Bacterial infections of the folds (intertriginous areas)

The axillary, inguinal, post-auricular, and inframammary areas are considered skin folds, where one skin layer touches another. Skin fold areas have a high moisture level and elevated temperature, both of which increase the possibility of microorganism overgrowth. A massive amount of bacteria live on the surface of the skin. Some are purely commensal; thus, only their overgrowth can cause infections, most of which are minor. In some cases, colonization of pathogenic bacteria causes more serious infections.

Source: Clinics in Dermatology - June 6, 2015 Category: Dermatology Authors: Yalçın Tüzün, Ronni Wolf, Burhan Engin, Ayşegül Sevim Keçici, Zekayi Kutlubay Source Type: research