As if being incontinent isn’t upsetting and embarrassing enough, along comes the diaper rash. You may be uncomfortable about this development, but not to worry. Treating adult diaper rash is not as difficult as you may think as long as it is treated promptly and properly. However not treating it can have some very serious consequences and a little irritation can become a major problem.
Adult Diaper rash is caused by incontinence, it just goes with the territory, so to speak. Why should you worry about treating adult diaper rash? Because if left untreated, the diaper rash can become a serious problem causing severe skin breakdown and infection. This can lead to other health concerns such as necrosis which is dead tissue that is full of bacteria which can eventually enter the blood and cause Septicemia. If you do become septic there is a chance that you could actually die. Who would have thought that a diaper rash could kill you?
Since untreated diaper rash can become a very serious medical condition it is best to know how to treat the condition should it occur.
The best treatment is prevention. Drinking plenty of water to keep the urine from becoming to strong is one way. You will also want to keep the peri area clean and dry. If you can do these things, you may be able to avoid having to deal with diaper rash. However, if for some reason diaper rash does occur, you will need to treat it. Keep the area clean and dry.
Apply a cream containing zinc oxide or other healing agents to the affected area and then be sure to change any wet under garments or diapers as soon as is reasonably possible when they get wet. Remember it was moisture and the accompanying bacteria that caused the rash in the first place.
Using a warm sitz bath can help promote healing of adult diaper rash. If you do not have a sitz bath, soaking in a warm bath tub can do the trick. You may want to add baking soda to the water for added help in healing the rash. After you have soaked for 20 to 30 minutes or so, dry off and leave the diaper off for about 15 minutes to allow air to reach the affected area. Re-apply the appropriate cream and put on a clean fresh diaper.
If, after doing all you can to get rid of the rash, it still persists, you may want to see your doctor. It may not be a diaper rash but a yeast infection. If it is yeast, you will need to have it treated as such. Diaper rash should heal up in less then a week if you are diligent in your care. If a couple weeks go by with minimal or no improvement it is time to talk to your doctor about the condition.
Now that you know what you can do about diaper rash just take care of it and get on with the business of enjoying life. There is no point of letting incontinence and the concerns that come along with it stop you from having a great quality of life.