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From your armpits to your feet, chafing can happen all over your body. No matter where you experience chafing, there’s always a common thread of discomfort, irritation and pain, especially when it comes to a less talked about form of chafing — groin chafing. Groin chafing happens when there’s repetitive friction between skin surfaces in the groin area, which often happens in combination with exercise, wearing tight clothing or simply when you have more skin surface area. Sometimes groin pimples are formed through the mix of sweat, bacteria, and hair follicle irritation too. Here, we have everything you need to know about groin chafing and pimples, what causes them and how to avoid them.
Female Chafing in Groin Symptoms
Like many things that affect our intimate areas, groin chafing is prevalent but under-discussed. Chafing can occur in your groin, inner thighs and even on your vulva for a variety of reasons. It’s a frequent occurrence when participating in seated sports like cycling or horseback riding, but can also happen when there’s abrasive friction during other activities like running or walking. Moisture and sweat are a common culprit in combination with skin rubbing against itself, which causes everything from redness to burning to welts or rashes. Chafing can become so irritating and painful that it prevents us from partaking in sports or activities for several days until the affected area returns to normal.
What Causes Groin Pimples
In the same area as groin chafing, you can also get groin pimples which emerge on your skin folds for similar reasons — sweat accumulation, friction and irritated hair follicles after shaving. In addition to feeling uncomfortable, groin pimples can stick around for a while and draw unnecessary attention especially during swimsuit season. Luckily chafing and groin pimples can be treated at the same time and they typically go away within a few days. If the problem persists, you may want to see a doctor.
How to Cure Chafing in the Groin Area
Once you experience chafing in your groin, you’ll want it to go away again as fast as possible and there are some ways to soothe the area.
1. Clean, Dry and Rest
The first step in soothing a chafed groin is taking a lukewarm or cool shower and cleansing the affected area. You’ll remove any sweat or fabric that might have aggravated the area which is an important first step. Dry gently with a soft towel and then let the area rest to recover. This is a great time to wear some baggy sweatpants to let your skin breathe.
2. Soothing Moisturizer or Cream
Your skin is likely inflamed or red from chafing, so a calming cream can help get rid of the burn and promote healing. Opt for a cream with soothing ingredients like chamomile, calendula or aloe vera to calm your skin. You may even want to put the cream in your fridge for a little bit so that it has a cooler temperature to further soothe the burning sensation.
3. Breathable and Loose Clothing Options
Chafing can last for several days, so avoid tight and compressive clothing during that time. Opt for looser, natural fabrics during the healing time instead, as some synthetic materials can trap heat and sweat, further irritating your skin. Our Cotton shorts create a soft, breathable barrier around your chafed groin region, and can be worn alone or under pants, skirts and dresses to prevent further chafing.
4. Take a Break from Exercise
Your skin will need time to heal, so for a few days try to avoid what caused you to chafe in the first place whether that’s long walks, running, biking or horseback riding. Give your groin time to heal and recuperate. Working out would hurt anyway so take the well-deserved time to relax.
Bonus Tip: Cure Chafing by Never Getting Chafed to Begin With
Nothing beats avoiding chafed skin entirely and there are some easy ways to accomplish just that. Some people opt for creams and powders to stop it from happening, but those solutions are messy and only work in the short term, if at all. Our solution is simple: anti-chafing shorts. We have a variety of lengths and styles from sheer Cooling shorties to our buttery-soft Original undershorts, which can be worn on their own. It takes days to heal from irritating and painful chafing, but it only takes seconds to put these protective babies on.
