Thigh chub-rub happens to anyone who is heavy enough. Women tend to have more issues with it due to skirts and dresses, but there is a male version of it because, well, anatomy and clothing styles. Below are my observations. I hope that other guys (or women who have or have had larger partners who might have experienced these issues) will chime in with any solutions that they may have found. Or maybe Im just weird and the rest of you dont have these issues?
In short, the crotch seam of trousers or shorts is usually worn a little below the scrotum in current styles, because we are not in age where fashion dictates dressing to one side, cod-pieces, or male camel-toe. This leaves three potential rub points: thighs against the crotch seam (which will be running between just about the chubbiest point on the thighs, thigh against thigh just below/behind the testicles, and between thigh and the underwear covering junk.
All of these can be avoided by wearing closely fitted boxers or boxer-briefs, however personally that is more fabric than I prefer to layer on in hot/humid weather.
The first can be addressed, for the most part, in making sure that the seam is soft (not a harsh fabric or rough stitching) and not too thick. Personally Ive only had this problem with a few items of clothing over the years, and just learned not to wear them in hot or humid weather or when Id be doing vigorous walking. So that one is generally avoidable, although occasionally annoying.
The second one is basically the same that women face, albeit over a smaller area of contacting skin. Solutions Ive seen women mention over the years include talcum powder (to keep skin dry), applying antiperspirant to the area in question (again to keep it dry), body glide (I think that is an athletics product? Not familiar with it), wearing stretch thigh covering shorts/underwear/bike shorts (similar idea to the boxer-briefs mentioned above), or walking with small and slow enough steps so that the skin doesnt slide against itself and it is just the fat that wobbles back and forth (apparently this becomes more feasible/likely as you get fatter). Due to how guys carry weight the last solution seems less likely to work well for many guys, but presumably the rest would have potential?
The last is one that women presumably wont encounter. The issue is that even fairly good cotton becomes somewhat sticky once wet (at least for sliding across it witness how well a wet t-shirt sticks). Briefs are frequently (and stereotypically) made of cotton or cotton-polyester blend, -- Im dubious that adding polyester would make this issue better but Ive never really tested it out as I hate the suffocating feeling of cotton-polyester blends that Ive worn in the past. Presumably there are other options in briefs, but I cant say that Ive really explored them. Given that perspiration will happen from both sides of the briefs, and that putting antiperspirant on the inner surface could have certain challenges and concerns, Im not so confident that it would help much with this particular problem. Body glide I dont have experience with. Powder might help? Possibly the best solution for this one would be briefs made of some slippier material?
Once chaffing has started, of course the skin is more sensitive, and it roughens, which makes the problem all the worse. So of course once wants to treat chaffing as soon as possible to prevent further problems. Im not sure what, if anything, really helps. Ive tried moisturizing cream, but Im not convinced that it really speeds up healing at all.
In short, the crotch seam of trousers or shorts is usually worn a little below the scrotum in current styles, because we are not in age where fashion dictates dressing to one side, cod-pieces, or male camel-toe. This leaves three potential rub points: thighs against the crotch seam (which will be running between just about the chubbiest point on the thighs, thigh against thigh just below/behind the testicles, and between thigh and the underwear covering junk.
All of these can be avoided by wearing closely fitted boxers or boxer-briefs, however personally that is more fabric than I prefer to layer on in hot/humid weather.
The first can be addressed, for the most part, in making sure that the seam is soft (not a harsh fabric or rough stitching) and not too thick. Personally Ive only had this problem with a few items of clothing over the years, and just learned not to wear them in hot or humid weather or when Id be doing vigorous walking. So that one is generally avoidable, although occasionally annoying.
The second one is basically the same that women face, albeit over a smaller area of contacting skin. Solutions Ive seen women mention over the years include talcum powder (to keep skin dry), applying antiperspirant to the area in question (again to keep it dry), body glide (I think that is an athletics product? Not familiar with it), wearing stretch thigh covering shorts/underwear/bike shorts (similar idea to the boxer-briefs mentioned above), or walking with small and slow enough steps so that the skin doesnt slide against itself and it is just the fat that wobbles back and forth (apparently this becomes more feasible/likely as you get fatter). Due to how guys carry weight the last solution seems less likely to work well for many guys, but presumably the rest would have potential?
The last is one that women presumably wont encounter. The issue is that even fairly good cotton becomes somewhat sticky once wet (at least for sliding across it witness how well a wet t-shirt sticks). Briefs are frequently (and stereotypically) made of cotton or cotton-polyester blend, -- Im dubious that adding polyester would make this issue better but Ive never really tested it out as I hate the suffocating feeling of cotton-polyester blends that Ive worn in the past. Presumably there are other options in briefs, but I cant say that Ive really explored them. Given that perspiration will happen from both sides of the briefs, and that putting antiperspirant on the inner surface could have certain challenges and concerns, Im not so confident that it would help much with this particular problem. Body glide I dont have experience with. Powder might help? Possibly the best solution for this one would be briefs made of some slippier material?
Once chaffing has started, of course the skin is more sensitive, and it roughens, which makes the problem all the worse. So of course once wants to treat chaffing as soon as possible to prevent further problems. Im not sure what, if anything, really helps. Ive tried moisturizing cream, but Im not convinced that it really speeds up healing at all.
