Jock Itch - No Joke!
Submitted by SharpMan Editorial Team on Thursday 14th October 2010- A fungus among us.
- When to see the doctor.
- Prevention tips.
Jock itch is not an ailment for which you are likely to get much sympathy. Ridicule? Yes. Lots! Your sweaty, itchy groin is a prime target for jokes —but if you’ve ever suffered from The Itch, you know it’s no laughing matter. Read on for the SharpGrooming skinny…
It’s a WHAT?
Actually jock itch is a fungus. It’s like a mushroom or a truffle. But those are admirable fungi. There is nothing admirable about jock itch. What mushrooms and jock itch have in common is they’re both ugly. Have you ever looked closely at a tree-eared mushroom? If you didn’t love Chinese food you’d never let it in your house.
Moist warm areas like the groin are fertile ground for the development of tinea cruris - the medical name for jock itch. Tinea is the fungus, and cruris is Latin for leg. Athlete’s foot, which is caused by the same fungus as jock itch, is more formally known are tinea pedis. Sounds better — still sucks.
To prevent athlete’s foot we know the rules: dry the feet well and use medicinal powder. That applies for jock itch as well. Keeping the groin area clean and dry (baby powder or zeasorb powder should be part of your everyday grooming routine) will help keep you one step ahead of The Itch.
With athlete’s foot, you are forewarned to be careful in locker rooms and other public areas, so you avoid infection by not touching a known carrier. Again, the rule applies to The Itch… But just what is it we steer clear of touching in order to avoid jock itch? The wild exploits you read about in the more hardcore men’s magazines aside, the groin area doesn’t come in contact with THAT many hands… But tinea can grow on your skin, hair or nails, so you have lots of innocent opportunities to expose yourself — no pun intended — to the fungus. A simple, casual handshake after a satisfying scratch is all it takes.
When to See a Doc
When you suspect you have a fungal infection, you should head right out to see your doctor. The easiest way for a doctor to determine just what kind of infection you have is to scrape a small amount the festering area onto a slide and check it under a microscope. Cutting to the chase: that’s gonna hurt. Before anybody scrapes anything, think about asking for a sedative. If you’re the least bit shy, you might also want to request a male doctor.
OK, that is over with. The test results have come back and, not surprisingly, you are told you have jock itch. Of course by this time you know that and so do all of your friends who have developed a fine sense of where to look so they can pretend not to see you trying to claw yourself to death.
But here we come to the one good thing about having jock itch. If you are going to have any form of fungal infection, opt for jock itch. It is the easiest one to get rid of. All it takes is a couple of weeks of dousing the area with a special cream. Should it be mentioned here that there is something really soothing about spreading a soft, warm, creamy medicine around this sensitive area?
What Else You Can Do
Naturally, for every good there is a bad. Good — it’s easy to cure. Bad — you may have to give up your favorite jockey shorts for the duration. OK — where did you think the term jock itch came from?
If you are a jockey shorts devotee, our sympathy. You are about to descend into the nether world of boxer shorts. But don’t despair. Have you noticed what the fashion world has been doing to those white cotton square pants? (Check out our back articles From Breeches to Boxers: The History of Men’s Underwear and Men’s Underwear 101: A Brief Review of Boxers, Bikinis, etc.)
Naturally there is no suggestion here that you settle for black boxers with smiley faces. Or nightmare-inspiring underthings with not-at-all funny saying on them. But man, there are some great-looking undies out there. Try them. You’ll probably like the feeling of the air circulating in that usually claustrophobic, dark, dank world that is your groin.
If you are still pissed off and wondering "Why me, Oh Lord?" then maybe you can find peace and contentment in the rumor that the larger the man (and you know who you are) the more likely he is to have jock itch. There is something about stuffing all of that equipment into a cramped space, leaving it no room to breathe that encourages the growth of fungi.
Another good thing. Nudity. Not just as a philosophy, but as a way of avoiding jock itch. This is not to be interpreted as blanket approval for showing up for a date in the all-together, no matter how appealing that thought might be. But when you are at home, maybe alone, maybe not, shed those clothes and give the air a chance at your body. If you have someone special to share that indulgence with you, rock on!
Check your pets. Oh, you thought those were your pets. No. In this case we’re talking cats, dogs, gerbils, stuff like that. If that suggestion seems to come out of left field, well, it does. But the fact is, pets carry fungi and if they aren’t treated for it, you will just continue to be reinfected. So take Rover to the vet for a check-up. It he is the source of your infection, get him treated.
Because jock itch can rear its ugly self at any time, you should always be diligent. Men who backpack are not only prime targets for jock itch — what with their moist and unwashed nether regions — but because it is transmitted casually, you have to be extra careful of your hygiene…that last guy you shook hands with may have just done you in.
If that’s the case, and you do develop jock itch on the trail, powder the area every couple of hours. Try using a thin layer of one percent hydrocortizone cream from your first aid kit to take the sting out of some of the itching. OK, we admit it, if you’re backpacking, you just might not have packed the powder or the cream. In that case, if the pain is causing you to walk bowlegged, try the Bandana Sling. Twist the bandana into a flat band. Slide the sling under your testicles and lift up. Tie the ends to your belt loops. You might want to tuck the ends of the bandana back into your pants…those little ends sticking out are a dead give-away!
One good thing about fungus infections is that they seldom spread below the surface of your body so they will probably not cause any really serious health problems. Now the flip side…the bad news. It’s this: anyone suffering from a weak immune system may have trouble fighting off jock itch.
Oh, there is one more good thing going on here. You probably won’t get scars from jock itch — always a silver lining with those boxers!
This article last updated on Thursday 14th October 2010