How to Prevent Chaffing | Skin Elements
One of the easiest ways to ruin a nice holiday or a good workout is through chafed skin. Chaffing is a type of skin irritation caused by skin rubbing against skin or rubbing against clothing and shoes that are either too loose or too tight. One of the most common area is between your thighs which is seen among heavy weight people as well as long distance athletes such as marathoners and cyclists. Other areas where chaffing can happen is around the armpits, on the nipples and the combination of friction and moisture (sweat) can make it quite painful. As a travel enthusiast I have also been susceptible to bad chafing due to all the walking exploring new places.
Being a athlete all my life and now a quarter marathoner, I may not have faced very painful situations as some full distance marathoners go through but I have found the chafing to be highly distracting and takes my mind of the run thereby effecting my performance. The pain is caused by constant friction especially when we are continuously sweating and our clothes rub against our skin. One of the things I learnt from my experience is that protecting my skin is of utmost importance during and after the run and if left unprotected it leads to very painful blisters which take a long time to heal. Many men and women soon discover that nipples are a prime target for chafing and there is nothing to be embarrassed about as it is a very common problem for runners. For me I have always had more of an issue while running between my thighs and I feel my skin gets weak and very sensitive even after it has healed.
Anti chaffing creams, gels and lotions help prevent chaffing by forming a layer over the skin. Most people go for the simplest remedy of using Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and it works quite well but personally I felt it quite hard to get it off my clothes once I am done.
From what I have gathered the Indian market doesn’t seem to have any products which can help for chaffing except for a few products which are extremely expensive as it has to be sent from outside India. I recently came across an Indian brand Skin Elements offering an Anti Chaffing cream. The concept is simple, it’s a sachet with a cream which is specifically designed to be put in places that rub together to help reduce the friction and rubbing thereby eliminating the damage it would cause. It’s made to be sweat-proof, which is sensible as then it lasts for a few hours depending on the usage.
Main Ingredients:
Allantoin & Witch Hazel – Moisturises and soothes the skin
Tea Tree Oil – Anti bacterial
Primrose Oil – Lightens Stretch marks
Calendula Oil – Antiseptic & Anti Microbial
Does not contain fragrances, talc, dyes, parabens and mineral oil.
Value :
I have used it now for several weeks consistently for my long runs as well for a trek where there was a lot of walking involved in humid conditions. These are my initial thoughts on the product,
1.It is not sticky or greasy and I really do not feel it on my skin especially while running.
2. It is quite durable and inspite of constant sweating it has stayed on till I wash it off and holds good to the promise of it being sweat resistant. It will prevent chafing for as long as four hours to cover a marathon walk, a full marathon run, a long bike ride or a trek.
3. I run thrice a week and the pack of 20 sachets (15ml) i.e. Rs.25 per sachet is quite value for money as it lasts for an entire month. They have
4. I find it very useful to prevent underarm chafing and can also be used on the feet to prevent blisters.
5. This product has been a game changer when it comes to my long runs as I am no longer distracted by the issue of by skin rubbing against each other.
The value of such a product comes just not for athletes or fitness enthusiasts, but in the every day life sense as well. It is a product that you put on any areas that rub together to reduce the friction of rubbing thereby saving our feet from blisters, chafing between the thighs, runner’s nipple, and painful irritation from tight bras.
Additional pointers to heed along with the use of an anti chaffing cream for runners,
- Choose running gear which is meant for running and sweat absorbing and must not be made of cotton.
- Ensure the running clothes fit well and it not too loose or too tight.
- Stay hydrated throughout the run which keeps the skin supple and less susceptible to chaffing.
- Pre run and on the race day keep sensitive areas which are prone to chaffing well moisturised.
- Choose running shoes and clothes which have less seams to prevent the friction while running.
While the above is a general point of view on chaffing and how to prevent it from happening, the situation may vary between men and women but the basic idea is to ensure you use an anti chaffing cream to prevent the chaffing.
Skin Elements Anti chaffing cream is now a part of my regular go-to running and activity gear and it has helped me a great deal that I wanted to share it with you.
Disclaimer : This product was provided to me free of charge and does not influence my review or views of the product in any way. This post contains affiliate links to assist in the costs of running this website.
Image Courtesy : RJ Heart & Soul, Pixabay.
Tea tree oil is always the best option for skin.. love to read the post
Being a fitness freak I also go for running with my kiddos and always worried about my skin, thanks for sharing about this cream with us
Although I am fit, my thighs are really thick and it always causes chaffing of the skin.. didn’t knew something like this existed! Thank you so much for sharing!
Oh good to know about anti chaffing cream which is now available in India. M sure it will help athletes .
This writeup on chaffing was great to read. Infact, I did not know about this term until I read your blog. The product you mentioned seems to be a great one to help avoid this from happening. Thanks for sharing this nice writeup.
I think everyone should have this cream in their emergency kit. It can also happen due to tight clothes or when you have extra fat around thighs specially in summer when you sweat a lot.
I didnt know much about such product.Sometimes workouts or running can cause such problem.
Wow! That’s an Insightful article here. And chaffing has become a common problem these days even if one is not into sports. While some just do away with using talk, I would highly recommend, this product you have mentioned here, too!
Chaffing problem is so common and I face it during summers . my cousin is severe face this problem and apply powder so less sweat and can avoid chaffing. This is so ultimate solution. thaxs
Now this is such an useful product to keep with us to avoid chaffing.
Looks like a great product. Would definitely give a try when I suffer from chaffing.
Amazing and beautiful post. Chaffing is so irritating. Anti chaffing cream is best for the prevention of chaffing. Chaffing is mostly common in the summers.
To prevent chaffing I simply dust on some baby powder and it works for me 🙂