what is a jock itch?
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What is...
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It's a fungal skin infection around the crotch area. That area tends to get moist and sweaty, which is what fungi like best. There's usually a red rash, which can itch. It's treated with stuff you can get from a pharmacy, no doctor's prescription required.
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I've never had this myself, but I have to wonder how do you contract something nasty like this?
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Fungus spores can get there a lot of different ways - they can even float in the air. It often starts some time when you're particularly sweaty down there. It's quite common.
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Also, a small number of fungus cells often live quietly on the skin, and when the environment is favorable to them (warm and moist; they also like sugar), they will start growing raplidly. Yeast infections are very common (vaginal, jock itch, athlete's foot, thrush on the tongue, etc.). If your immune system is functioning very poorly, you can get a yeast infection in your blood, which is a very serious condition.
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some people refer to "jock itch" as just being itchy in their crotch area (see also "me") but the others explained this pretty well too.