How contagious is eczema in the genital area?
Eczema in the genital area is usually not contagious unless it is accompanied by a bacterial or viral superinfection. If it is a contact eczema or a skin reaction caused by internal stress, no infection is to be feared even in the case of intimate contact. However, since it cannot be ruled out that an additional infection with bacteria, viruses or fungi has already taken place, intimate contact should be avoided and one should wash one’s hands particularly thoroughly after washing or creaming the intimate area and after going to the toilet.
It should be confirmed by a doctor that it is eczema and not an infection and appropriate treatment should be started. Then there is no risk of infection. Causes of acute eczema in the intimate area and thus factors stimulating the immune system can ultimately be all substances that are foreign to the body.
Thus, both chemical and herbal products that have come into contact with the skin in the area are counted among the possible triggers. Often it is skin or washing lotions applied to the intimate area for cleansing and care that cause eczema in the intimate area. These lotions can be perfumed care products or pure substances without fragrances.
In chronic intimate eczema, a slightly different mechanism usually causes a skin change. The symptoms of redness, itching, scaling and blistering occur in the intimate area of chronic eczema just as in acute eczema. However, the symptoms do not occur one after the other but all symptoms occur simultaneously.
The triggers for chronic eczema are also foreign substances, but mostly of toxic nature. Very strongly irritating substances, which are applied in the genital area, can thus lead to the symptoms of chronic eczema in the genital area. Despite the medical distinction between acute and chronic eczema, the cause is often not so easy to find out.
Especially in the genital area, it also happens that behind a questionable eczema there is in reality a psoriasis hidden behind it which causes similar symptoms and which can also look similar. In women, the entire genital area can be affected by skin eczema; in men, the spread is usually limited to the skin of the testicles. The diagnosis is usually made by a gaze diagnosis.Typical reddish skin changes in the intimate area of the patient as well as the stated severe itching make skin eczema a shortlist of diagnostic possibilities.
In addition to the physical examination, however, the patient’s medical history should also play an important role. Patients should be asked whether they have changed care products such as lotions or creams recently. Another important question is the clarification of other existing allergies.
For example, patients suffering from other allergies such as house dust allergy, pollen allergy or similar are much more at risk of developing eczema in the genital area. Also a close connection with the occurrence of neurodermatitis is discussed. What triggered the allergic inflammatory skin change in the genital area remains unknown in many cases.
Often one tries to replace all newer lotions or creams as well as detergents, shower gels and shampoo in order to exclude possible causes. It can also be helpful to first omit one of the products and then another. This would help to find out which product could possibly be responsible for the skin complaints.
The therapeutic treatment of eczema in the genital area depends on the type of eczema on the one hand, and on the stage (acute eczema) on the other. In principle, an attempt can be made to treat eczema with lotions and creams containing cortisone. These should be used regularly 1-2 times a day for a few days.
It is important to note that medications containing cortisone are not permanent medications. There are guidelines on how long lotions and creams containing cortisone should be used. So an application of more than one week should be well discussed.
After two weeks at the latest, the treatment should be stopped. If cortisone is administered in excess, there is a risk of permanent damage to the skin, such as skin atrophy or bleeding. In addition, the condition of the skin in the area of the eczema is taken into account.
For example, wet skin should be covered with a moist pad. The application of chamomile oil soaked cloths can have a healing effect just like the application of black tea (tea bag). If the acute eczema is the stage of dry reddening or scaling of the skin, a greasing treatment should be applied to moisten the skin.
There are also numerous drugs and substances from herbal medicine that can be used in the treatment of eczema. In addition to chamomile and black tea, sage leaves are also used for eczema in the genital area. Sage leaves are said to have a disinfecting, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiviral effect.
Preparations containing calendula can also be used to treat eczema. This plant is said to have an anti-inflammatory effect as well as an immune-stimulating and wound-healing effect. Plants such as witch hazel and bitter-sweet stem are also used very successfully in some cases to treat eczema in the genital area.
The most important rule after the occurrence of eczema is to switch off the triggering source. The person affected should exchange all potentially relevant substances and replace them with others. This is the only way to ensure adequate treatment of eczema.
Eczema treatment that is carried out under continuous contact with the triggering substance is inevitably not successful. In most cases of eczema in the genital area, the doctor will prescribe an ointment containing cortisone. Cortisone has an anti-inflammatory effect and down-regulates the immune system so that the excessive reaction is contained.
The cream should then be applied to the affected area twice a day. The duration of application must be discussed in detail with the doctor. It usually lasts about one to two weeks, depending on the severity of the eczema.
It is important not to use the cortisone cream for longer than prescribed, as it can damage the skin if used for a long time and the skin layers become thinner and thus more sensitive. Sitting baths with chamomile can help against the symptoms of eczema in the genital area. These have an anti-inflammatory effect and are intended above all to relieve itching.
They can be used for both men and women. Soaked compresses with cooled chamomile tea or black tea can also be applied to the affected areas several times a day to relieve the symptoms. For very dry skin, chamomile or marigold ointment can improve the situation.
From a homeopathic point of view, sulfur is considered to be a very important part of the therapy for all forms of eczema.However, it must be remembered that a massive initial worsening can occur under therapy. Apis mellifica is particularly suitable in the early stages. If itching is the worst symptom and seems almost unbearable, Arsenicum album can be used.
Rhus toxicodendron is frequently used in the case of blistering eczema. All homeopathic remedies can be taken as globules in different potencies several times a day. In potency D15 most of these remedies can be taken three times a day.
Patients suffering from eczema in the genital area can take some measures to make the treatment even more effective or to reduce the risk of recurrence of eczema in the genital area. These include not only switching off the source of the eczema but also avoiding the use of alkaline substances for intimate hygiene. Patients should wash themselves mainly with clear water during the time when the eczema occurs.
Lotions or soaps should not be used during this time. Too tight and abrasive underwear should also not be worn during this time in order to avoid unnecessary additional irritation of the skin. Synthetic and moisture-retaining clothing should rather not be worn and should be replaced with products containing cotton.
Since parasitic and fungal diseases in the genital area can also lead to often protracted and agonizing eczema, prophylactic fungal treatment should be considered if the eczema in the genital area does not heal within a few weeks. In many patients the eczema in the genital area disappears after some time, but the itching often remains. In the case of itching (pruritus), there is an additional risk of a psychosomatic component, which should be taken into account instead of further numerous treatment attempts with lotions and creams.
As a rule, after the eczema has healed, itching should no longer be present. In addition to the causes, such as care products and lotions, which can ultimately lead to eczema at any point on the skin of the body, there are some special features in the intimate area that need to be clarified. For example, the cause of eczema in the genital area can also be an intolerance reaction to Fungal infections of the vagina can also cause severe eczema in the untreated course of the disease, which must be treated.
Chemical suppositories and other gynaecological drugs can also ultimately lead to the development of eczema in the genital area via the active ingredient. If eczema develops in the genital area after sexual intercourse, the partner must also be examined more closely if there is no adequate treatment. If a woman is allergic to latex, other contraceptive methods should be used instead of the condom.
It is especially important to pay attention to accompanying symptoms besides eczema. If there is also vaginal discharge, the triggering factor could most likely be a fungal infection. If there are other skin changes besides eczema in the genital area, it could most likely be an allergic systemic reaction of the body (e.g. food allergy or drug allergy). In the case of recurring eczema in the genital area, a dermatologist, a gynecologist and a urologist should be consulted to carry out further examinations in the genital area
- Tampons
- Intrauterine pesar (spiral)
- Portio caps
- Latex (condoms) or
- Bindings, inserts etc.
