. can be pretty ignorant on skin conditions, often even dermatologists.

She has a yeast infection. Use Clotrimazol (sp?) anti-fungal - put it on really thick and then glob on a thick top coat of Vaseline every time you change her diaper. Disinfect her bath tub after every bath and change her diaper every hour until it gets better. You may have a bit of trouble getting your babysitter to cooperate so make sure anyone else taking care of her knows the drill.
My son got terrible yeast infections after being on antibiotics and having a lazy babysitter. I ended up making my own concoction of Vaseline, anti-fungal cream, A&D ointment ( the gold stuff,not white ) and cortisone cream. We smeared it on like cream cheese on a bagel.
Good luck!

Have you tried NO diaper at all while she's home, to just let it air out all the moisture, do it a few times a day for 10 or 15 minutes, right after she goes #1 or #2. My kids are 9 and 13 and I never had a bad experience with rashes, keep the area as clean and dry as possible...Good luck!
Monica

I agree with Kristie Z's comment below. But, I would suggest returning to the doctor to have him give you a second opinion.

along with everything else try using a liquid antacid (malox) or something like that. Our Dr has a compound that he made up with nystatin (sp) and and an antacid. It neutralizes the acidity in the diaper. it helped my son's terrible rash. I know, it sounds weird, but my biologist husband said it makes sense!

try calendula (i found it at health food store) it comes in a petroleum jelly form) it also had tea tree oil in it. when my daughter had a bad diaper rash it worked quickly.

And my 3 y.o. son has what looks to be fungal toe nails, and I used straight tea tree oil and it has helped that as well. its all natural, so you don't have to worry about putting nasty chemicals.

good luck!

Oregano oil! It's anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti viral. this stuff is amazing. i gave it my boyfriends daughter to use on a cold sore also and she loves it now too. i use it for sinus infections and i get rid of them before they become painful (sinus infections are fungal, not bacterial).

give her probiotics (orally) and you can also get a liquid probiotic to put on her topically right on the rash. Don't use baby powders and especially don't use cornstarch - it feeds yeast and fungus.

Good morning L.,

My son has struggled over and over again with fungal infections in his diaper area. I've discovered that if I rotate two different kinds of OTC cream, it will respond to at least one of them. There are two kinds of antifungal that I rotate: Miconazole and Clotrimazole(these are the active ingredients). It seems as thought when one won't work, the other does. These two antifungals are found in "athlete's foot" and "jock itch" creams, which are pretty much the same thing. Usually we find the one that it responds to and then use a thin layer of it mixed with the hydrocortisone. I then also apply "Aquaphor" to create a barrier between the antifungal and the diaper. It really helps keep urine and feces away from the rash.

Hope this helps!
-Heather

Hi L.,

You've gotten lots of great advice and I hope that it helps. I had a bad case of it myself on my breasts while breastfeeding and then my baby got a bad rash. It was all related and we kept getting it over and over. I went to the doctor and got the nystatin for my breasts and ointment for his rash.

However, what I feel kept it at bay once we got rid of it was making my own wipe solution with Tea Trea oil, lavender and calendula essential oils (I've also tried oregano oil but that does not smell too good so I would use it sparingly). There are plenty of recipes for this if you google it but you can also experiment and see what works best for you.

However, essential oils are expensive and very potent if you buy the good stuff so no more than a couple of drops of each in per 2 cups of distilled water (after the rash was gone I used regular water).

I also bought a coffee warmer and used a bottle with a squirter on it (shampoo bottles work great!) to keep the solution warm and ready to use. For wipes I cut up a bunch of old t-shirts which are much softer on the skin (I used cloth diapers so I washed it all together~but no scent/no chemical wipes might work just as well...).

Anyway, I know this might sound very complicated but it beats those awful rashes and once you have a system it's not that big of a deal. Once I started doing it consistently we have not had a recurrence of the rash.

Hope it helps!

LP

My son had that and was prescribed triclormazole i think? But anyhow, try changing her diapers more regularly and after cleaning dry the area really good before application with cream. Try to loosely fitting the diaper for better aeration so not to build up sweat. It worked for my son so I hope this helps.

Gentian Violet can be bought at Longs or Walgreens. (Call ahead first) You only have to apply it once. (That's the nice part) It is a purple stain and will stain things it gets on. The skin will stay stained for a few days but it's easier then having to apply cream over and over.

Use water to wipe her...every time you change her diaper.
And make sure to air dry before putting on the oitment...again let the oitment air dry for about a minute.

I started to use a anti-fung., talc free powder made by california baby and switched diapers. I don't know what diapers you use but I have never had the problem again. I swear by the powder, I use it every time I change my daughters diaper.

L.

A friend of mine recommended using apple cider vinegar, when my son had a fungal infection, and it worked great. I added it to a small bath, 2 times a day, with warm water, and soaked him in it. I drained the water and gave him a regular bath, at that time. It dried the fungus up and he was better within a matter of 2 days. it worked really good. She said that if you dont want to bathe him in it, you could always add it to a wash cloth and apply to her bottom, but make sure you wash the area off well, after allowing to set for a few minutes (not sure which would be easier for you)

Fungal infections are NO FUN. and im sorry she has to go thru that.

I know it might seem out there, but have you tried vasoline?

My 23 month old daughter had somewhat the same thing, but I also used vasoline. I alternate between that and the cream, and it worked.

Good luck!!

Along with all of these fantastic comments I had to add mine. My daughter has a horrible predisposition to yeast infections. The only thing that would make it go away is the 7 day over the counter yeast infection medication that you can pick up at any drugstore or pharmacy. I usually get the generic kind at WalMart b/c it is cheaper. It is the Myconazole (spelling?) 7 cream. Put it on her externally with each diaper change and a little bit inside once a day(I know, no fun AT ALL) and it will help within 24 hours. Continue until the rash is gone. Also give her lots of yogurt!! Kids love it, and it has the good bacteria that her body needs to combat the yeast. I promise you that this will clear it up. I actually keep a stash of this stuff in case we have to deal with a yeast infection again.

Good luck!

I wonder if it really is not a fungal infection. My son had a raging diaper rash. It was so bad his little bum was bleeding. It looked like it had been slashed with razor blades. I took him to the doctor numerous times. What finally worked was this (it was not a fungal infection):
1. Avoided acidic foods like spaghetti sauce, OJ and strawberries until it cleared up.
2. Reduced dairy. Dairy made him have more diarrhea-like poop and more acidic poop, so just gave him his milk 2x per day but no milk, yogurt or other extra dairy.
3. Rinsed out whole pack of wipes so they were free of all alcohol and chemicals before wiping his tender bum. Wiping a sore bum with baby wipes is agonizing.
4. Used TRIPLE PASTE diaper cream at every single diaper change. This stuff is a miracle cream. It is more expensive than the other creams and worth ever penney. Put on a nice, thick layer every time.
5. Acicophilus (active yogurt cultures). They come in a little jar in powder form. I get them at Whole Foods and they make some just for babies and kids. You put 1/4 teaspoon per day in their milk, food or water. It helped with my son's diarrhea, so he didn't have such acidic poop, which in turn didn't burn his bum so much. We have bought Baby's Jarodophilus and KAL Brand Dinosaurs Baby Bifidactyl. Both are great.
6. Try changing brands diaper brands. Couldn't hurt. Obviously, change baby's diaper frequently.
7. Bath or shower ever day. We usually do every other day, but it helps to do every day while diaper rash is going on. Make sure baby's bum is nice and dry before putting cream and diaper back on.

That's it! Hope it helps!

What kind of fungus is it? Could it be yeast? Yeast infections can occur on the skin when the skin stays warm and moist, as in the case where a child wears a wet diaper for too long. I sometimes get yeast infections under my breasts. When I do I just get some miconozole 2 ( 2%) and use it topically. The yeast usually clears up in a day or so but more importantly I get immediate relief from the itching and burning. I do not know if it would be safe to put miconazole on a toddler or not, so ask your doctor. Good Luck!

Hi L.,
Poor little girl. That sounds miserable! If the antifungal isn't working, I am wondering if it is really fungal at all--you might want to ask the doc again. Assuming it is fungal, you could try putting some apple cider vinegar in her bath. Vinegar is an effective antifungal. It is also really important for her to have some diaper-free time. Fungus (as well as other things that cause diaper rash) hates light and air, so some naked-butt time in a warm room could really help.

Your daughter could also have some kind of food sensitivity that is causing a rash. Have you added anything to her diet lately? Or it could be something that she has been eating for a while that she has developed a sensitivity to.

The other thing that occurs to me is that she could be allergic to the anti-fungal cream. If that is the case, the rash could be getting worse even if the fungus is going away. Please let me know if I can help you any more.

Best,
E. Bender, NC, CHN
www.nutritionforthewholefamily.com

The best cure for ANY type of diaper rash is NO diaper!! I know, pee spot on the floor are no fun to clean up, but, it's not as bad as having to see your little angels bum red and sore. Fresh air, and, if it pops out here or there, Sunshine, even if it's just through the window.....
Sometimes, even with the cream from the Dr., a rash will get worse before it gets better. If it's a yeast infestion, otherwise known as thrush,(it does move to the bum) try some miconazole mixed into desitin, about 50/50, it will clear up pretty quickly, but, won't be lasting, you will need Nistatin from your Dr.

Gentin violet is a one time treatment. I used to ues on my 3 daughters. It will stain her skin purple for about a week. Her bottom will look brusied so warnd others who will change her diapers. It really works great. My daughter and her friends have used it on their children. I am a 52 year old grandmother of 7.
J.