Preventing your legs from chafing during exercise protects you from discomfort and developing more serious skin problems. Your choice of clothing and skin-to-skin contact are particularly important elements of chafing prevention. Overweight individuals have a greater risk of leg chafing caused by large thighs. You must allow your skin's natural chafe prevention mechanisms to function properly. Using hygienic sports products may provide your skin with additional protection from chafing.
Step 1
Drink water. Before each exercise session, drink water to prevent your legs from chafing. Staying hydrated allows your body to sweat and release moisture freely. Sweating reduces your risk of chafing by helping keep your skin moist, which reduces friction between your clothing and your skin. Sweating also reduces chafing caused by skin rubbing against skin, which may occur if you have large thighs. Friction also increases when you stop sweating, because dried sweat forms salt crystals on your body. Continue drinking water during and after exercise to stay hydrated.
Step 2
Apply anti-chafing lotion. Before exercise, particularly if you have drier skin, apply the lotion on your groin and inner and outer thighs. These lotions help keep your skin moist and provide a protective, breathable barrier on top of your skin. Anti-chafe lotions also reduce your risk of chafing complications, such as blisters, rashes, fungal infections and sores. Individual products may feature non-greasy, clear, sweat resistant or gender-specific formulations.
Step 3
Sprinkle on talcum powder. Apply the powder to the inside surface of your underwear, pants or shorts. Talcum powder may help prevent your legs from chafing during exercise, particularly if you have oily skin. Friction between your skin and clothing can chafe your legs, because the fabric absorbs excessive amounts of moisture. The moist fabric then sticks to your legs, which inappropriately cools your skin. Cooling your skin in this way causes chafing by suppressing normal perspiration, which helps protects you from chafing by keeping your skin moist under normal conditions. Applying talcum powder may help absorb fabric moisture and keep your clothes drier.
Step 4
Put on underwear, pants or shorts that are clean, dry and promote airflow. Avoid wearing clothing that fits too tight, because it may cause excessive friction that leads to chafing. Dirty clothing contains higher concentrations of dead skin cells and other impurities that reduce airflow, and cause fabrics to retain more sweat. Wearing damp clothing inappropriately cools your skin and prevents normal perspiration. Clean and dry exercise pants or shorts, which are designed to promote airflow and stay dry, may be your best defense against leg chafing. Multiple athletic clothing manufacturers produce pants and shorts that feature moisture-wicking fabrics, which are designed to help minimize chafing.
Things You'll Need
- Water
- Anti-chafe lotion
- Talcum powder
- Athletic shorts or pants
Member Comments