I'll rub the lotion on my skin if I can avoid the pain again.

June 1, 2008 5:18 PM

Chub rub question from a guy.

I wear boxers, yet still get chub rub. Have it right now in fact, from walking about two miles tonight. So much for exercise.

What can I do to make this current burning pain go away?

What can I do to avoid it in the future? I put baby power on inner thighs and it doesn't seem to have helped. Is there a specific brand to use?

posted by jmitchell to health (32 comments total)

Bodyglide, or one of its isotopes. Makes a huge difference.
posted by overhauser at 5:22 PM on June 1 [2 favorites]

Vaseline.
posted by frumious bandersnatch at 5:22 PM on June 1

Using deodorant is almost as good as bodyglide.
posted by loiseau at 5:27 PM on June 1

I'm confused. I thought this question was going to be about masturbation.

What's chub rub?
posted by Stewriffic at 5:28 PM on June 1 [3 favorites]

It's an icky term for chafing between the thighs.
posted by loiseau at 5:30 PM on June 1

By "chub rub", do you mean that your thighs rub together?
I can't help with the current burning, but you really want to switch to boxer briefs, even better would be cycling briefs; anything that hugs the skin and rides low..maybe halfway down to the knee.

Oh! I just remembered what will help with the pain: if you are in the US, check your local pharmacy for Boil-Ease. It's 20% benzocaine. Any *caine cream will numb it, really.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:31 PM on June 1

One more thing: if you can find them, spend a little more and get the boxer briefs or cycling shorts hat with moisture away from your skin. They're a serious painsaver in the summer.

And I'm with loiseau - that's an icky term. I prefer to think of it as "mute cricket opera".
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:34 PM on June 1

Is it bad of me that I clicked this link out of prurient interest, hoping it would be about masturbation (an area I can admit some expertise to)?

I'd love to field this one, but really, kinda need to know exactly what you mean by "chub rub." The penis itself? Doesn't seem like this is the case from your description, since putting baby powder on your inner thighs kinda misses the mark.

If you are having inner thing burn, switch from boxers when walking to wicking fabrics. These can be found nearly anywhere these days. Fabric sciences are wonderful.

And generally, inner thigh rash is more common in overweight people. I know it's chicken and egg, but once you lose some weight, the legs will rub together less, and the problem will address itself.

In the mean time, to address your immediate problem, washing the area with soap and water, then letting it thoroughly dry is your best option. Put on the baby powder tomorrow.

And really, boxers aren't really the best exercise option regardless. Get something that doesn't let your package just hang all lose.

Been there, done that, so not making any kind of fun.
posted by cjorgensen at 5:34 PM on June 1

I would avoid vaseline. I work blue collar and when I feel the chafing coming on, I apply liberal amounts of hydrocortisone cream. Always works for me. That lubes things up and helps aid healing. I'm going to check out bodyglide, though, as a preventative measure. Powders never worked for me.
posted by keith0718 at 5:35 PM on June 1

Oh, ok. Thigh chafing. Yeah, that hurts. Is it from your thighs themselves rubbing together, your boxers or your outergarments? If it's your thighs, I've had luck with slippery things, such as the aforementioned vaseline--some sort of antibiotic ointment might be a good idea for now. If it's your clothes, I'd recommend something close fitting in the crotchal region that's long enough to hit mid thigh. That will put a barrier between where the thighs touch. If the crotch of the garment hits too low, you're going to worsen the chafing. Avoid shorter shorts where the hem/crotch hits the area that rubs. I'm thinking boxer briefs that are longer than typical.
posted by Stewriffic at 5:44 PM on June 1

Ya inner thighs rubbing together.

Deodorant or Body Glide to help prevent, check.

As for the seemingly-slowly-building-in-intensity-burning feeling I've got right now, suggestions? Keep in mind that it's late in this rural area and stores are closed now. Any household remedies?
posted by jmitchell at 6:01 PM on June 1

All the answers you seek can be found here.
posted by SassHat at 6:03 PM on June 1

PS just ignore all the garment-related answers (unless you like wearing frilly bloomers, in which case, carry on).
posted by SassHat at 6:04 PM on June 1

Check the cupboard for corn starch for a quick remedy. Or an oatmeal soap. Otherwise diet and excercise and n'thing the longer legged briefs.
posted by Gungho at 6:25 PM on June 1

Probably not what you want in your medicine cabinet, but Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel will work. I know women use it on their vaginas, but it is also intended to be used on the inner thighs for chafing. You can find it in the section of the store where the condoms/lube/yeast infection tests/tampons are displayed (I've seen it at Target, Walmart, Meijer for $5-6). This works better than Vaseline because it dries to a powdery finish.

You could also try rubbing your thighs with corn starch or baby powder (or another type of body powder).
posted by Polychrome at 6:26 PM on June 1 [1 favorite]

Baby powder! It's been saving my life (and some rather tender bits of skin) for the last few summers.
posted by kalimac at 6:33 PM on June 1

Be careful with steroid creams of vaseline; both can make a small fungus get much worse.
posted by rbs at 6:44 PM on June 1

er, that was steroid creams or vaseline
posted by rbs at 6:46 PM on June 1

Gold Bond Powder is your friend.
posted by dreaming in stereo at 6:48 PM on June 1

SassHat's link had a comment that the pain could be due to a fungal infection similar to jock itch. An antifungal cream like Lotrimin would help. This makes sense - I've had a pediatric nurse recommend using Lotrimin on my baby's diaper rash. What started out as just irritated skin turned into a fungal infection. If you have an antifungal cream, powder, or spray for athlete's foot or jock itch, you could use it on the irritated area.
posted by selfmedicating at 6:51 PM on June 1

I used to have a pair of Pearl Izumi bike shorts .... they were awesome. Whenever I thought I'd be excessively active (hiking, yardwork,etc).. I'd put them on under my jeans/shorts and never once got thigh rubbing. ( I even wore them a lot in the winter just for warmth) Sadly, the eventually (after years) wore out, and I havent had resources to replace them)
posted by jmnugent at 7:07 PM on June 1

You want not just boxer-briefs, but long boxer-briefs. Different companies label their products differently -- here is an example from Jockey. I prefer cotton, but in hot weather you may do better with a partial or full synthetic.

If you can expose that area to sun and air (like in the afternoon, or on the weekend), that can really help the skin heal. Aloe gel (the 100% kind, not the stuff with all the extra ingredients) is good, too. Sometimes swimming in a chlorinated pool is an ok substitute for getting the skin out in the sun, but sometimes it just makes things worse -- try with caution.

I don't know where you work and if you have any privacy, but if you can slip into a bathroom at lunch and put on a clean pair of underwear, that will help enormously -- ideally, you start with one pair in the morning, switch to a new pair at lunch, and then after work you air things out in the backyard for a while before either going commando all evening, or putting on yet another clean pair of underwear (whichever is more comfortable). Keeping the same pair on all day keeps all that sweat and stuff next to your skin, and things just don't fully dry out.
posted by Forktine at 7:34 PM on June 1

Here is what you need. Any cycling shop worth a darn will carry a similar, equally awesome product. And even I, who proudly professes my fondness for tight fitting lycra/spandex cycling clothing to anyone that will listen, have never divulged personal use of this product to anyone. Some lines aren't meant to be crossed.

Also, they apparently make this particular product in discrete, single use packages. Jackpot! However, I would advise that, just to be safe, packets taken to work should be stored as far away as possible from any condiments that might hang out in your desk area.
posted by jtfowl0 at 7:55 PM on June 1

The gel polychrome linked to is AMAZING for this, or any skin irritations.
posted by sweetkid at 8:41 PM on June 1

Deodorant? Really? Have you actually tried this? Or is it because you watched Juno and saw Bleeker apply what looked like a deodorant stick to his thighs before running? Well, it wasn't deodorant, as the director explains in the commentary track on the DVD.
posted by exphysicist345 at 9:26 PM on June 1

exphysicist345 said "Deodorant? Really? Have you actually tried this?"

Yes, I have, when I don't have my thing of Body Glide with me.

Powder or corn starch works great for 5 or 10 minutes. I find deodorant and Body Glide last longer.

For healing I use zinc cream, the diaper rash stuff, overnight. Usually only one or two nights helps.

Did someone seriously recommend diet and exercise to this poor guy? It's really not an uncommon problem and almost all women I've known admit to experiencing it when bare-legged under skirts. We're not all overweight.
posted by loiseau at 11:24 PM on June 1 [1 favorite]

Oh, and it's not a Juno thing, deodorant use is not uncommon among runners, which is how I learned about it years ago.
posted by loiseau at 11:26 PM on June 1

You want something skin tight that stretches but doesn't get stretched out. Like this. I wear these bike shorts-type thingies whenever I plan to do a lot of walking or physical activity. I have never had a problem with, um, chub rub since I began wearing them.
posted by HotPatatta at 11:33 PM on June 1

Probably not what you want in your medicine cabinet, but Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel will work. I know women use it on their vaginas, but it is also intended to be used on the inner thighs for chafing.

This is not a product for chafed vaginas. It is not a product for vaginas at all, it is for thighs and other easily chafed areas. It is not for any part of the anatomy found on women but not on men (one site said it could be used for under-boob chafing, and I imagine this extends to moobs, too).
posted by necessitas at 1:53 AM on June 2

I realise you may not have this in the house, but for aftercare I tend to use calendula oil, or something with calendula in it, since it soothes irritated skin.
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:19 AM on June 2

"If I could walk that way, I wouldn't need talcum powder." — Groucho Marx.
posted by klangklangston at 10:50 AM on June 2

When I was training for a marathon we used vaseline everywhere. Between thighs, inside socks, you name it. And it worked.

I've always had thigh-rub problems, even when I was vastly underweight. I think it's just the way some people are built.
posted by GardenGal at 6:03 PM on June 2