Monday, May 12, 2008

Facial rash


27 y old friend calls from Philadelphia over the weekend, “I have had a rash on my face for almost 3 weeks, itches at times and it’s not going away despite using OTC Clotrimazole ointment, what do I do?” He does not have any medical problems, takes no meds and was in India about 3 months ago. He emailed the picture, as shown below.
What treatment is his PCP most likely to prescribe?
1. Continue Clotrimazole ointment for a few more weeks.
2. Topical Triamcinolone, along with Clotrimazole for 1 week.
3. Topical triple antibiotic cream
4. Short course of oral Griseofulvin, Terbinafine or Itraconazole- ANSWER
5. Oral Cephalexin course for 7- 10 days