Chafed skin can be extremely painful and can even stand in the way of your workout routine. However, there are products like anti chafing underwear on the market that can help, and some might even surprise you.
What Causes Chafing?
Chafing is one of those things that sound gross, but every single person who exercises will experience it at least once in their life. It happens when two parts of your body rub together, and the friction causes a rubbing injury on your skin.
The most common areas for chafing are under your arms, in your groin area (think inner thighs), and between your thighs. It’s also standard on the back of your neck when you wear a backpack or tight ponytail.
How Does Chafing-Prevention Underwear Work?
The way anti-chafing underwear works is that it has a thin layer of cushioning material, like soft cotton or nylon, on the inner thigh area to act as a barrier between your skin and your clothes. This barrier prevents the fabric from rubbing against you and creating friction.
What is Chafing-Free Underwear?
Chafing-free underwear is a pair of athletic briefs that prevents chafing along the inner thighs and groin area.
They’re designed to be worn instead of regular underwear, but they function much the same way as an essential skin-colored pair of bike shorts. Some might even have a fly opening at the front or back to make it easy for the wearer to go to the washroom.
This underwear comes in a few different forms, from regular underwear with unique fabric to high-tech products that look more like bike shorts. It’s usually the same material as regular underpants, but it has been modified to prevent chafing.
If you’ve ever worn bike shorts, it’s very similar. The difference is that regular biking shorts are designed to be worn over your regular underwear. In contrast, chafing-prevention underwear is designed to be worn instead of your regular innerwear.
Is It Worth Buying?
If you’ve ever had an unfortunate case of chafing under your arms or between your thighs, you know how hard it can be to get back into the swing of your workout routine.
In many cases, using a simple petroleum-based gel or cream can help soothe the area and help prevent chafing. But sometimes, nothing seems to work. That’s where anti-chafing underwear comes in handy.
Some people may indeed find they can prevent chafing by wearing their regular underwear, but not everyone has the patience to experiment with different undergarments.
How to Buy Anti-Chafing Underwear
When shopping for anti-chafing underwear, you first need to know what size you wear. This way, if you’re shopping online, you can quickly eliminate any products that don’t come in your size.
Next, look over reviews of the different brands and styles to see which might fit the best and provide adequate protection from chafing.
Final Thoughts
If you’re going to be doing a lot of activity, consider anti-chafing shorts that look more like bike shorts. They’ll offer the best protection and fit well under your clothes but can feel a little bulky. A pair of anti-chafing bikini briefs will be more than enough if you’re only going to be using them for running around town.