How to Avoid Chafing This Summer
Whether you spend a lot of time exercising outdoors during the summer or enjoy going swimming while the weather is warm, you've likely experienced chafing at some time in your life. Chafing is particularly common during the hot summer months when sweat, humidity, and friction combine. This condition usually causes a painful stinging or burning sensation alongside a mild rash, which is why it's highly recommended that you take steps to prevent chafing from occurring in the first place.
What Is Chafing?
As mentioned previously, chafing is a very common condition that can develop from a combination of moisture, friction, and a rough fabric. Over a lengthy period of time, friction on your skin will cause a burning or stinging sensation.
This sensation is accompanied by a rash that's typically mild and slightly red. In the majority of situations, your symptoms won't go further than what's been described. However, it's possible for more severe symptoms to develop, which can include everything from swelling and bleeding to crusting.
Chafing typically occurs around some of the more sensitive areas of the body, which include the armpits, thighs, buttocks, groin, and feet. If you exercise regularly and consider yourself to be active, chafing can develop while walking, sprinting, or taking part in endurance sports.
Running and biking are two of the more common causes of chafing. Any activity that results in repeated motions and sweating can heighten the risk of chafing. If the clothes you're wearing are causing skin irritation, consider changing into something more comfortable before you exercise.
How to Avoid Chafing
Chafing is a frustrating skin problem that's actually relatively simple to prevent if you know what you're doing and what products to use. If you're wondering how to avoid chafing, there are a range of chafing prevention techniques that you can start using before you go outside in hot and humid weather.
Wear the Right Clothing
Likely the easiest chafing prevention technique to implement into your everyday routine is to wear the right clothing whenever you go outside to exercise or play sports. First, you should consider wearing clothes that are made from moisture-wicking fabrics. For instance, breathable cotton is a highly comfortable material that allows moisture to evaporate, which reduces the possibility of chafing. When you wear moisture-wicking fabrics, your sweat should eventually dry.
If you don't want to limit the variety in your wardrobe, not all of your clothing needs to be made from moisture-wicking fabrics. You only need to have a barrier between your skin, which means that it's not necessary for your outerwear to wick moisture away. An undershirt and boxers could be worn underneath your main athletic shirt and pants, which puts a barrier between your skin without limiting your clothing options.
Keep in mind that the clothing you wear should also be cut the right way. If the clothing you wear consists of numerous seams that can easily fold, the seams may dig directly into your skin and cause chafing. If you believe that your chafing is caused by the presence of seams in your clothing, try to wear less traditional clothing options that don't come with seams.
It's also important that you don't wear clothing that's too large or too small while you exercise. If the clothing is too big, the constant moving of the fabric could result in a consistent rubbing against the skin, which may cause chafing. As for form-fitting clothing, there's very little room for this type of clothing to breathe, which means that any sweat that develops likely won't be able to evaporate. Slightly loose clothing should help you prevent chafing.
Invest in Anti-Chafing Products
There are a wide range of popular and reputable anti-chafing products that you can invest in if you want to substantially reduce the possibility of chafing. For instance, the right deodorant can prevent sweating altogether, which lessens the risk of chafing whenever you exercise or spend time outdoors during the summer.
The deodorant that you use should be an antiperspirant that's designed to keep sweating at bay. If you find that a specific area of your body experiences chafing on a regular basis, applying a single layer of deodorant may be enough to prevent this skin problem from developing.
You might also want to look into talc-like powder. Keep in mind that standard talcum powder can contain asbestos, which is dangerous for a person's health. To that end, there are numerous brands that offer talc-like products that can be spread over sensitive areas of your skin that may be prone to chafing.
Among the most effective products that can help you avoid chafing are specialized anti-chafing items designed specifically to keep chafing at bay. A product that you might want to consider is 2Toms SportShield chafing and blister prevention. Available in a roll-on and single use towelettes.
2Toms SportShield - Chafing and Blister Prevention
2Toms SportShield uses a premium waterproof formula to prevent friction altogether. By reducing the amount of friction that occurs, you should not experience chafing or blisters around the areas of your skin where the product was applied. Keep in mind that this product is fragrance-free and non-toxic. You will also benefit from all-day protection. You can apply the anti-chafing roll-on to your thighs, groin area, tops of toes, and underarms.
2Toms SportShield anti chafing single-use towelettes use the same formula that is found in the roll-on. Great for those on the go! Even in conditions that produce an ample amount of moisture around your body, you shouldn't experience chafing when you use an anti-chafing towelette.
Once the towelette has been applied to your skin, you will benefit from an invisible coating that remains on your skin to prevent friction and rubbing, which means preventing you from chafing.
You can prevent chafing altogether by avoiding situations that cause friction and moisture. Any activities that increase friction and moisture around the more sensitive areas of your body can increase the risk of chafing.
If you're active and tend to exercise or play sports on a regular basis, it's likely impossible for you to avoid situations that cause friction and moisture, which is why you should adhere to the aforementioned tips for chafing prevention.
Now that you know how to prevent this skin problem before it occurs, you should be able to enjoy your summer without worrying about chafing and other frustrating skin conditions.
2Toms SportShield can be found at medi-dyne.com. They also have a formula designed for more sensitive skin called 2Toms SportShield XTRA. This formula contains natural antimicrobials and skin softening ingredients for an extra supple product. Both formulas can be purchased in 1.5oz roll-ons and single use towelettes.
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PLEASE NOTE: The information on this website and article is for information only and should not be used as a substitute for consulting your doctor. Consult your doctor for proper diagnosis and rehabilitation.
