Chafing

Chafing is skin irritation from your skin rubbing against something else. It commonly happens around places where skin rubs against other skin. That’s especially true with sensitive skin or places that are warm and moist. That includes your inner thighs, groin, buttocks, armpits and chest. And it can happen when your clothing or surfaces rub against your skin.

Some common types of chafing you can have on your body are:

• Armpit chafing: This is common because of sweating, and there’s plenty of skin-on-skin contact. Having obesity or participating in activities that make you sweat a lot can raise your risk, too.
• Breast and nipple chafing: Nipple skin is very sensitive, making it easier for nipples to chafe. This is common among athletes or if you breastfeed. The skin under your breasts can also chafe.
• Butt chafing: This can happen where your buttocks and thighs meet or where your buttocks meet.
• Feet chafing: This can cause blisters on your feet, especially when your feet are sweaty or wet, or you have new shoes.
• Groin and genital chafing: The skin of and around your genitals is sensitive, so it’s prone to chafing.
• Inner thigh chafing: This can happen to people of all ages and body sizes. It’s often worse in hotter weather. It can happen with clothing or furniture material, or with skin-on-skin.

The more rubbing that happens, the worse chafing usually gets. And if there’s moisture there, chafing can cause issues that need medical care.

Symptoms of chafing

The milder symptoms of chafing can include:

• Chafing rash or redness
• Irritation
• Flaky, dry skin
• Itching
• Raised bumps
• Skin that feels warm to the touch
• Stinging or burning sensation
• Tender or painful skin

As chafing gets worse, it can cause more serious symptoms, like:

• Blistering, sores or welts
• Color changes and skin turning puffy or wrinkly (like how wet skin becomes “pruney”)
• Cracking, tearing or bleeding
• Pain, ranging from mild to severe
• Symptoms of inflammatory conditions like intertrigo, or infections like impetigo

Chafing causes

Friction is always the root cause of chafing. There’s only so much friction your skin can take. And the more your skin rubs against something — especially rougher things — the more likely chafing becomes.

Moisture can make chafing much worse. It makes it easier for materials and surfaces to slip and rub against your skin. Moisture also makes your skin easier to damage.

Some other things that can cause or contribute to chafing include:

• Activity choice: Certain activities may cause chafing on specific body parts. Examples include saddle sores from cycling or horseback riding, or rower’s rump from rowing. It also includes chafed nipples for runners, joggers and weightlifters.
• Activity level: When you’re more active, just moving around makes friction possible. And if you’re sweating, the moisture from that can cause chafing or make it worse.
• Body characteristics: Your body’s natural shape might make chafing more likely.
• Breastfeeding: Chafing is common if you’re breastfeeding or pumping. And items like nursing pads and bras can also chafe your skin.
• Clothing and footwear: Your clothes and shoes are some of the most likely culprits for chafing, especially if they don’t fit well. Chafing is also a lot more likely with rougher fabrics or materials and swimsuits.
• Diapers and adult undergarments: Chafing can happen with diapers for babies. That’s called diaper dermatitis or diaper rash. It can also happen with adult undergarments for people with incontinence.
• Medical conditions: Having overweight (a BMI greater than 25) or obesity (a BMI greater than 30) can make chafing a lot more likely. And certain skin or sweating conditions can also add to it.
• Weather: When it’s hot and/or humid out, you sweat more. Humidity itself can contribute to chafing, too.

Complications of chafing

Chafing is more likely to cause complications when it lasts a long time and/or is severe. Some of the most likely complications include:

• Infections: Chafing damages your skin, making it easier for germs to enter. And bacteria and fungi both like growing in warm and moist places on your body, where chafing is more likely to happen.
• Infection complications: Infections can worsen and spread. That can lead to dangerous conditions like cellulitis or resistant infections that are harder to treat.
• Wound complications: Having an open wound for a long time can lead to scarring. This can be a major concern when it affects sensitive areas like your genitals.
• Friction burns: The heat from friction that can cause chafing can also cause burn injuries.

How doctors diagnose chafing

Minor chafing is something you can recognize on your own. You don’t need to see a healthcare provider for it.

But when chafing is longer-lasting or severe, you should see a healthcare provider. They can diagnose chafing by looking at the affected area and asking questions about your recent activities.

If your provider suspects a skin infection, they might recommend taking a scraping sample. They’ll use the edge of a scalpel to gently scrape across the surface of your skin. That lets them collect skin cells they can test for bacteria or fungi. These tests can help your provider pick the best infection treatment.

How is chafing treated?

You can self-treat minor chafing. That starts with stopping whatever’s causing or contributing to it. Some things you can do include:

• Taking a break: If an activity is causing chafing, you might need to avoid that activity while your skin heals.
• Changing clothes: You might just need to put on something clean to help your chafing. But it could also mean changing the type of clothing or wearing clothes made from other materials.
• Getting rid of moisture: Too much moisture on your skin can cause chafing or make it worse. Wear moisture-wicking fabrics. You can also put cornstarch on your skin to absorb excess moisture.
• Soothing your skin: Use mild soap and water to clean the affected skin. After drying it, you can put aloe vera gel and a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the area. These products reduce friction, irritation and pain.

If your chafing is severe enough to need medical care, treatment might include:

• Antibiotics or antifungal lotions or creams (if you have an infection)
• Bandaging or covering the area
• Medicated creams like hydrocortisone for inflammation
• Cold compresses soaked with aluminum triacetate solution (also known as Burow’s solution or under the brand name Domeboro®)

Your healthcare provider may also tell you how to keep the affected areas clean, like showering or using certain kinds of antiperspirants. These can help your skin recover and prevent chafing from coming back. Your provider can answer any questions and tell you more about how and why these help.

Recovery time

Minor chafing usually clears up within a few days. If it takes longer, you should talk to a healthcare provider.

If you have a more serious case that needs medical treatment, it might take longer to heal. Your healthcare provider can tell you what to expect.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

You should call your healthcare provider if chafing symptoms don’t get better within a few days or get worse. That includes cases that you self-treat and those you got medical care for.

What can I expect if I have chafing?

Chafing can be annoying, uncomfortable or painful. But it usually isn’t serious. With the right care, it should clear up on its own. And many of the things you do to self-treat chafing will also keep it from happening again.

Can chafing be prevented?

To prevent chafing, you can:

• Make sure clothes and shoes fit properly: Tight or restrictive clothing causes chafing easily. And take the time to break in new shoes. That should prevent foot chafing and blisters.
• Pick the right fabric or material: Avoid cotton. It soaks up moisture and dries slowly, which can easily cause chafing. Moisture-wicking fabrics are best. And be mindful of tags and seams. They can chafe, too.
• Find the right gear: Depending on your activity, there might be gear or accessories that can help you avoid chafing. For example, the right bike seat can help avoid saddle sores.
• Tape and pad: Padding or athletic tape in the right places can stop chafing before it starts.
• Try anti-chafing products: Apply these before you’re active.

What’s the difference between chafing and jock itch?

Chafing and jock itch can affect the same area, but they have different causes. Chafing happens because of friction, and it doesn’t spread to others. Jock itch is a fungal skin infection, and it’s very contagious.

But while they’re different, having chafing damages your skin. That can make it easier to get jock itch or other infections. And if you have jock itch and scratch yourself, it can lead to chafing. So, it’s possible to get these conditions back-to-back.