Answered by Anthony Mancini M.D.
Dr. Mancini received his undergraduate and medical educations at the University of Arizona, and trained in pediatrics, pediatric dermatology, and dermatology at Stanford University. He is currently Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Dermatology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and Head of the Division of Dermatology at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Mancini has served as a member of the AAP Executive Committee, Section of Dermatology since 2001. He is a member of the AAP Super CME Planning Group and the AAP Pedia Link Pediatric Dermatology Project Team, and is Secretary-Treasurer of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology. His teaching accomplishments include the Faculty Excellence in Education Award from the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern, which he has received for the last eight years. Dr. Mancini is a peer reviewer and/or sits on the editorial board for several academic journals, and has published over 75 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters. He is co-author of Hurwitz Clinical Pediatric Dermatology, 3rd edition, and is an associate editor for the comprehensive dermatology textbook Dermatology. His special interests include infectious skin diseases and exanthems of childhood, vascular malformations and hemangiomas, and neonatal skin maturation and skin disorders.
Dr. Mancini is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Dermatology. He and his wife, Nicola, a neonatal intensive care nurse, have three children (Mallory, Christopher, and Mackenzie) and reside in Evanston, Illinois.
Question
Have you ever heard of a yeast infection in the crease of a baby's neck? The doctor said my 5-month-old niece has one, and she told my sister to get something for athlete's foot, that this should cure it. But it's not working, and if anything it made it worse. Her neck has become very irritated and has begun to bleed. What can be done?
Answer
There is a very common disorder in babies called intertrigo. It causes redness and sometimes maceration (moisture and skin breakdown) in the skin folds, including the creases of the neck, the armpits, and the groin. The condition begins with inflammation related to warmth in these areas, and often becomes secondarily infected with a yeast called Candida.
Treatment consists of wet compresses (to gently clean the areas) and the application of both a low-strength anti-inflammatory (steroid) cream and an antifungal cream. At times, however, these areas can become secondarily infected with bacteria, causing oozing, discharge, and often a bad odor. In this case, an antibiotic is usually necessary as well. You will need to see your health care provider at this point.
