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sfgal's avatar

What to do for chafed thighs?

Asked by sfgal (283points) April 7th, 2014

I’m pregnant so have gained a bit of weight recently. Today I went on a very long walk wearing a skirt instead of my normal pants outfits and I ended up with very chafed inner thighs. It hurts to walk…Any suggestions for what I can do to a)heal quickly, and b) avoid this problem in the future?

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21 Answers

El_Cadejo's avatar

Roll on deodorant. Seriously.

Smitha's avatar

Just keep the area as dry as possible. Try to wear cotton clothes and avoid tights. Apply petroleum jelly.You can use baby powder or MONISTAT Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel on the inner thighs. Normally it heals soon with such home care measures, but if it hurts a lot try seeing a doctor. He might prescribe some antibiotic lotion.

pleiades's avatar

the thing that helps me when this happens to me about every 2 years… and I’m a guy what I’ll need to do is wear tights and keep the area dry

Stinley's avatar

Vaseline petroleum jelly will help heal. Don’t bare that bit – wear leggings, tights (pantyhose), shorts, trousers etc until after baby comes. You will be walking a bit funny because of the pregnancy so hopefully this won’t happen again afterwards.

DrasticDreamer's avatar

Depending on how high you chafed, if you do want to use any kind of lubricant or barrier, I suggest sticking with things that are formulated specifically for the vagina, otherwise the potential for infections gets too high. If you’re not concerned with infection, there are products that are really popular with runners/people training for the military, such as Body Glide (which comes in male and female versions). Natural healing agents such as aloe vera and vitamin E oil are also options.

As others have suggested so far, tights/thigh highs seem like they would offer a nice, light, breathable barrier.

Silence04's avatar

Apply aloe when you aren’t moving around and make sure it gets air.

If you are moving around, try using some gold bonds medicated powder. And definitly stay away from cotton clothing. You want something synthetic that breathes well when wet and at the same time wicks away moisture, cotton doesn’t do either and will build up heat.

seekingwolf's avatar

I second the gold bond idea. That medicated powder is great. Put some aloe on it at night when you’re not moving to soothe the area but when you’re walking, use a medicated powder to keep the area dry and less irritated.

ibstubro's avatar

If it’s not too painful, I would wipe the area with rubbing alcohol to dry it, then apply Creamy Vaseline.

Make sure to keep your thighs separated, including a pillow between your knees when laying down.

GloPro's avatar

@ibstubro Um, yeah. Rub your own inner thighs with rubbing alcohol with open chafing. Holy cow that would burn like fire.

Use whatever medication you prefer from above, then wrap the thighs with moleskin. Let the area breathe at night to dry out naturally. Ouch.

ibstubro's avatar

I would and have, @GloPro. That is what I do for chafing, hence the warning, “If it’s not too painful…”

GloPro's avatar

@ibstubro Wow. You must have a high pain tolerance. Just thinking about it makes my eyes water.

ibstubro's avatar

Yes, I can remove myself from the pain, @GloPro. Like I become a observer. But I’m a total sissy about my own blood…I pass right out.

rojo's avatar

Apply the lubricant more liberally.

Judi's avatar

Corn starch. Really.

El_Cadejo's avatar

@Judi Eh, corn starch gets all clumpy when wet. I imagine if you have any hair down there it’d be rather nasty.

ibstubro's avatar

I agree with @El_Cadejo, @Judi. Corn starch + moisture = thickener.

Think broth gravy. OR NOT.

Judi's avatar

Hey, it does work.

rory's avatar

Buy a pair of leggings and hem them above the knee, or buy a pair of legging shorts. Forever 21 sells them, and they’re 8 dollars of worth it. Chaffing isn’t always a problem for me, but it is when it’s hot out and I’m sweating a lot, or walking around in a dress all day, so I almost always wear them. The thing about deodorant or baby powder or corn starch or any of it is that it never fully stops the friction of skin against skin. Also it’s super messy.

fredTOG's avatar

How about lose weight or try
BodyGlide is a lubricant that’s designed to prevent blisters and/or chafing in vulnerable areas, such as your feet, inner thighs, sports bra lines and underarms. Aquaphor is a great alternative to BodyGlide, and unlike BodyGlide, it’s available in most drugstores.

dabbler's avatar

Gee whiz, @fredTOG, “lose weight or try”? Did you miss the part about : she’s pregnant ?

dabbler's avatar

As well noticed above, lubes seem to work well for a lot of long-distance runners and tri-athletes.
Back in my athletic days, petroleum jelly was the go-to goop. It had a lot of downsides* but was better than nothing (*stained clothes and skin, outgasses small amounts of volatile-organic-compounds, dissolves some plastics and weakens some synthetic fabrics).
But that’s ancient history and today I’d definitely try the engineered goops mentioned above.

Pre-taping (with smooth cloth tape, not the rough sprained-ankle kind) and close-fitting, slippery fabrics are also effective for athletes, in whatever combination works.
Coarser fabrics can work for a while but they will wear holes right at the chafe zones.
Personally I found pre-taping to be very effective for long events. You’ll want to develop a taping strategy that can avoid coming off or bunching up during your day if you

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