Escape the Chafe

Question:

I heard that the salt in sweat crystalizes and that’s what causes chafing on your inner thighs. Have you heard this? A quick wash with hand sanitizer seems to help, but it burns like crazy if you’ve started chaffing. Water doesn’t seem to work as well.

Submitted by – Randy, Hillsborough, NC

Answer:

No, I’ve never heard of crystallized sweat causing chafing. But I do know that people who sweat a lot chafe more readily than people who don’t. The main chafe-causing culprit is skin rubbing against skin or against clothing. Prevention requires you to stop the rubbing, either by wearing layers of clothing that can rub against each other or by wearing a lubricating layer of an ointment. Heavy sweaters can also benefit from an antiperspirant. —Buck