How to Remedy Chafing

Like most skin irritations, treating chafing is relatively straightforward: Ultimately, the skin will heal itself if you eliminate the source of irritation. You can also give the healing process a helping hand by following some of the tips we will cover below.

First, What Is Skin Chafing?

Skin chafing happens when skin is repeatedly rubbed against something. That something could be other skin (skin-on-skin chafing) or another material (such as shoes or clothing.)

This rubbing motion acts almost like sandpaper, rubbing the skin raw and making it irritated and inflamed. Skin-on-skin chafing can be further exasperated by body hair, and some methods of hair removal may leave stubble that can worsen the friction.

Chafing can happen almost anywhere on the body, but it will always impact sensitive skin more. Some common areas you may experience skin chafing include:

• The heels and toes (chafed skin is often caused by stiff shoes that haven’t been broken in)
• Inner thighs (caused by the friction of thighs rubbing together and often exacerbated by groin sweat or stubble from bikini hair removal)
• Beneath the boobs (often caused by too-tight or too-loose underwire bras that rub against the rib cage. Can also be exacerbated by boob sweat)
• Nipple-chafing (often happens to male athletes who may experience chafing when the fabric of their clothing rubs against the nipples. Less common in women as sports bras are usually worn)
• Inner arm or armpit chafing (another area where the skin is delicate and friction can easily happen between the folds of the skin)

Chafing is more likely to happen in hot weather. This is because:

• You’re more likely to have skin exposed, wearing sleeveless tops, shorts or skirts, and dresses without tights underneath
• The weather is warmer, which contributes to skin heat and friction
• You’re more likely to be perspiring—as we’ll see, sweat can really exacerbate chafing

But chafing isn’t exclusively a summer problem. It can also occur when delicate skin rubs against a thick seam or if your underwear is too tight. And if you’re prone to perspire more, it can also be irritated by sweat year-round.

How to Treat Skin Chafing

So, now you understand what has caused your skin irritation, you’re probably keen to treat it. The good news is that treating chafing is a relatively simple process. You won’t usually need medical attention, and the skin will usually heal up in a few days (even quicker if the chafing is minor.)

The bad news: The best thing you can do is give the skin a break from the repeated motion that caused the chafing in the first place. This may mean a few days of taking it easy (or carefully choosing clothing that will minimize the friction.) 

If you’re an athlete and are in training or competing in events, it may simply not be possible to rest completely to allow the skin to heal. Don’t despair: You can still help the skin heal while taking steps to prevent chafing from worsening.

Step 1: Rest Your Chafed Skin

As mentioned, the best treatment is to rest. It’s ideal if you can take the rest of the day gently and allow the skin to heal overnight. But that’s not always possible.

Still, some kind of break to stop skin rubbing is absolutely necessary. Use that time to think about which of the following steps can be introduced to help the skin withstand any future movement. 

Step 2: Keep Chafed Skin Clean and Dry

Sweat, heat, and chafing go hand in hand. So to give the body a chance to heal, you really want to help the skin cool down. You also want to wash away sweat which can become a breeding ground for bacteria, which can cause skin infection. So: Out of those wet or sweaty clothes!

This is not a time for a long hot soak in the tub—that will likely only aggravate your already hot skin. Instead, opt for a cool shower. Let the water gently run over the area of chafed skin, and you should feel immediate relief. Choose an unscented, hypoallergenic shower gel (no harsh soaps) to clean the area, but stay away from loofahs, sponges, and scrubs. 

When you step out of the shower, don’t be tempted to rub yourself dry vigorously. Instead, gently pat the skin dry with a clean and soft towel. 

Step 3: Help the Healing Process With Balms, Oils, and Creams

A cooling and moisturizing lotion or balm will both offer relief and help the skin start to heal. It will also form a barrier to protect the skin from further irritation. You can choose a number of different products, such as:

• Aloe vera gel (aloe vera is known for its cooling properties, especially when used on sunburn)
• Argan oil (nutrient-rich and has anti-inflammatory properties)
• Coconut oil (coconut oil reduces inflammation and helps heal wounds)
• Diaper rash cream (serves as a barrier cream)
• Petroleum jelly, aka Vaseline (petroleum jelly keeps the skin slick to prevent further rubbing)
• Medicated ointment

Generally, you can use whatever you have on hand, even a regular body lotion. You will likely want to reapply whatever product you choose a few times throughout the day while you’re healing. Many of these products will help the skin barrier repair. 

However, stay clear of products that are heavily fragranced or contain acids (fruit acids, lactic acid, AHAs) as they will likely feel burning on your raw skin.

Step 4: Stay Hydrated

Chafing usually occurs when your body is hot and perspiring, so you may have lost a lot of water while chafing was occurring. Make sure to replenish that hydration by drinking lots of water. This will help your body cool, regulate its temperature and heal.

Step 5: Rethink What You Wear to Reduce Friction

Clothing is a huge factor when it comes to chafing. Either there is no clothing forming a protective barrier between the skin (e.g., inner thigh chafing when you’re wearing a summer dress.) Or the clothing itself is the source of chafing (e.g., a pair of shoes that’s rubbing your heel raw.)

Whatever the answer, chafing is a sure sign that it’s time to slip into something different. After you have treated your skin, think about using clothing to form a physical barrier to protect the skin from further irritation. 

Here are some suggestions:

• Thigh Savers can protect the inner thighs from rubbing together
• Socks can prevent shoes from rubbing your feet (band-aids can help too!)
• Longer, fitted sleeves can protect the inner arms and armpits from chafing
• Changing into a wireless bra or a bra with wider straps (or a better-fitting bra) can minimize chafing around the bust area
• Changing out of any too-tight clothing for something that fits you better will always help

Step 6: Turn to Ice Packs

If your skin is really chafed, an ice pack can bring relief to irritated skin. Now’s a good time to marathon something good on Netflix and let an ice pack cool and reduce swelling. Note: You should never apply an ice pack directly to the skin. Instead, wrap it in a soft cloth (a tea towel is perfect - not too thick and generally pretty soft) and press that gently against the skin. It helps to have two ice packs on standby so that you can swap them out as one starts to warm up.

Step 7: Know When to See a Doctor

Skin chafing does not usually require a visit to the doctor. If you’re still experiencing pain or irritation days later, or you experience any of the following, it might be worth a trip to the doctor:

• A wound opens up around the chafed area and doesn’t scab over in a few days (assuming it’s not further exacerbated)
• You notice blood or pus coming from a chafing wound
• The skin is very hot or swollen
• Redness spreads beyond the point of chafing

But generally, a little bit of rest and TLC, and you should be back to normal in a few days!

Going Forward: Prevent Chafing from Recurring or Worsening

Skin chafing is a truly unpleasant experience, so it’s natural to want to prevent it from ever happening again. But it’s also likely you’ll need to be up and about before the chafing has fully healed. So here are some steps that you can use going forward to both prevent chafing from happening, and to stop existing skin chafing from flaring up again.

Protect the Inner Thighs With Thigh Savers

You can prevent thigh chafing and groin chafing with a simple product. Anti-chafing underwear works by creating a physical barrier between your thighs. Usually, they’re light shorts that are form-fitting, and you can also look for styles (like our Thigh Savers) that include moisture-wicking to help manage sweat. 

Explore Anti-Chafing Cream

There are many anti-chafing products that help prevent friction and combat (and treat) skin chafing. These products are designed to create a barrier that sits on top of the skin and helps the skin “glide” past other skin. If you don’t have these products handy, you can even try good old petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) to create a skin barrier (yes, petroleum jelly is good for both treating chafing and preventing it!)

Minimize Excess Moisture and Sweat With (Non-Talc) Powders

We now know all about the sweat-chafing connection, so it’s also good to think about products that will minimize and absorb sweat, like moisture-absorbing powders. Look for non-talc all-natural products with ingredients like kaolin or cornstarch to absorb moisture. Other ingredients, like aloe and lavender, can cool, soothe and have antibacterial properties.

Try Anti-Perspirants or Deodorants

Antiperspirants work by temporarily plugging your sweat glands, so they are very effective at preventing sweat. Many of us use antiperspirants for underarm sweat (though people increasingly switch to natural deodorants for various health reasons connected with aluminum - the chief ingredient used to plug those glands). 

But whether you are for or against them, antiperspirants can offer an effective solution to sweat. And you can use antiperspirant on other body parts too. That said, the skin around your groin and inner thighs may be more sensitive. You should also avoid putting product around your vulva, where it may cause irritation and even infection.

Dress in Sweat-Wicking Clothes

Look for clothing that wicks moisture and sweat from the skin surfaces. You’ll usually find most athletic or athleisure clothing has some degree of moisture-wicking these days.

Clothes that fit the body snugly (like leggings) with minimal seams don’t tend to move a lot, so this means there’s less friction of them rubbing against your skin. And because they fit snugly, they also mean your skin is encapsulated, so there’s less skin-on-skin friction.

However, if your clothes are too tight, those tight seams and bands (like waistbands or bra bands) can dig into the skin and cause irritation. So look for products with that perfect second-skin feeling.

The good news is that chafing has become a real personal hygiene conversation in the last few years, and so there are more and more products to help address it (particularly thigh chafing.) This means that chafing is no longer an experience we have to tolerate in shame: With effective treatments and preventative products, we can all enjoy those hot summer days!

We hope you found this post informative — but remember: we’re not doctors and this post is not medical advice! While all posts are fact-checked and well researched, we always recommend you chat with your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have regarding a medical condition. We’re here to support and educate, but never with the aim of disregarding professional medical advice you’ve been given. Phew, now that that’s out of the way, you can go on living unapologetically free.