Chlorhexidine topical and Rash: What Users Say

• Fit...
• June 10, 2019

For Skin Disinfection, Preoperative "I used the chlorhexidine wipes head to toe in preparation for a surgery. My skin was on fire. It caused the worst itching and burning I’ve ever felt in my life. I have a rash and feel like I have poison ivy all over my body. I will not be letting the hospital staff put this on me before surgery. There must be an alternative."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2017

For Periodontitis "Skin rash! Omg! Apparently, I'm one of the rare people that is allergic, and I couldn't figure out why my face felt as though I'd been standing in front of a 500-degree oven! Plus the tartar buildup on my teeth! I just paid $300.00 cash to have my teeth deep cleaned, and now I have all this extra tartar buildup. Wow, I am not a happy camper, this stuff sucks."

• All...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 22, 2022

Chlorhexidine topical for Skin Disinfection, Preoperative "I had a severe allergic reaction a few hours after my biopsy. It caused major rash, swelling, and burning. I thought it was the incision causing pain. I will be on prednisone for 3 weeks. This is a horrible product."

• Kbr...
• June 7, 2015

Chlorhexidine topical for Skin Disinfection, Preoperative "I also had constant recurring rashes and itching related to my obesity. I tried a lot of different ointments, creams, and prescription antibiotic powders like NyStop. The problems seemed to never go away. I had knee replacement scheduled and knew I'd be in the hospital for several days and wondered how I'd deal with the itching while in the hospital. As part of the hospital's MRSA control program, I was required to shower the morning before the surgery with BactoShield 2% Shampoo. I didn't have any problems for 4 days while in the hospital. After returning home, a couple of days later, the rashes and itching reappeared. I used my other prior remedies to no avail. Then I got to thinking about how I went so long in the hospital without problems. I still had about an ounce of BactoShield left, and when showering, I began to use it, applying it only to problem areas, especially under my apron and in the groin area, but only after the rash redeveloped. The time between episodes went from being daily or every other day to a week. I soon used up the ounce of 2% that I had left and found another small bottle available for sale on Amazon. I reordered and seemed to be able to keep the reoccurrences about a week apart. After using up the small amount of BactoShield 2%, I found an 8 oz bottle of 4%. After using it weekly for about 2-3 weeks, I found that my problem seemed to go away. I still apply it to the affected areas about every two weeks or so as a preventative or after particularly high sweat days where I can't shower till late in the evening. It's worked wonders for me, and a little lasts a long way now. I'm attributing my initial rash problem to a bacterial concentration that couldn't be 'killed' off by the other remedies and prescriptions. The BactoShield appears to have been able to kill off the bacteria that just seemed to reculture itself when using the other remedies."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 14, 2012

For Skin Disinfection, Preoperative "By the evening of the neck lymph node biopsy, my neck was red and itchy. By the next morning, I had huge welts/hives across the area that had been swabbed. I went back to the hospital to be checked, and the nurses confirmed it was a reaction to the chloroprep (after checking in the file for medicines used). I now have it listed as an allergy."

• Liz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2020

For Skin Disinfection, Preoperative "Chlorhexidine was used on my arm and shoulder for surgery prep. I assume it was effective for disinfecting, but it was awful what it did to my skin. Within hours to days, after my skin developed a rash with tiny red bumps and became very warm to the touch. It got worse over time, even though I washed it. After a week of oral steroid treatments, the rash is finally subsiding. Allergic reaction?"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 9, 2020

Chlorhexidine topical for Skin Disinfection, Preoperative "I have been using Hibiclens for over a year for a skin condition, and I find that it can cause skin irritations (rash, itchiness, dry skin, peeling, or blistering of skin)."

• Hiv...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2018

Chlorhexidine topical for Skin Disinfection, Preoperative "Severe hives over all parts of the body treated, lasting three weeks after application with only one application."