The unpleasant results of inner thigh chafing include redness, itching, burning, blistering, and a painful rash. Left untreated, thigh chafing can also lead to fungal skin and even yeast infections. Serious thigh chafing can leave the skin raw and bleeding.
“Because chafing is the result of repeated frictional forces, it occurs most often in areas like the underarms, under the breasts, in the groin, and on the thighs.” And both derms agree: Chafing is both common and normal, so no, nothing is wrong with you or your skin.
Keep your clothing clean and dry. Dried sweat, dirt and other debris can cause irritation. Use petroleum jelly, an anti-chafing cream or an anti-chafing stick to prevent chafing in easily irritated areas. This tip may be especially useful to help prevent and stop thigh chafing.
Weight loss is not a guaranteed way to prevent thigh chafing. If you're carrying a few extra pounds then some healthy and safe weight loss may decrease chafing. But, excess skin from rapid weight loss can sometimes make thigh chafing worse.
Yes, thigh chafing is normal. While it is not comfortable, it is an incredibly common skin condition. Men and women, and even babies, of all different sizes, can suffer from chafed or irritated skin. This is particularly common around the inner thighs, groin, buttocks, and underarms.
Inner thigh fat can be harder to lose than fat on other areas of the body since exercises that target the area build muscle more slowly and gradually, making visible weight loss less apparent than on areas such as the stomach or arms.
Unless you are underweight or have femurs that are extremely bowed or your hip joints live unusually far apart inside the pelvis, your thighs will touch.
Use petroleum jelly or baby powder on chafed areas until the skin heals. You can also use these before activities to prevent chafing in easily irritated areas, for example, on your inner thighs or upper arms before running.
Lubricate Your Skin – A bit of lubrication will help your thighs glide past each other, rather than pulling or rubbing the skin. Apply Vaseline® Jelly to the insides of the thighs before exercising or walking to effectively help protect against chafing.
Are thigh gaps healthy? Whether you have a thigh gap or not has no bearing on your internal health. It's common to assume that a thigh gap is determined by physical fitness, body weight or diet—and we don't blame you!
Chafed skin takes one to two days to heal, as long as it is treated immediately. If you leave chafed skin unattended or continue to participate in activities that exacerbate it, the chafed area can take longer to heal or become worse over time.
In fact, just the act of somebody lightly touching or rubbing your thigh can send shivers down your spine and make you feel really good. So it's not surprising that a guy would want to grab your thigh, especially if he's attracted to you. For men, touching a woman's thigh can be sexually arousing.
Initially, chafing will make skin pink and feel hot or sting; as the chafing heals, it may begin to look like flaky, red spots. In severe cases, where chafing is prolonged, the rash may advance, and symptoms may expand to swelling, blistering, bleeding, or crusting of the affected area.
Start With Clean Skin
Your instincts are right: This is not a time for a steaming hot shower, bath, or hot tub—they can make chafing worse. But you do want to clean the skin, and some cold or lukewarm water will actually feel really soothing (just don't blast the water pressure.)
"Mild redness or chafing requires rest, pure and simple," Palm says. "Chafing and irritation are coming from that repeated rubbing activity, so it must be put to a stop." She recommends wearing cotton-based clothing rather than synthetic fabrics while you do so.
In practise, it's rare enough that something like 5% women in this world will have a natural thigh gap without resorting to drastic and dangerous measures. Despite this (or maybe because of this) teeny, tiny percentage, thigh gaps have become the most coveted “It accessory”.
That also determines the tightness of your vagina. The bigger the thigh gap, the looser the vagina. The smaller the thigh gap, the tighter the vagina.
It's a Genetic Phenomenon
On The Doctors, expert Dr. Travis Stork proved that inner thigh gaps are a genetic phenomenon based on bone structure. The primary determining factor for whether you have a thigh gap isn't body weight, a healthy diet or strength training – it's the width of your hips. Yup, that's it!
Losing weight doesn't always guarantee relief from chafing. In fact, chub rub isn't always due to being overweight. Even skinny people experience chafing and it's nothing to worry about. Timely attention and care can go a long way in preventing chafing.
In their study, Vartanian et al4 concluded that a wide upper thigh, with an optimal transition from the buttock to the thigh, was the most attractive shape.
Whether a woman's inner thighs touch depends on bone structure, shape of the pelvic girdle and how far apart the hip bones are, in addition to weight, Guarda says. “Most women's thighs touch somewhere from between their crotch and their knees,” even at a healthful thin weight, she says.