Treatment of Diaper Rash Caused By a Yeast Infection
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Diaper rash that is caused by a yeast infection can be very different from a ‘regular’ friction or irritant diaper rash.
It tends to be a dark, beefy red with sharp raised corners and white scales, sometimes with puss filled bumps. Compared to a friction rash, or irritant rash, it can look and feel far more severe.
*Friction Rash:
The most common form of rash, occurs where friction is most pronounced (inner thighs, under elastic tabs), it comes and goes often and responds well to barrier creams, airing out and frequent diaper changes.
*Irritant Rash:
Occurs most on large, exposed areas such as the buttocks. It’s mainly caused by contact with stool enzymes or other irritants such as harsh soaps, detergents, baby wipes and topical medicines.
Skin wetness is the most common cause and underlying reason for diaper rash.
Urinary wetness increases raises the skins PH, causes friction and makes the skin more vulnerable to irritants. Stool enzymes and other irritants then inflame the weak layer of top skin. With this protective layer of skin breached, it is easy for microorganisms and bacteria to invade the inflamed, tender skin. Once this occurs, the rash becomes far worse and much less responsive to usual treatments.
*Diaper Rash Caused By Yeast:
Yeast is by far the most common type of organism found in diaper rash.
It thrives in warm, moist skin and is quite resilient.
Yeast involvement should be suspected in any rash that has not dramatically improved with regular treatments in over 72 hours.
The recent increase in antibiotic use makes yeast infections far more common since they reduce the skins amount of “good” bacteria that fight off infection.
Treatment:
The treatment of a yeast infection is a topical anti-yeast or anti-fungal cream. Lotrimin AF, Nystatin or Monistat are some of the best out there and they can be picked up from any drugstore without a prescription.
As with all diaper rashes, keep the skin as clean and dry as possible, and allow to air whenever you can.
The rash should start to clear up within a few days. If it hasn’t started to improve within 3 days, you should contact your pediatrician or family practitioner.
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