Remedies for Chafing Thighs

Chafing thighs can be quite an unpleasant and painful experience that makes the simple act of walking to work or to the shops unpleasant and painful. It can also end up leaving you with nasty red sore patches on the insides of your upper thighs and this can then cause you to experience pain whenever you subsequently need to go for a walk or a jog.

There are several things that make chafing more likely. Of course it is associated with obesity and this is largely because being overweight makes your legs larger and thus increases the likelihood of them rubbing together when you walk. Furthermore, if you have chafing thighs this may be a result of certain exercise and strain on your part – if you are a runner for instance then your legs will regularly rub together and this will lead to chafing. Being sweaty meanwhile makes you more likely to chafe as your legs become more likely to stick together, and wearing the wrong clothing can exacerbate this matter. Finally if you workout, or otherwise train your legs, then you might find that they become bulky and muscular as a result and this can have the same effect as if you were obese.

The red marks are the main sign that chafing is your problem, and these will worsen as you walk. If you examine the area it will look like a friction burn (like your hand looks after sliding down a rope) and it will likely sting. Touch it or get water on it and it may burn. It’s of course not at all dangerous or threatening to experience chaffing, just merely unpleasant – though if you’re very unfortunate the broken skin could become infected resulting in complications.

Luckily there are many ways to prevent chaffing and to address the issue. Here we will look at what some of those methods are.

Wearing the Right Clothes

Your clothing can cause chafing for many reasons. If your leg wear is too baggy or too short for instance then it might not be protecting the insides of your legs from rubbing together. By getting trousers or shorts that go down below the upper thigh, and that fit tightly to the skin you can add a protective layer to prevent chaffing.

In some cases though it’s that very ‘protective layer’ that’s the problem and you of course don’t want your clothes to rub against your skin either. Important then is to find clothing that is soft and that doesn’t irritate the skin. Neoprene is a good material, as are cotton clothes.

Another issue is sweat, and as mentioned sweat makes your skin more likely to rub. To prevent sweat you need to wear clothes that are breathable and that won’t get to sweaty. Linen is great for this but can chaff itself sometimes, cotton too is good, as is neoprene or rubber if it is ventilated. If you are a runner or cyclist, then there are is lots of specially made leg wear out there designed to be tight and protective while at the same time allowing your skin to breath and avoiding sweat.

Fight Sweat

Fighting sweat in other ways can help too. For instance a popular option is to use talcum powder and to pepper that on the insides of your thighs which is adept at soaking up sweat and thus keeping your legs smooth and slick. As mentioned previously, some clothes are also designed specifically to combat sweat for athletes.

Hydrate

That said, you don’t want your skin to become too dry either, as if it does it will again be more prone to sticking and to breaking. To prevent this from happening you need to hydrate yourself thoroughly by drinking lots of water. This will also help to replace any fluids you are losing through sweat which is important. If you are an athlete then use isotonic water to replace the salts lost through perspiration too.

Lubricate

If you don’t want to use talcum powder then you can go the other route and lubricate yourself up to prevent your skin rubbing. This way your skin will be slippery and will not rub and it’s a great way to prevent the chaffing. Petroleum jelly is particularly popular for helping this and it is also useful for soothing the area and reducing irritation. Baby oil is great for this too.

Have Dry Clothes

It’s important that your clothes are clean and dry to start with, and if they get wet they will rub against your skin. Try to avoid this being a problem by ensuring your clothes are fully dried before you go out in them. Of course if it rains then they can become wet through again, so seek shelter if it starts.

Take a Break

If you feel the chaffing then don’t ‘power through’ as this will cause it to worsen at a rapid rate. Instead, take a break and sit down for a bit to dry your legs with a towel if you carry one or to apply bandages etc. Even if you just sit down this can help you to stop sweating so that the problem isn’t as bad when you return.

Plasters

Once you have your cuff burns you will find that you can struggle to get rid of them – because every time you subsequently walk anywhere etc you will be rubbing them all over again. Use plasters then and you can cover up the burns and the red areas to provide relief and to protect them from rubbing again.

Use Clean Clothes

Clean clothes are also important – primarily not to prevent chaffing, but to prevent your wounds from becoming infected. Don’t wear clothes that you’ve run in several times before or they will contain bacteria that can infect wounds. That said dirty clothes can also contribute to the cause of chaffing as the dry sweat contained in the fabric can make you more likely to start sweating again when you run in them. Washing yourself will help too.

Lose Weight

Finally if its obesity or being overweight that’s causing your chaffing then that’s one more reason to begin the fight to get fit. Of course if you’re overweight but can’t run due to chaffing this makes it more difficult to start losing weight, so what you need to do is to eat fewer calories and combine this with other exercise that doesn’t make you chaff. Examples are weight lifting, swimming, cycling (for most people), rowing, rock climbing and more.

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  1. This article says chafing is caused by being obese or overweight which isn't true I am a competitive swimmer in excellent physical condition and my upper thighs chaf therefore this is not only caused by being overweight!

  2. This article seems more like a personal attack on "obese" people than a helpful guide. Reign in your emotions about how much you dislike curvy people before you write another article, please.

    1. I am an obese person and my thighs chaf often, at no point in this article did I feel they launched any “personal attacks.” Chafing hurts a lot of people but the main cause of it is having thick enough thighs to rub, which is the case with a lot of obese people. I’m sure some body builders also experience this but on an every fat person it is definitely more common.

      1. I’m a power lifter but have a small amount of fat on my inner thighs (only teeny bit of fat on my legs) but it is enough for them to chafe so uncomfortable…

  3. Seems to be an attack on woman that are a little over weight. My husband has the same problem and his weight is not a problem.

  4. Wow, you people commenting on the bottom are nuts. You make it sound like this is a personal attack against obese people. I read and re-read the article, and I see no evidence for your claims. The writer simply states that it's a POSSIBILITY that your chaffing can be caused by obesity. Also she CLEARLY says that though that is the case for many, people whose legs are too muscular and large can experience the same effects. She also says that runners as well as anyone participating in physically exerting exercises are susceptible to these effects. I had to say something because people like you guys who get their panties in a bunch in 0-60 seconds amaze me. I found the article accomplished exactly what was intended, and was well written. Sounds to me like something to do with her mentioning obesity offended you all personally, and you guys need to get your heads out of your asses and process what you're reading before jumping to conclusions.

  5. A lot of the people bitching on here just sound like obese whiners. He didn't attack obese people or even curvy people… but I will, stop getting butt hurt about things like this. Face it. You're fat… you can either accept it and try and change it… or wallow in 'no one understands my struggle, I'm going to lash out if anyone calls me overweight'.

    This is why weak people stay weak.

  6. I found this very useful. I get this problem after a long day at work and I have been blaming it entirely on my weight. This was not an attack on obese people if it was it would have been an attack on me.

    I knew my weight contributed to my burns but thanks to this article I know what else is contributing to this uncomfortable painful situation.

    When I am in work I wear jeans, I get hot and sweaty, I run around all day and I get burns.

    I do not get burns any other time. Only after work, because it is a combination of my weight my clothes and my activities.

  7. I found the article very informative and straight to the point. You lot below are acting dumb, it's like you skipped past everything else she said and focused on the obese part, and she even said "IF it's obesity or being overweight that's causing the chaffing…" She clearly said 'IF' meaning that this could contribute to the chaffing, the word IF means it may not be the cause but it could be a considerable factor.

    So before you lot say she's attacking obese people get your facts straight before you accuse her of doing something she didn't even do and maybe next time read the whole article you bunch of imbeciles.

  8. I found the article very informative and straight to the point. You lot below are acting dumb, it's like you skipped past everything else she said and focused on the obese part, and she even said "IF it's obesity or being overweight that's causing the chaffing…" She clearly said 'IF' meaning that this could contribute to the chaffing, the word IF means it may not be the cause but it could be a considerable factor.

    So before you lot say she's attacking obese people get your facts straight before you accuse her of doing something she didn't even do and maybe next time read the whole article you bunch of imbeciles.

  9. This was extremely helpful. I'm a big guy. I work all day and I have to power through. And I wouldn't be able to walk for exercise or bike riding. So now I'll use Vaseline or baby oil and shower straight from work. I love bike riding for hours.
    Thanks!!😁😁😁

  10. Wow. These comments are something else. Please, people, try to read more carefully before posting nonsense about "a personal attack on obese people." The article is factual, and does not say that obesity is the only cause of chaffing. I, myself am overweight and do not find this offensive in any way, it is merely fact, alright? The article was very helpful, and that's all that matters.

  11. Personal attack? Lol I agree with comment #5.

    This was helpful. Some people are so closed minded and insecure.

    Anyways, the Vaseline has been helping me get through walks more than anything else I've tried but I just want it to go away already.

  12. The title should be ways to prevent chafing, not remedies. She didn't actually discuss any remedies at all. Also, I have read many articles that say DONT wear cotton because it collects the sweat and then you are in wet sweaty clothes that rub. Other than that it was informative.

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