Home Remedies for Chafing: Let Your Thighs Breathe
November 8, 2022 by Marissa Matozzo
With winter approaching, many of us are opting for tights, fitted skirts, jeans with rough fabric and other pieces that (along with dry skin-inducing colder weather) can lead to chafing. The most common form of this skin irritation can happen when your inner thighs rub together— either through skin-to-skin contact or clothing— and this can then lead to a rash, dry, peeling skin and itchiness.
We checked in with dermatologists and skin experts to learn more about chafing, and how to prevent this from occurring in your thigh area and elsewhere— whether in winter or any other season. Read on for tips and insight from Dr. Elaine F. Kung, M.D., FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Future Bright Dermatology, Dr. Heidi Prather, board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology, and clinical dermatologist Dr. Enrizza P. Factor.
Chafing, as Factor explains, can happen “between the legs most commonly, under the armpits, and ultimately anywhere we have skin-on-skin contact.” While you may think of chafing as only a summer-related issue, Factor notes that it really can happen whenever you sweat (and for many of us, this still occurs under thick winter clothes and tight pieces, even as the outside temperatures drop). “Sweat on the surface of the skin is an irritant, so that further breaks down the skin barrier, and this can really cause a lot of problems for people with really uncomfortable rashes,” she says, adding to “try and stay cool and dry” in clothing that helps you feel warm, but not warm enough to sweat excessively.
To prevent thigh chafing especially, Factor says that if you are ever sweaty, to “change out of wet, sweaty clothing as soon as you can.” Remaining in wet, drenched clothing (whether it’s your workout leggings or nylon tights for a long period of time), she says, is not ideal, as you “don’t want to sit in clothing that can harbor bacteria and further aggravate the skin there.” This, she warns, can “set you up for not only chafing, but also a type of little skin infection called folliculitis.” With that said, Factor, Kung and Prather helped us round up 6 home remedies for inner thigh, underarm, or other chafing:
Aloe vera gel is a “great home remedy” for relieving chafed skin, Factor says, instructing to “apply a liberal amount of aloe to treat red and inflamed areas.” She says to continue to apply to the area in question until “redness or stinging and irritation have stopped.” The key here is to apply cold gel to the irritated area, just as you would to treat a sunburn.
If you’re in a rush and need to relieve chafed thighs as soon as possible, another option that you definitely have in your bathroom is your favorite stick of deodorant. By applying a small amount in the affected area, you are less likely to sweat, and more likely to prevent additional drying and peeling.