• Punyawee Ongsri, Nanchaya Na Bangchang, Phuwakorn Saengthong-Aram, Charussri Leeyaphan, Penvadee Pattanaprichakul, and Sumanas Bunyaratavej.
• Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Somdech Phra Nangchao Sirikit Hospital, Naval medical department, Royal Thai Navy, Sattahip, Chonburi Province 20180, Thailand.
• Mil Med. 2024 Nov 5; 189 (11-12): e2494e2498e2494-e2498.

IntroductionA rise in tinea cruris among Thai Naval Cadets has been observed. Clotrimazole powder has been shown to be effective as an adjunct treatment for tinea cruris; however, its efficacy as a monotherapy is limited.ObjectivesThe aim is to determine the efficacy of 1% clotrimazole cream versus 1% clotrimazole powder in treating tinea cruris.Material And MethodsA randomized trial was conducted at the Thai Naval Rating School, Chonburi, Thailand. Naval rating cadets with suspected tinea cruris were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1% clotrimazole cream or 1% clotrimazole powder, and they were instructed to apply the related medication to the affected lesion twice daily for 4 weeks. Clinical and symptomatic evaluations were carried out at 4 and 8 weeks.ResultsAll 17 and 14 participants who received 1% clotrimazole cream and powder, respectively, were included. After 4 weeks, the clinical cure rates were 76.5% in the cream group and 85.7% in the powder group (P = .664). All participants were clinically cured within 8 weeks. The self-evaluation of itch severity using a visual analog scale (VAS) revealed no significant difference between the two groups (P = .343). The dermatology quality of life index decreased as clinical improvement was achieved in both the clotrimazole cream and powder groups (6.0 vs. 7.5 score reductions, respectively; P = .765). The score for sweat reduction was higher in the 1% clotrimazole powder group compared to the cream group (5.0 vs. 4.0, respectively; P = .006).ConclusionMonotherapy with 1% clotrimazole powder showed comparable efficacy to 1% clotrimazole cream. Furthermore, the powder treatment reduced sweat more effectively compared to the cream.© The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2024. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site–for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.

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