Belly flap and heat and sweat rash!

[EnergyJaguar]

Please help, I’m too embarrassed to go to the doctor to find a solution.

After babies, two sections and some weight gain I have a belly flap. In the heat it can get irritated under there. I thought it might be fungal bought a fungal cream than just irritated it and made it really lumpy and red. I stopped the fungal cream and used Vaseline and some deodorant. That seemed to help but now I’m scarred under my belly. The irritation has gone for now.

if now it gets hot or sweaty it flares up again, so I’ve been using anti perspirant but hate using this around that area as I worry about the aluminium in anti perspirant.

does anyone have solutions?

due to chub rub thighs I need to wear cycling shorts which seems to exacerbate things when it’s hot. I never had this problem before and always had a flap of sorts.

Any ideas what it could be?

what I don’t get is I literally do not sweat anywhere else!! I’ve never worn anti perspirant or deodorant!

You will be sweating (gently!) elsewhere but it can easily evaporate. Under the flap there is no air flow so it can't evaporate, so you are aware of the sweat and it causes skin issues.

Thanks for the advice and yes I will. I had a family member stay over the weekend who is a GP and I almost asked them but way to embarrassing. Psoriasis does run in my family so it’s a possibility, I might try and upload some pics of it. I took one from worse to better! If anyone doesn’t mind a pic?

The middle bottom one was as it got better so it kind of got scabby and the Vaseline helped the scab and it would come away like scales.

I’ve marked it as sensitive so you can choose to see it or not

It does look a lot like mine, OP.

Psoriasis is essentially an overgrowth of skin cells. On the limbs and trunk, these build up and cause plaques. But in skin folds, where it is warm and moist, the excess skin peels away, leaving skin which is soft and dark red or pink - like new skin when a wound heals and the scab falls off. It can also get infected.

You would need to see the GP. The cream I use (Trimovate) is only available on prescription. Diagnosis is tricky, though - they finally relented and considered mine might be psoriasis (which I told them I thought it was at the beginning) when 3 months of treating it as intertrigo didn’t work. Gave me Trimovate _ problem solved.

Acute treatment is twice a day for up to 2 weeks (mine took one), thereafter occasional use to keep it under control. If I try to stop the cream altogether, the pink areas spread and darken and get itchy again.

But I’m waffling, and speculating. Have a gander at this and Google some photos of flexural/inverse psoriasis _ see what you think. The family history supports the hypothesis (my father had psoriasis) https://www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/sensitive-areas

Oh, and despite your sense of embarrassment, the GP won’t think twice about it. They’ll just want to sort it for you.

The “coming away like scales” is also very suggestive of psoriasis. TMI - but I would sit on the loo, rubbing at the itchy area under my boobs, and afterwards there would be piles of skin on the floor, it just sloughs off…

Yes it would just wipe away on a tissue the scales would!!! Very useful - I go today so no chance of GP, it’s left like a dark scar, when I come back I will look into it and continue as before with the anti perspiration for now, just cos I know it works for a bit. Thank you for the advice

Hope you have a fab holiday!

Thank you! Just a quick one @PuzzledObserver the scales is that a good thing as it felt like it was healing underneath. I do have a scarred area now. I should say I’m of South Asian origin hence the darker skin.

I don’t know whether it’s a good or a bad thing….. I mean, if you do have inverse psoriasis, that would fit with excess skin coming away. That’s all I meant by mentioning it.

I am not a doctor! I do suggest you see one (when you get back from holiday).

I cannot shout this enough but MEDIPURE works absolute wonders for this. You may need to clear a yeast infection (is it very sore and red?) but medipure will then keep it at bay. It’s a medicated talc but it will keep you dry all day.

I get mine on Home Bargains for about £1.