3 Examination Questions About Possible Erythrasma

Bring the names of the products you have used on a recurring fold rash. Ask the clinician to explain what the examination shows before choosing another treatment.

Three questions for the examination

1. What features are you checking? Erythrasma can produce defined pink or brown patches with fine scaling and mild itching. Tell the clinician where it occurs and whether the same area keeps being affected.¹
2. Would a Wood lamp or sample help? Erythrasma can fluoresce coral-pink under a Wood lamp. A swab or scraping may also support diagnosis. Recently washing the skin can remove the substance responsible for that fluorescence. Ask the service how to prepare for the examination.¹
3. What does the treatment target? Options include antiseptics and topical antibiotics, with oral antibiotics sometimes used for extensive infection. Ask which diagnosis the proposed product treats and when to review the response.¹

Mention what was on the skin

Tell the clinician about deodorant, creams and other recent applications. Surface products can fluoresce during a Wood lamp examination and complicate interpretation. The examination is done briefly in a darkened setting.²

Keep the clinician’s diagnosis, product instructions and follow-up date together. If you have used several treatments, label your notes by date so the sequence is clear.

Arms Up includes a zone-by-zone match and visit script. Use the script to organize where symptoms occur and what you have already tried. See the book.