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Despite the name, jock itch isn’t exclusive to athletes. It’s just one way a type of contagious mold called ringworm can infect a person’s skin. In fact, anywhere on the body that a person has skin, hair, or nails can host a ringworm infection. The good news is an effective treatment can be found for only a few dollars at a local drug or grocery store.
Jock itch, or tinea cruris, is a fungal infection of the outer skin on the groin, buttocks, and inner thighs. The infection is caused by several species of molds, called dermatophytes, which feed off proteins in the outer skin layers. These molds can infect any part of the body, not just the groin, including the feet, nails, and scalp. Dermatophyte infections are collectively called ringworm or tinea.
Jock itch is a contagious disease. Dermatophyte spores can be spread from person to person or from one part of the body to another. Skin-to-skin contact can spread spores, but most commonly, spores are spread to the groin area on unwashed towels, washcloths, underwear, workout clothes, and bed sheets.
Jock itch is commonly an “auto-infection,” that is, the dermatophytes are spread from the groin to other areas of the body. For instance, athlete’s foot (tinea pedis), easily caught from floors in locker rooms or showers, is a common source of jock itch infection. The dermatophytes infecting the foot can spread to the groin area on the hands or even on a pair of underwear. The underwear brushes the skin as it’s pulled over the feet, picks up spores, and the spores then infect the groin area.
The groin is an ideal environment for dermatophytes because of sweating, skin chafing, and skin folds. Sweating and skin folds create the warm, moist areas that molds thrive in. Skin chafing damages the outer skin, allowing dermatophytes to more easily take root.
Athletes are particularly vulnerable to jock itch because they sweat, wear tight clothes, and are often infected with athlete’s foot. Other risk factors for jock itch include
Excessive sweating
Bad hygiene
Athlete’s foot or other ringworm infections
Participation in contact sports
Living in a humid climate
Excess weight
A compromised immune system
Uncontrolled diabetes
Jock itch is a common complaint, but many people treat it at home and never see a doctor. The best guess is that tinea infections occur in around a billion people a year, making ringworm one of the world’s most common skin infections. Jock itch, in particular, is three times more common among men than women in part because moisture gets trapped in the skin folds between the scrotum and the area under the scrotum. It is also more common in adolescents, probably because they are more likely to participate in sports.
About 90% of jock itch infections are cured in two to four weeks, usually with an antifungal cream, gel, spray, or powder. Many people, however, will experience frequent jock itch infections because of lifestyle, hygiene, or untreated ringworm on other parts of their body.
A healthcare professional diagnoses jock itch by a physical examination. Many patients, however, diagnose themselves and treat the infection with store-bought creams or sprays.
The symptoms of jock itch are readily identifiable
Redness or rash in the groin, inner thighs, buttocks, genital area, or around the anus
Clear borders around the skin rash that sometimes includes blisters
Possible clearing within the middle of the red rash
Itchiness, stinging, burning, or pain in the affected area
Possible flaky skin
A general practitioner usually treats jock itch, but more extensive or complicated infections will require a dermatologist. The physician will base the diagnosis on the appearance of the infection but may examine the skin with a small, hand-held microscope. If there’s any doubt, the doctor may take a skin scraping and examine it under a microscope to confirm the presence of the molds.
Jock itch is treated with topical antifungal medications. Patients will also need to make hygiene and lifestyle changes to keep the infected area clean and dry.
Topical antifungal medications are enough to cure jock itch in two to four weeks. Most patients (80-90%) will be completely cured using store-bought antifungal creams, gels, sprays, or powders. For extensive or chronic infections, oral (“systemic”) antifungals will be prescribed for four to eight weeks. Because jock-itch is often caused by other ringworm infections on the body, such as athlete’s foot, all ringworm infections need to be treated at the same time.
To help cure jock itch, patients need to keep the affected area clean and dry both during and after treatment by
Wearing loose-fitting clothing and underwear
Washing the area regularly
Showering immediately after sweating or physical activity
Not using the same washcloth or towel on other parts of your body
Drying the skin completely after washing
Not scratching or rubbing the area
Jock itch treatment usually begins with over-the-counter topical antifungals, but particularly stubborn infections may be treated with antifungal pills.
Store-bought topical antifungals clear up most jock itch infections. They work pretty quickly, eradicating the fungus in about two to four weeks. Topical azole antifungals, such as clotrimazole, miconazole, econazole, ketoconazole, and oxiconazole, require twice-daily administration for two to four weeks to do the job.
Allylamine topicals, such as terbinafine, butenafine, and naftifine, only require once-daily administration to clear up the infection faster. However, they cost more. For some infections, a doctor may prescribe ciclopirox, a standard, broad-spectrum antifungal cream that is very effective against dermatophyte infections. Ciclopirox cream is also available over the counter.
Oral antifungals are more effective but have serious side effects. A doctor may prescribe oral antifungals if the infection is extensive or not clearing up with topical antifungals. In those rare cases, the doctor will prescribe either Lamisil (terbinafine) or Sporanox (itraconazole).
Topical allylamine antifungal creams are the preferred therapy because they only require a once-a-day application and resolve the infection quickly. However, many patients will use topical azole antifungals because of the lower price. They are as effective as allylamines, but they require a twice-a-day application over a longer period to eradicate the infection.
4.8 average rating| Drug name | Learn more | See SingleCare price |
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| Lamisil At | lamisil-at details | Get free coupon |
| Terbinafine | terbinafine-hcl details | Get free coupon |
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| Naftifine | naftifine-hcl details | Get free coupon |
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| Itraconazole | itraconazole details | Get free coupon |
Jock itch is treated with topical or oral antifungal medications. While topical antifungals rarely cause side effects, oral antifungals are reserved only for the most stubborn or extensive jock itch infections because of their side effects.
Topical antifungals typically have few and only very mild side effects, usually burning, itching, stinging, or skin irritation wherever the medication is applied. Allergic reactions are a problem and could be severe enough to require medical attention.
Oral antifungals affect the whole body and have significant, commonly experienced side effects such as headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea. Oral antifungals with the most severe side effects (fluconazole and griseofulvin) are never used for jock itch, but both itraconazole and terbinafine can cause severe allergic reactions in some patients.
Jock itch can be successfully eradicated with store-bought antifungal medications. They are effective, inexpensive, and have minor and rarely experienced side effects. Rubbing alcohol, a common home remedy for jock itch is almost as effective as antifungal medications but will produce side effects such as irritation, redness, and dry skin. It is also toxic and can be absorbed through the skin, so it is not advised as a jock itch treatment.
Other home remedies, such as apple cider vinegar, tea tree oil, licorice root, oil of oregano, coconut oil, and others, have not been scientifically demonstrated to help cure jock itch. Honey, beeswax, and Ajoene gel (garlic) have been shown in at least one study to cure jock itch, but these results have not been verified.
Natural remedies are always problematic for contagious infections because, if they don’t work, they raise the risk of spreading the infection to other people.
The best home remedies for jock itch, then, involve applying store-bought antifungal medications, keeping the infected area clean and dry, and taking precautions not to spread the infection.
Jock itch is most effectively treated with over-the-counter antifungal creams, gels, ointments, sprays, or powders.
Wash the affected area several times a day and dry it thoroughly with a clean, unused towel. Make sure any washcloth or towel you use is immediately washed in hot water.
Dermatophytes thrive in warm, moist environments, so avoid tight-fitting underwear and clothes. Immediately remove wet or sweaty clothes, dry the groin area, and put on new, dry clothes.
Clothes and sheets are the most effective way to spread the infection or re-infect yourself. Change clothes every day and wash them in hot water to kill the dermatophyte spores. Consider changing your underwear more than once a day. Sheets and blankets are also covered in spores after a single night’s sleep, so they should be washed in hot water every day.
Although jock itch causes an itchy rash, scratching risks spreading the infection around the groin, to other parts of the body, or to other people. Use anti-itch medications that do not contain steroids to relieve the itching and burning.
Topical antifungal medications usually clear the infection in two to four weeks. Over-the-counter allylamines (terbinafine, naftifine, and butenafine) clear the infection more quickly than medications such as miconazole or clotrimazole
Jock itch is not a sexually-transmitted disease but a fungal infection of the groin that is usually caught from objects contaminated with fungal spores, such as clothes, sheets, towels, or washcloths. Jock itch can also be spread from fungal infections on other parts of the body, such as the feet or nails.
Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), bleach, and concentrated hydrogen peroxide will kill the dermatophytes that cause jock itch. However, these are harsh chemicals that will damage the skin and possibly poison the body when absorbed through the skin. It is not a good idea to continually apply these chemicals to an infection on the surface of the skin.
Jock itch is spread from person-to-person or from one part of the body to another through skin-to-skin contact, towels, bedsheets, clothing, and other objects. Athlete’s foot is one of the most common ways to get jock itch. It’s easy for people to catch athlete’s foot from the gym, bathroom, or shower floors, and then they spread the infection from their feet to their groin area simply by putting on underwear. The underwear rubs against the feet, picks up dermatophyte spores, and warmth and moisture in the groin area do the rest.
Pills are usually not given for jock itch. Instead, jock itch is treated with antifungal powder, creams, gels, lotions, or sprays that are applied directly to the infected skin. In rare cases, a jock itch infection can stubbornly hold on or the person might have another condition (such as diabetes or a compromised immune system) which makes it harder to clear the infection. In those cases, a daily pill will be prescribed for anywhere from six to eight weeks. Side effects, however, are common and unpleasant.
Over-the-counter topical antifungal medications with terbinafine, naftifine, or butenafine can clear up the infection in two or three weeks with once-daily application.
Lotrimin is a topical antifungal brand-name medication that can cure jock itch in two to four weeks depending on the active ingredient.
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