Up until about 3 months ago, I had never had a history of allergies or
skin rashes.  In mid-February, I noticed small bumps (similar to flea
bites) on my lower back right where my underwear band is.  It slowly
turned into an itchy rash, slighly redish in color with small bumps
that get worse with scratching.  It spread to other "underwear" areas
-- buttocks, groin, etc.  There was even a little bit in my armpits.

I self-diagnosed it as crabs despite the fact that I'm married and my
spouse never got anything.  I assumed that I must have gotten it
through hotel towels, bedding, etc.  I never found any evidence of
crabs (lice or eggs).  Regardless, I treated myself with Rid a couple
of times.  The itchiness got worse along with the rash.  I went to a
dermatologist who said I did NOT have crabs.  In fact, he seemed at a
loss as to the cause.  He diagnosed it as an allergic skin reaction and

gave me desoxine (sp?), a steroid cream.  He also instructed me to
change detergent and soap, which I did.

The cream works well and clears up the rash after a few treatments.
However, the rash continues to come back after about 4 or 5 days.  Then

I use the cream again and it clears up.  This is a recurring cycle for
about the past 2 months.  I'm almost out of cream, and I really don't
want to rely on it since it's a steroid.

Nothing in my life has changed in the past 3 months which could have
triggered this.  This makes it even more frustrating/confusing.  The
itching becomes worse at night.

Thoughts as to the cause?
- hard water (if so, why is it just now starting?)
- underwear
- stress?

Thanks,
Andy