Erythrasma is a common bacterial skin infection that causes flat, brown or reddish patches, often in skin folds such as the groin, armpits, or between the toes. Many living with erythrasma notice mild itching, fine scaling, or no discomfort at all, so the early symptoms of erythrasma can be easy to miss. It is most often seen in adults, especially in warm, sweaty areas of skin, and it can last for weeks or months without treatment. Not everyone will have the same experience. Erythrasma is usually not dangerous or life-threatening, and it often improves with medicated creams, antibacterial washes, or sometimes antibiotic tablets if it is more widespread.
How many people live with Erythrasma?
There is no reliable current estimate of how many people live with erythrasma worldwide or in the United States. Published reports usually give rates from small studies or from higher-risk groups, rather than total population counts, so experts do not have a single trustworthy global or U.S. number for this skin infection.
Overview
ErythrasmaSymptoms
Erythrasma often causes well-defined brown or reddish-brown patches in skin folds. Many with erythrasma notice mild itching, fine scaling, or no discomfort at all. Early symptoms of erythrasma often show up between the toes, in the groin, or under the arms.
Outlook and prognosis
Erythrasma usually clears well with treatment, though it can return, especially in skin folds, warm weather, or if diabetes or obesity are present. Many people with erythrasma do well once moisture and friction are better controlled.
Causes and risk factors
Erythrasma happens when surface skin bacteria overgrow, especially in warm, moist body folds. Risk rises with sweating, hot or humid weather, obesity, diabetes, older age, and a weakened immune system. Friction and limited airflow between skin folds can also contribute.
Genetic influences
Genetics are not thought to play a major role in erythrasma. It is usually linked more to skin environment, sweating, body folds, and health conditions like diabetes than to inherited genetic variations.
Diagnosis
Doctors usually diagnose erythrasma by examining the rash and where it appears. A Wood lamp may make the patches glow coral-red. If needed, skin scrapings help rule out fungal infection.
Treatment and drugs
Erythrasma is usually treated with antibiotic creams or lotions, and some people need antibiotic tablets if larger areas are involved. Keeping skin folds clean and dry, wearing breathable clothing, and managing sweating can help erythrasma clear and lower the chance it comes back.
Symptoms
Erythrasma often shows up as flat, discolored patches in warm, moist skin folds such as between the toes, in the groin, under the breasts, or in the armpits. Many people have few symptoms at first, so it can look like simple skin irritation or athlete's foot. You might notice small changes at first, especially the early symptoms of erythrasma, like brown or reddish patches with a fine, dry scale and mild itch.
The most common sign is a flat patch that looks brown, reddish-brown, or pinkish, depending on your skin tone. The edges are often fairly clear, so the area can look like a distinct stain on the skin.
Erythrasma may cause light itching, irritation, or a faint burning feeling. For many people with erythrasma, the discomfort is more annoying than painful.
The skin often looks slightly dry, flaky, or finely wrinkled on the surface. What once felt effortless can start to require more energy or focus when dressing, walking, or exercising makes the area rub more.
Symptoms usually appear where skin stays warm and damp, such as the toe webs, groin, armpits, or under the breasts. In daily life, this might show up as small but noticeable changes after sweating or wearing tight shoes or clothing.
How people usually first notice Erythrasma?
Many people first notice erythrasma as a slowly developing patch of brown, reddish-brown, or pink skin in body folds such as the groin, armpits, between the toes, or under the breasts, often with fine scaling and a slightly wrinkled look. It usually does not feel dramatic at first, which is why the first signs of erythrasma are often mistaken for dry skin, a mild rash, or a fungal infection, though some people notice mild itching, burning, or an unusual odor. If the patch lingers, spreads, or keeps coming back in warm, moist areas, that pattern is often how erythrasma is first noticed by both people living with it and their doctors.
Types of Erythrasma
Erythrasma can look quite different depending on where it shows up on the body and how widespread it is. Daily life often makes the differences between symptom types clearer, because some forms are mostly a mild rash in skin folds while others affect the feet or larger areas of skin. In practice, the main types of erythrasma are usually described by location and extent rather than by completely separate diseases. This means the types of erythrasma can differ in color, scaling, itch, and how easy they are to mistake for a fungal rash.
Intertriginous
This is the most common form and affects warm, moist skin folds such as the groin, armpits, under the breasts, or between abdominal folds. It often causes flat brown, pink, or reddish patches with fine scaling and mild itch, and many living with erythrasma notice it more in hot weather or after sweating. The skin may look wrinkled or sharply outlined rather than very inflamed.
Interdigital
This type appears between the toes, especially in the spaces between the fourth and fifth toes. The skin may look white, soggy, scaly, or cracked, and some may find it causes soreness, burning, or an unpleasant odor when walking in tight shoes. It is often confused with athlete's foot because the early symptoms of erythrasma in this area can look very similar.
Generalized
This less common form involves wider areas of the body, sometimes with several patches across the trunk and multiple skin folds at the same time. Symptoms do not always look the same for everyone, but the rash is usually broader, more persistent, and more noticeable than the localized forms. It is seen more often in people with risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, or a weakened immune system.
Can I slow down the onset of symptoms?
Not exactly: there is no strong proof that lifestyle changes can fully prevent erythrasma or reliably stop symptoms from starting, but they may lower the chance that it develops or comes back. The best-supported steps are keeping skin folds clean and dry, reducing rubbing and trapped moisture, wearing breathable clothing, managing heavy sweating, and taking care of health problems linked to it, especially high blood sugar and excess weight; these steps reduce risk, not guarantee prevention. There is no routine screening or proven preventive medicine for people without symptoms, but getting treatment early when a patch first appears can help keep it mild, and steady skin care may still make flare-ups less likely.
What genetics can tell you about symptoms
For erythrasma, genetics usually do not tell us much about which symptoms you will have, how severe they will be, or when they will start. This condition is mainly linked to outside and body factors such as warm, moist skin folds, sweating, diabetes, excess weight, and a weakened immune system, so symptoms often depend more on those factors than on inherited DNA changes. In short, genetic testing is not typically used to predict the pattern of erythrasma symptoms.
Causes and risk factors
Erythrasma often starts in places where skin stays warm, damp, and rubs together. It happens when a common skin bacterium grows too much on the surface of the skin. The main risk factors for erythrasma are hot weather, heavy sweating, tight clothing, and not drying skin folds well. Some risks are modifiable (things you can change), while others, like older age, diabetes, obesity, and a weakened immune system, are not. There is no known direct genetic cause, but inherited tendencies that raise the chance of diabetes or higher body weight may also increase risk.
What are the most common causes or risk factors?
Erythrasma is usually caused by an overgrowth of common skin bacteria in warm, damp areas where skin rubs together, such as the groin, armpits, under the breasts, or between the toes. The most common risk factors are sweating a lot, hot or humid weather, carrying extra weight, tight shoes or clothing, and having skin that stays moist for long periods. It is also more common in people living with diabetes, older adults, and those with a weakened immune system, and it is not usually linked to inherited genetic risk.
Environmental and biological risk factors
Erythrasma is more likely to develop in places where skin stays warm, moist, and rubbed together, such as the armpits, groin, under the breasts, or between the toes. Doctors often group risks into internal (biological) and external (environmental). Common risk factors for erythrasma include certain health conditions, skin-fold areas, and outside conditions like heat and humidity.
Hot, humid weather makes it easier for moisture to stay trapped on the skin. That damp environment helps the bacteria linked to erythrasma grow more easily.
Erythrasma often starts in body areas where skin touches skin and air flow is limited. The groin, armpits, under-breast area, and spaces between toes are common sites because moisture and friction build up there.
Heavy sweating or skin that stays damp for long periods can raise the chance of erythrasma. When the skin barrier stays wet, bacteria can settle and multiply more easily.
Repeated rubbing in tight skin spaces can irritate the surface and make infection more likely. This is one reason erythrasma tends to appear in creases and other high-contact areas.
Genetic risk factors
Erythrasma is not usually thought of as an inherited condition. No single gene or set of genes is known to directly cause erythrasma. Some risk factors are inherited through our genes. The clearest genetic link is an inherited tendency toward conditions such as diabetes, which can make erythrasma more likely in some people.
No known gene: No single inherited gene change has been shown to cause erythrasma. This helps answer the common question of whether erythrasma is hereditary: usually, it is not passed down in a simple way.
Family history: Erythrasma does not usually run strongly in families. If close relatives have had it, doctors are more likely to look for inherited health tendencies such as diabetes than for a specific erythrasma gene.
Diabetes tendency: An inherited tendency toward diabetes can raise the chance of erythrasma indirectly. Higher blood sugar can make this skin infection easier to develop and harder to clear.
Rare immune disorders: Rare inherited problems that weaken the immune system can make skin infections more likely overall. These conditions are uncommon and are not considered a usual genetic cause of erythrasma.
Lifestyle risk factors
Certain daily habits can make erythrasma more likely to develop or return, mainly by trapping sweat, increasing friction, and keeping skin folds warm and damp. The main lifestyle risk factors for erythrasma involve hygiene routines, clothing choices, prolonged moisture exposure, and habits that promote skin-fold irritation. Diet does not directly cause erythrasma, but eating patterns that contribute to excess body weight can indirectly raise risk by deepening skin folds and moisture retention.
Infrequent washing or not drying skin folds well can let bacteria build up in warm, moist areas. Careful cleansing and thorough drying of the groin, armpits, under-breast skin, and between the toes may lower the chance of flare-ups.
Heavy sweating that stays on the skin for long periods can support bacterial overgrowth. Changing out of sweaty clothes promptly and showering after exercise can reduce persistent moisture.
Tight, non-breathable clothing can trap heat and sweat against the skin. Loose, breathable fabrics may reduce friction and the damp conditions that help erythrasma persist.
Wearing closed shoes for long hours, especially with sweaty feet, can encourage erythrasma between the toes. Moisture-wicking socks and rotating shoes to let them dry may help limit recurrence.
Risk prevention
Erythrasma often shows up in everyday skin folds, such as the groin, armpits, or between the toes, where warmth and moisture linger. It can be hard to prevent completely, but many living with erythrasma can lower their risk by keeping these areas dry, reducing friction, and managing health conditions that make flare-ups more likely. Prevention is about lowering risk, not eliminating it completely. This also matters if you are trying to avoid the early symptoms of erythrasma coming back after treatment.
Erythrasma grows more easily in warm, damp skin folds. Dry carefully after bathing, sweating, or swimming, especially between the toes, under the breasts, and in the groin.
Tight clothing can trap sweat and rub the skin, which can make erythrasma more likely. Loose, breathable fabrics and moisture-wicking underwear or socks can help lower that risk.
Gentle daily washing helps remove sweat, skin oils, and bacteria from areas where erythrasma tends to develop. If your skin is sensitive, use mild cleansers and avoid harsh scrubbing that can irritate skin folds.
Heavy sweating can create the moist environment that helps erythrasma thrive. Changing out of damp clothes, using doctor-approved antiperspirants in skin folds, and showering after exercise may help prevent repeat episodes.
Can you prevent Erythrasma?
You cannot always prevent erythrasma completely, but you can often lower the chance of getting it or having it come back. The most helpful steps are keeping skin folds clean and dry, changing out of sweaty clothes, drying well after bathing, and wearing loose, breathable clothing to reduce heat, rubbing, and trapped moisture. For some people, treating athlete's foot and keeping blood sugar well managed if they have diabetes may also help reduce the risk.
Transmission
Erythrasma is a mild bacterial skin infection that usually appears in warm, moist folds such as the groin, armpits, under the breasts, or between the toes. In many cases, erythrasma is not something people clearly catch from someone else; it often develops when bacteria already on the skin grow too much, especially with sweating, friction, tight clothing, or certain health conditions such as diabetes.
It can sometimes pass through close skin contact or shared items like towels or clothing, so simple steps such as good skin care and not sharing personal items may help if you are wondering how erythrasma spreads. Even so, erythrasma is generally considered only mildly contagious and is much less infectious than illnesses that spread easily from person to person.
When to test your genes
For erythrasma, genetic testing is not part of early detection or treatment planning. Diagnosis is usually made from the skin exam, sometimes with a Wood lamp, and if the rash is unclear, your clinician may check for fungus or bacteria instead.
Diagnosis
Erythrasma is usually diagnosed when a doctor looks closely at a patch of skin that has changed color, especially in warm, moist body folds like the groin, armpits, or between the toes. The rash often appears brown, reddish-brown, or slightly scaly, and many people notice it lingers without the itching or soreness seen with some other skin problems. Doctors usually begin with a skin exam, because the appearance and location often give strong clues about how erythrasma is diagnosed.
A clinician checks the color, shape, and location of the rash, especially in skin folds where friction and moisture build up. The pattern can suggest erythrasma and help separate it from fungal rashes, eczema, or psoriasis.
In a dark room, your provider may shine a special ultraviolet light on the skin to look closer. Erythrasma often glows a coral-red color under this lamp, which is a classic clue.
Your doctor may ask how long the rash has been present and whether there is itching, odor, scaling, or discomfort. They also often ask about sweating, diabetes, obesity, or tight clothing, since these can make erythrasma more likely.
If the rash is not typical, a small skin sample may be taken to check for fungus under a microscope or with lab testing. This helps rule out athlete's foot, yeast, and other common causes that can look similar.
How is Erythrasma diagnosed?
Erythrasma is usually diagnosed during a skin exam, based on where the rash shows up and how it looks, often as smooth brownish-red patches in skin folds such as the groin, underarms, or between the toes. To help confirm it, a doctor may shine a special ultraviolet light, called a Wood's lamp, on the area because erythrasma often glows a coral-red color under this light. If it is not clear, the doctor may gently scrape or swab the skin to rule out a fungal infection or other skin problem, and there is no genetic test used to diagnose this condition.
Stages of Erythrasma
Erythrasma does not have defined progression stages. This is because it is usually a surface skin infection that tends to stay in patches and may slowly improve, persist, or come back rather than moving through set phases. Doctors usually start with a conversation about when the rash began, whether it itches or has a fine scale, and where it shows up, such as in the groin, armpits, or between the toes. To confirm the cause and check for early symptoms of erythrasma, a clinician may examine the skin closely and sometimes use a special light that can make affected areas glow a coral-red color.
Outlook and prognosis
The outlook for people with erythrasma is excellent, because it is a superficial skin infection that usually clears with topical or oral antibiotic treatment and good skin-care measures. It is not associated with increased mortality and does not lead to serious long-term health problems in most patients. The main challenge is recurrence, especially in warm, humid environments or in people with diabetes, obesity, excessive sweating, or skin folds that stay moist. When these underlying risk factors are addressed, the prognosis for erythrasma is very good and repeated flare-ups become less likely. Untreated cases can persist for months or longer and may cause ongoing discoloration, mild itching, or irritation, but they still rarely become dangerous. Overall, with diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of recurrence, most people recover fully.
Long-term effects
Erythrasma is usually a mild skin condition, but it can linger or keep coming back, especially in warm, moist skin folds. For many, this can mean patches that fade with treatment and then return months later under the arms, in the groin, or between the toes. Long-term effects vary widely, but most involve ongoing skin changes rather than serious illness. In people with diabetes, obesity, or a weakened immune system, erythrasma may be more widespread or harder to clear completely.
The most common long-term effect of erythrasma is lasting or repeated brown, red-brown, or slightly scaly patches in skin folds. These areas are often more annoying than dangerous, but they can stay for weeks or months without treatment.
Many people with erythrasma have recurrences, especially during hot weather, heavy sweating, or friction from tight clothing. Even after the rash improves, the same spots may flare again over time.
Some living with erythrasma notice mild itching, burning, or tenderness, particularly when the skin rubs together. In toe webs, moisture can make the area feel sore and uncomfortable when walking.
When erythrasma affects spaces between the toes, the skin can soften, crack, or peel over time. This can make it easier for other germs to enter and may raise the chance of minor secondary infection.
How is it to live with Erythrasma?
Living with erythrasma is often less dramatic than it looks, but it can be quietly frustrating: the rash tends to settle into skin folds such as the groin, armpits, or between the toes, where it may cause discoloration, mild itching, scaling, and self-consciousness, especially in warm weather or during exercise. For many people, daily life is affected more by discomfort, odor, or the need to keep the area dry and clean than by pain, and flare-ups can be more common if you sweat heavily, have diabetes, or carry extra weight. It usually does not have a major impact on family, friends, or coworkers, because it is generally mild and not highly contagious, but people living with erythrasma may avoid intimacy, shared changing spaces, or open footwear until it clears.
Treatment and drugs
Erythrasma is usually treated by lowering the amount of the skin bacteria causing the rash and by reducing the warm, damp conditions that let it thrive. Mild erythrasma often improves with antibiotic creams or gels put on the skin, while more widespread or stubborn cases may need antibiotic tablets for a short time; doctors may also suggest an antibacterial wash. Alongside medical treatment, lifestyle choices play a role. For many living with erythrasma, this can mean keeping skin folds clean and dry, changing sweaty clothes promptly, using breathable fabrics, and managing things that raise the risk of repeat flare-ups, such as diabetes, obesity, or excess sweating.
Can you cure Erythrasma?
Yes. Erythrasma can usually be cured with treatment, most often with medicated creams or washes and sometimes antibiotic pills if a larger area is affected, but it can come back, especially in warm, sweaty skin folds, so keeping the area clean and dry can help lower the chance of it returning.
Non-drug treatment
Erythrasma often shows up in warm, damp skin folds, so day-to-day care is mainly about lowering moisture and friction. For many, treatment begins not at the pharmacy, but with simple habits like careful washing, thorough drying, and choosing clothing that lets skin breathe. These steps can help the rash clear and are also important for how to prevent erythrasma from coming back.
Wash affected areas regularly with mild soap and water to remove sweat and skin buildup. Rinse well and pat dry instead of rubbing, especially under the breasts, in the groin, between the toes, or in other skin folds.
Keeping the skin dry is one of the most important non-drug steps for erythrasma. Some strategies can slip naturally into your routine—like drying skin folds after bathing, after exercise, or on hot days.
Loose cotton or moisture-wicking fabrics can reduce heat, rubbing, and trapped sweat. Changing out of damp workout clothes or underwear promptly may help the skin recover.
Managing sweating can make flare-ups less likely in people with erythrasma. This may mean staying cool when possible, using fans or air conditioning, and changing socks or undergarments during the day if they become damp.
Your genes may have an impact on how drugs work for you
For people with erythrasma, genes are not known to play a big, day-to-day role in how the usual treatments work. This rash is usually treated with medicines put on the skin or sometimes pills, and response tends to depend more on things like getting the right diagnosis, how much skin is affected, whether the area stays warm and moist, and whether someone has other health issues or medicine allergies. In other words, unlike some conditions where inherited differences can strongly change how a drug works, that is not a well-established part of erythrasma care.
Pharmacological treatments
Erythrasma is often treated with antibiotics, especially when the rash affects skin folds such as the groin, armpits, or between the toes. When people ask about the best treatment for erythrasma, doctors usually start with antibiotic creams or lotions for small areas and use tablets when it is more widespread or keeps coming back. Not everyone responds to the same medication in the same way. Keeping the area dry and reducing friction can also help the medicine work better.
Clindamycin lotion, solution, or gel is a common treatment for erythrasma when only a small area is involved. It is applied directly to the rash for about 1 to 2 weeks and often clears redness, scaling, and odor.
Erythromycin can be used on the skin for localized erythrasma, especially in skin folds. It works against the bacteria causing the rash and is usually used for 1 to 2 weeks.
Fusidic acid cream is another topical antibiotic used in some countries for erythrasma. It may help when the rash is mild and limited, although availability varies between regions.
Erythromycin tablets may be used when erythrasma is widespread, recurrent, or difficult to reach with creams alone. Some medicines work quickly, while others need several days before the rash starts to settle.
Genetic influences
If erythrasma keeps showing up in skin folds like the groin, under the breasts, or between the toes, it is easy to wonder whether it runs in families. Erythrasma is not considered an inherited disorder, and there is no single gene known to cause it. Genetics is only one piece of the puzzle, but this condition is usually linked more strongly to moisture, friction, diabetes, excess weight, and other factors that help bacteria grow on the skin.
Some inherited traits may still affect risk in an indirect way. A family tendency toward diabetes, heavier sweating, or skin problems that weaken the skin barrier can make warm, damp areas more likely to stay irritated, which may raise the chance of erythrasma. So when people ask about the causes of erythrasma or why it keeps coming back, genes may influence susceptibility, but everyday skin care and treatment usually play the bigger role.
Is Erythrasma genetic?
Genetics are not thought to play a major role in erythrasma. It is usually linked more to skin environment, sweating, body folds, and health conditions like diabetes than to inherited genetic variations.
Having a genetic risk is not necessarily a diagnosis
Genetic variants are a normal feature of human biology and are widely found in the general population. Most of these variants do not have a direct effect on health and simply reflect natural human diversity. For many genes, having a variant associated with a condition suggests a possible link rather than a definite diagnosis, especially when more than one gene and environmental factors are involved. In some situations, though, a single well-characterized variant in a particular gene can be enough to confirm a diagnosis.
Pharmacogenetics—how genetics influence drug effects
When erythrasma shows up in warm skin folds and keeps coming back, treatment usually depends more on how widespread it is and whether the area stays moist than on your genes. Most people with erythrasma improve with antibiotic creams, washes, or other skin treatments, while a larger area or frequent flare-ups may call for antibiotic pills. Not every difference in response is genetic, but inherited differences in how the body handles some oral antibiotics can affect drug levels or the chance of side effects, which may matter if pills are needed. In everyday care, though, genetic testing is not a routine part of erythrasma treatment, and doctors usually focus first on the rash, other health issues such as diabetes, and practical steps that help explain why erythrasma keeps coming back. If treatment has not worked well or side effects have been a problem, your doctor may review your other medicines and overall health to choose the safest option.
Interactions with other conditions
Erythrasma often shows up alongside other health issues that make skin folds warm and damp, especially diabetes, obesity, and heavy sweating. Many living with erythrasma notice it in the groin, under the breasts, between the toes, or in other areas where skin rubs together, and those same conditions can make flare-ups more likely or harder to clear. Doctors call it a comorbidity when two conditions occur together, and erythrasma is a good example because it may appear at the same time as athlete’s foot or other rashes in the toe webs and skin folds.
This matters because one skin problem can mask another. Someone might be treated for a fungus when the rash is actually erythrasma, or they may have both at once, which can change what treatment works best. In people with diabetes, especially if blood sugar is not well controlled, erythrasma can be more persistent and may be one of the skin changes linked with higher moisture and irritation. If you are wondering about the early symptoms of erythrasma, they can overlap with other common rashes, so it is worth asking a clinician to look closely when a patch does not improve as expected.
How genes can cause diseases
Humans have more than 20,000 genes, each carrying out one or a few specific functions in the body. One gene instructs the body to digest lactose from milk, another tells the body how to build strong bones and another prevents the body's cells from beginning to multiply uncontrollably and developing into cancer. As all of these genes combined are the building instructions for our body, a defect in one of these genes can have severe health consequences.
Through decades of genetic research, we know the genetic code of any healthy/functional human gene. We have also identified that in certain positions on a gene, some individuals may have a different genetic letter from the one you have. We call these hotspots "Genetic Variations" or "Variants" in short. In many cases, studies have been able to show that having the genetic letter "G" in the position makes you healthy, but having the letter "A" in the same position disrupts the gene function and causes a disease. Genopedia allows you to view these variants in genes and summarizes all that we know from scientific research, which genetic letters (Genotype) have good or bad consequences on your health or on your traits.
What other conditions can cause similar symptoms to Erythrasma?
Erythrasma is often mistaken for common fungal rashes such as jock itch, ringworm, or athlete's foot, especially when it shows up in the groin, armpits, or between the toes. Yeast rashes and simple skin-fold irritation from heat and rubbing can look similar too, and doctors may also consider psoriasis, a long-lasting skin condition that can affect body folds.
History
People living with erythrasma often notice it in very ordinary moments: after a shower, while getting dressed, or when skin rubs in the groin, armpit, or between the toes and a patch looks brownish, slightly scaly, and stubbornly unchanged. Long before doctors had a clear name for it, skin problems like this were often grouped together because they can look a lot like a fungal rash.
As medical science evolved, doctors began to separate erythrasma from other causes of skin discoloration in body folds. Over time, closer study showed that it is not a fungus but a superficial bacterial skin infection, which helped explain why some treatments worked better than others. That shift mattered in day-to-day care, because many people with erythrasma had been treated for “jock itch” or athlete’s foot without much improvement.
In the 20th century, better microscopes and laboratory methods made diagnosis more accurate, and later a special light used in the exam room helped doctors recognize erythrasma more easily. In recent decades, awareness has grown that this condition is more common in warm, moist areas of the body and may be more likely in people with diabetes, obesity, heavy sweating, or skin folds that stay damp. Knowing this history helps explain why early symptoms of erythrasma can still be mistaken for other common rashes, and why getting the right diagnosis remains an important part of treatment.