Jump to content

Menu

Ow! Raw thighs


Recommended Posts

Ok, I have a painful problem and wondering if anyone has ideas of how to get rid of the pain.

 

My inner thighs....way up high...as high as you can go and still be the thigh is extremely raw. The skin is all raised, reddish-purple, and very painful. It looks like crocodile skin.

 

It got this way because the weather has been very warm for our area (80s and too humid for me) so I've been wearing shorts. I only have two pairs of maternity shorts and both are pretty short and bunch up between the legs. So, I'm guessing my thighs are rubbing together with this material getting in there and adding to the friction. Plus, being pregnant, I'm much sweatier than normal.

 

So, it's 84 degrees today. It's suppose to be 87 tomorrow. It's nearly unbearable (yes I know 80s isn't hot in some places. I used to like 90s and 100s when I lived in Cali) but I'm wearing jeans to protect my skin. Even with jeans on, I can barely walk. I have to waddle, bow-legged due to the pain.

 

What can I do to 1) soothe the pain, 2) heal the skin, and 3) prevent it for the future? I don't have money to spend on new maternity shorts, especially since I'd only be wearing them for another month and a half.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

do you have any aquaflor? Its a very soothing cream. And do you have any lightweight pants that you can wear in the meantime while it is healing? You are correct that it hurts from the friction and you have irritated the skin.

I hope that you feel better very quickly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the future: I'm guessing you don't have maternity dresses to wear instead?

 

Maybe you could put antiperspirant on the area? Caveat: I've noticed that if you put antiperspirant on one area, the other normally sweaty areas get sweatier, so your underarms or feet might get sweatier if you do (just FYI.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Flanders Buttocks Ointment will take care of the pain and heal the rash in about 24 hours. And it will be great for the diaper rash too. My youngest is 5 and I keep a tube on hand for heat rashes and contact rashes because it is such great stuff.

They carry it back in the pharmacy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For prevention, you could use Body Glide - I use it when I'm running long distances to prevent chafing. It glides on and is not greasy or sticky. I think it's allatoin. If you can't find that, Johnson & Johnson makes a product called blister block which might work, but I've never tried it.

 

 

This is what I use when I run too. It works really well. I don't know if it will actually help heal it, but it would definately keep it from happening again.

 

As for healing, I'd use Lansinoh.

 

I'm just healing from this myself. I went running in shorts for the first time in a long time and forgot the Body Glide! OUCH!!! Showering is the WORST!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool! Lots of ideas!

 

Do you know if these products are all safe for pregnancy and/or breastfeeding? The Monistat stuff says it has Dimethicone which has the always present, "Ask a doctor before using if you are pregnant or breastfeeding."

 

The Body Glide is appealing since I see it mentioning bra issues. I'm a 36H and have skin problems under my breasts during the summer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had this in the past. It hurts like crazy, making it painful to walk.

It's actually caused by candida albicans, which is the culprit in yeast infections. Just apply a little bit of yeast infection ointment (Monistat or whatever) to the area for a day or two and it will completely disappear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the future: I'm guessing you don't have maternity dresses to wear instead?

 

Maybe you could put antiperspirant on the area? Caveat: I've noticed that if you put antiperspirant on one area, the other normally sweaty areas get sweatier, so your underarms or feet might get sweatier if you do (just FYI.)

 

I used to have a couple of maternity dresses but I don't dare wear dresses during the summer for the same reason. I get horribly chafed thighs if I wear a dress...so I pretty much never wear dresses or skirts anymore. I live in jeans and cotton shirts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

when we have this problem around here, we reach for the A&D ointment--the original "greasy" kind--not the white kind. It has a brown and yellow label. Put it on at night, and it will be better in the morning.

 

One day my son walked around Sea World in a wet bathing suit all day. He was RAW by the end of the day. The A&D always takes care of it. Just make sure it is NOT the white kind (zinc oxide or something?).

 

I was also going to recommend powder as a preventative. Here in FL, we keep a big bottle of baby powder in the car. It's great for getting the sand off when you're leaving the beach--it dries out your clammy skin so the sand can fall off. So I think it would work fine for sweaty thighs too!

 

Good luck!

 

Jacklyn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We always use Gold Bond Medicated Powder for chafing. It heals as well as keeping the chafing from getting worse.

 

I would use the A & D ointment at night and the Gold Bond Medicated Powder during the day.

 

Hope it gets better soon. That sounds like something that would make you miserable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had this in the past. It hurts like crazy, making it painful to walk.

It's actually caused by candida albicans, which is the culprit in yeast infections. Just apply a little bit of yeast infection ointment (Monistat or whatever) to the area for a day or two and it will completely disappear.

 

:iagree: Be careful about adding moisturizer to the area if it is yeast, like I think it might because the moisture could make the yeast worse.

 

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to use medicated powder when it first started happening, but then they quit making the kind I used, so now I just use regular shower to shower powder. I even buy the generic kind at Wal-Mart for less than $2 and I haven't had any irritation since. You can find it near the bath beads and Calgon products.

HTH,

Joy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

or your favorite Topical Antibiotic Ointment. It clears the rash up and helps keep it away. Since I always have some in my purse, mostly for accidents that always seem to happen away from home, it is very convenient anywhere!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got some yoga or bicycle shorts that I wear under a dress - or you could probably even wear them under bigger shorts if you didn't want to wear them just as shorts. They are tight enough not to ride up and they keep the thighs from chafing in the first place. I think I got mine at Freddies but it might have been J.C. Penney's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't stop wearing dresses, just order some of these... They aren't that costly and are very soothing to sore skin and keep healthy skin rash free. I've been wearing them for years.

 

Those are cool! I'll have to try them out. I've tried getting the panty shaper things but they always ride up on me and expose my thighs anyway. Plus, they give me tummy aches and are hot. I like this idea.

 

Use Neosporin and you will feel like yourself again. And the pettipants are great. I don't wear a skirt or dress without them. They are so comfortable, I wear them as pajamas in the hotter weather. Get well soon!

 

I'll try the Neosporin tonight as it is the only thing I have in the house. I'll try the other stuff when I can buy it.

 

I've tried baby powder and corn starch. I find that they don't last that long, so I have to reapply it constantly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any chance you can sit in an air conditioned room and put your feet up this last leg of pregnancy?

That would help me out a lot. I can totally relate about 80 degree weather being too hot when you're pregnant.

 

I get the same problem with the chafing, so I started wearing bike shorts under a skirt (because I hate wearing hose), and that helps me out tremendously.

 

Usually I will wear capri's in summer, those are my shorts b/c I won't wear shorts any more, mostly for the reason you are having issues with.

 

But if I need to wear a skirt or dress I will put the bike shorts under it. It works great.

And if I get too sweaty, I change the undies and the shorts, and I'm good to go.

 

I do hope you get some relief.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool! Lots of ideas!

 

Do you know if these products are all safe for pregnancy and/or breastfeeding? The Monistat stuff says it has Dimethicone which has the always present, "Ask a doctor before using if you are pregnant or breastfeeding."

 

The Body Glide is appealing since I see it mentioning bra issues. I'm a 36H and have skin problems under my breasts during the summer.

 

The Flanders ointment is actually a diaper cream so it is safe for pregnancy and nursing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The groin area or just the thighs?

 

If it's the former, it's probably just overgrowth. Doc can give you some nystatin. For thighs, I roll all my pants at the waist to keep the crotch where it belongs.

 

Just the thighs, plus I have no other symptoms. I know it is from chafing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any chance you can sit in an air conditioned room and put your feet up this last leg of pregnancy?

That would help me out a lot. I can totally relate about 80 degree weather being too hot when you're pregnant.

 

I get the same problem with the chafing, so I started wearing bike shorts under a skirt (because I hate wearing hose), and that helps me out tremendously.

 

Usually I will wear capri's in summer, those are my shorts b/c I won't wear shorts any more, mostly for the reason you are having issues with.

 

But if I need to wear a skirt or dress I will put the bike shorts under it. It works great.

And if I get too sweaty, I change the undies and the shorts, and I'm good to go.

 

I do hope you get some relief.

 

Air conditioning? No, in the evenings, our house is hotter than outside.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not even a little unit for your bedroom only? I can't imagine no AC at all in summer and heavily preg. I am a big baby myself. lol

 

We have a window fan in both bedrooms. They keep the bedrooms bearable through the night.

 

ETA: It's rare to have AC here in Western Washington...even little single room units.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joannqn--

Just wanted to add that you can also put on those really big bandaids in the meantime. They cover the chafed area while it's healing. When we go to DC for Cherry Blossoms, I have to be careful what I wear, because we walk about 3 miles over the bridge to get there--one year, I wore a dress and chafed. I really understand where you are coming from!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to have a couple of maternity dresses but I don't dare wear dresses during the summer for the same reason. I get horribly chafed thighs if I wear a dress...so I pretty much never wear dresses or skirts anymore. I live in jeans and cotton shirts.

 

Wear the dresses and put something slippery there- vaseline, gold bond powder, etc.

 

For now, use something to heal the area and move around as little as possible. If you have big bandages to cover the area, that will help. Bike shorts under your pants or dress will keep the thighs from chaffing also.

 

Good luck! I know it's painful, I've been in your shoes! I call it chub rub.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had this when pregnant with my son. The nurse midwife prescribed Nystatin powder for me to put on it. She said it was yeast even though it was just on my thighs. I showered a couple of times a day, dried really well with a cool blow dryer, and then applied the powder. It really worked well.

 

Since then I've found that Desenex makes a medicated foot powder with an anti-yeast medicine in it. I've used that a few times when I've had a thigh rash in the summer.

 

For me, dresses work better, but mostly because I'm sitting a lot and I can sprawl my legs in a totally unladylike way and get "aired out".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aquaphor, aquaphor, aquaphor!!! Be VERY careful about regular lotion. It will burn. It brought me to tears one time. I wouldn't put powder on it until you get it treated. I would bet that two days of aquaphor will have it feeling perfect.

 

Good luck! I hate it when I get that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...