The Painful World Of Chafing And How To Prevent It
Chafing is a universal problem.
Inner thighs and buttocks, nipples and groin, feet and armpits. If you have friction and moisture, you’re likely to chafe. In fact, we would hazard a guess that most guys would have a painful, embarrassing, and potentially traumatic recollection of chafing.
The thing is, chafing knows no boundary. It doesn’t care where you live, how you live, your age, culture, shape or gender.
You could be a farmer working the land all day. A producer sitting at a computer. You could bike to work. Run in the evening. Lift heaving things. Drive race cars. Direct movies.
The point is, it doesn’t matter. Because chafing doesn’t care.
Well and Good put it best:
“Fat folks can chafe in areas that thin folks chafe, and vice versa. Chafing is also not solely something that happens between thighs. Nonbinary people who wear chest binders can chafe, marathon runners can have nipple chafing between their shirt and chest, and chafing can happen in different areas based on your posture, chest size, and the size and shape of your genitalia. What's more, it depends on what you wear, the weather, how much you sweat, and even your skin type.”
But since we’re a men’s underwear brand, we’re going to be talking about chafing that occurs between your thighs, around your groin and in between your buttocks.
Symptoms of chafing
It varies from person to person. But if you’ve ever been so unfortunate as to experience chafing, you might have suffered from:
- Redness
- Itching
- Flaky skin
- Rashes
- Blisters
- Boils
- Burning pain
- Swelling
- Bleeding
And, if you’re like us, you probably slapped on some ointment and hoped for the best.
Or asked Dr Google for advice.
A quick search for ‘how to treat chafing’ brings up endless answers. But none of them – not one suggestion – is satisfactory. Here are some of the top Google answers, and why they simply don’t cut the mustard.
How to prevent chafing #1: Avoid whatever caused the problem
OK, but what if your livelihood depends upon you moving your legs during the day? What if that means giving up the activity you love for a while?
The most painful chub rub ever experienced by one of our co-founders (as documented in this M2 article) came after 23 hours on his feet after putting an event together in Australia. 'Avoiding the problem' would, in this case, mean changing careers. In our opinion, this is the worst solution possible.
How to prevent chafing #2: Air it out
All well and good if you have the time and privacy needed to go commando. But most of us don’t, which makes this point laughable.
How to prevent chafing #3: Use powder
Baby powder, arrowroot powder or even corn starch are suggested treatments. But, as you may know, they don’t stop the itch or the pain.
How to prevent chafing #4: Vaseline
But wait, not just Vaseline. Lip balm, too! And even aloe vera. To be honest, this is something we’ve definitely tried. And while it feels good momentarily, you need to keep reapplying which leaves your skin feeling wet. The worst part is that on hot days, it’s hard to tell if you’re sweaty or slimy. Or both.
How to prevent chafing #5: Cool packs
Or silicone gel sheets. The relief! Yes, it feels good. But you can’t keep them on all day.
How to prevent chafing #6: Anti-histamines
Ahh, drugs.
Nope.
So how do you prevent chafing?
At this point, we need to make it clear that prevention is the best form of medicine.
That means - given we are talking about chafing around the inner thighs, groin and buttocks - wearing the right underwear. You need fabric that's highly breathable. Fabric that doesn't trap sweat, but rather pulls it from your skin.
Cue MINT and our buttery soft organically grown bamboo fabric that's designed to prevent moisture build-up, friction and chafing. Add to that our clever anti-chafe strips on the inner thighs, and strategically placed mesh cool zones for enhanced airflow, and you have everything you need to stay dry and comfy all day long.
