Armpit

Armpit Chafing: Underarm Chafing while Swimming and Running, Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

<p><strong>Chafing is a painful and irritating skin condition&period; It commonly affects areas of the skin with folds and those that are subjected to friction&period; The underarm area is one of them&period; Armpit chafing is less common compared to the thighs and butt&period; If you sweat too much&comma; if you are overweight or exercise too much&comma; you’ve probably experienced underarm chafing&period; Here is more on causes and effective treatments for underarm chafing&period; <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;3px 0 3px 0&semi;text-align&colon;center&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2>Armpit Chafing<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Underarm chafing basically refers to the irritation of skin due to repetitive friction through the skin to skin contact&period; While it can occur anywhere in the body&comma; parts of extra skin and folds are most vulnerable&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>According to Michele Green&comma; a Certified Dermatologist&comma; armpit chafing is caused by a combination of dry skin&comma; sweating&comma; and friction&period; Accumulation of sweat may create favorable conditions for growth of bacteria and yeast&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Armpit Chafing Symptoms<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Underarm chafing happens when skin rubs against skin or skin against the fabric&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Symptoms include&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Rash<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Blisters<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Sore patches<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Red and raw skin<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Stinging and burning sensation especially while showering or when in contact with sweat<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2>Causes of Underarm Chafing<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Like I mentioned above&comma; armpit chafing is mainly due to friction&period; Causes include anything that predisposes or aggravates the situation&period; Here are common causes of underarm chafing&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>After Shaving<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>Armpit hair surely has it pros which include&comma; cleaner zero smell underarms&period; However&comma; frequent and wrong shaving methods are common causes of armpit chafing&period; Use hair removal methods that do not involve continuous rubbing of the skin like razors&period; Go for methods that are long-lasting&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Running and Swimming<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>If you have an active lifestyle&comma; you probably have experienced skin chafing at some point in your life&period; Increased movement of the hands such when swimming and running increases friction in the armpit area&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Heart Rate Monitor<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>Strap on sports equipment such as the heart rate monitor could cause armpit chafing&period; This is especially so if they are made of a rough material or tightly fitting&period; Choose monitors that do not need to be strapped to the upper arm such as watches&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Does being Overweight cause Armpit Chafing&quest;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>The presence of fat and excess skin in people who are overweight predisposes to armpit chafing&period; However&comma; this does not mean that you are definitely overweight if you have underarm chafing&period; This can happen to anyone regardless of your weight&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Other causes include&semi;<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Poorly fitting sports bra<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Seams and badges close to the underarms<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Fabrics made of rough material and those that do not absorb moisture<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Moisture- humid or wet rainy seasons<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2>Who Is at Risk of Getting Armpit Chafing&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>If you are dehydrated<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>If your skin is extremely sensitive<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>People with long working hours<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>If you experience excessive sweating<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Activity such as running&comma; swimming and weightlifting<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>If you exercise in the rain<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h2>How to Prevent Armpit Chafing<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>To effectively prevent underarm chafing&comma; it is most important to reduce friction to your skin&period; You can do this locally by getting rid of the friction or by getting rid of the underlying cause such as getting treatment for excessive sweating&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>So how do you prevent chaffy skin problems&quest;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Wear appropriate clothes<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>The most common cause of armpit chafing is friction and accumulation of trapped sweat&period; Wear clothes made of breathable fabric&period; It absorbs away sweat and leaves your skin dry and irritation free&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Wear properly fitting clothes&period; Clothes such as a sports bra that is too tight digs into your skin creating a point of irritation&period; Choose bras and shirts that have smooth seams to avoid rubbing on the skin&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Avoid loose fitting clothes especially if you have an active lifestyle such as sports&period; Clothes with excess material such as a baggy shirt leave your skin bare and vulnerable to skin to skin contact&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Hair Removal<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>Armpit hair that gets caught up in between your skin and clothes can wreak havoc&period; It is recommended that you wax to remove armpit hair as compared to shaving&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;3px 0 3px 0&semi;text-align&colon;center&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>If you have to shave&comma; then you have to do maintenance grooming&period; You sure do not want to deal with those pesky sharp hairs feel when they grow out in a few days&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Continuous shaving also irritates the skin- that’s how you end up with dark armpits&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em>Read more on how to lighten dark underarms naturally <&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Keep your Armpits Dry<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>Talcum powder and cornstarch have been used to keep babies’ bums dry for ages&period; And there is a good reason for that&period; They absorb moisture&period; Sprinkle powder or cornstarch on your armpits&period; It will keep you dry and also create a barrier between your armpits&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>There is a catch though&excl; DO NOT apply too much&period; Talcum powder has a tendency to form clumps which will lead cause more irritation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Hydrate<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>Drinking enough water&comma; to reduce the concentration of your salts in your sweat&period; Your system produces lots of salts as waste products&period; These salts and excreted through urine and sweat&period; If you are poorly hydrated&comma; the salts form crystals or grains on the skin&period; With dehydration&comma; the body can’t effectively wash away the salts&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Once the skin dries up&comma; the salt grains behave like sandpaper in between your skin and clothes&period; <em>Hello&comma; skin irritation&excl;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Drink up&excl; And even more on active days or events&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Lubricate<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>If your armpits are prone to chafing&comma; use anti-chafe products to prevent chafing&period; Most people use petroleum jelly to create a barrier- prevent skin to skin contact&period; There are natural alternatives too&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A lubricant&comma; whichever&comma; you decide to use is meant to reduce friction by allowing the skin to easily slide on each other&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Armpit Chafing Treatment<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Use these three steps to provide relief for chaffed underarms<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>First&comma; gently clean the area with warm water&period; DO NOT use soap- it will irritate the skin&period;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Dry the area and apply a topical cream with both healing and moisturizing properties&period;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Give yourself a break especially from sports activity&period; It will allow your skin to heal&period;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<p>The best way to treat chafed armpits is knowing and understanding the cause&period; Understand that chafing is an injury to the skin&period; It is painful and difficult to deal with&period; Understanding the causes helps to know how to effectively cure chafed underarms&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Soothe skin irritation at home&period; Clean the area and dry it up&period; Apply a rich moisturizing cream to provide a barrier- to protect the injured skin and allow it to heal&period; Most healing balms have natural ingredients such as Aloe Vera and jojoba oil to promote healing<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>If these home treatments don’t seem to work&comma; seek medical care from a doctor&period; Chaffed armpits have raw and open skin&period; Open skin is vulnerable to infections&period; Speak to your doctor&period; He will examine the injured skin and if necessary prescribe topical creams to treat secondary infections&period; He will also provide remedies to help with rash and redness&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>At the hospital&comma; you will also get nutritional advice if dealing with overweight issues&period; You may also benefit from in-office treatments such as laser hair removal&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Home Remedies for Armpit Chafing<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Use these at home remedies to soothe skin and hasten healing<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Aloe Vera<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>Reduces pain and inflammation&period; It also stimulates the repair of skin cells and speeds up the healing process&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Apply fresh Aloe Vera gel to the affected skin on armpits up to 3 times daily&period;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Alternatively&comma; you can use 100&percnt; Aloe Vera juice sold at pharmacies<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<h3>Oatmeal<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>It is an excellent anti-inflammatory that also helps soothe chaffed underarms<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ol>&NewLine;<li>Add 2 cups of oatmeal powder into a bath filled with lukewarm water<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Soak in this mixture for 20-30 minutes<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Rinse off with lukewarm water<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Pat dry with a clean soft towel<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Do this at least once daily<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ol>&NewLine;<p>Avoid scrubbing the affected skin&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Tips<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>Avoid friction<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Apply anti-chafe products before working out<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>Use an anti-per spirant instead of a deodorant if you experience excessive sweating<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<p><strong>Conclusion<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>All you need to do is determine the cause of friction and stop it&period; The treatments and remedies discussed above will only help to heal skin that is already chaffed&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;<script type&equals;"text&sol;javascript">&NewLine;jQuery&lpar;document&rpar;&period;ready&lpar;function&lpar;&dollar;&rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&dollar;&period;post&lpar;'https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;skincareorg&period;com&sol;wp-admin&sol;admin-ajax&period;php'&comma; &lbrace;action&colon; 'wpt&lowbar;view&lowbar;count'&comma; id&colon; '1272'&rcub;&rpar;&semi;&NewLine;&rcub;&rpar;&semi;&NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad8" id&equals;"quads-ad8" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;3px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

Lindsay Sullivan

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Lindsay Sullivan

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