Lizardskins & other shin guards..

Is it safe to toss my Lizardskin shin guards in the washer after removing the inserts? They are filthy...as hot as they are I am thankful to have them. My shins would be hamburger after yesterday's ride without them. I noted several strong pedal strikes against them, and then there was the one fall where my Jamis slid into a rogue tree to protect me from falling off an embankment. She bears war scars now on the bottom of the down-tube to mark the occasion, but my mountain goat is just fine :)

Someone at MTBR forums recommended these shin guards that would be kinder to the back of my knees/back of thigh just above the knee. The Lizardskins are made for taller people I think, my femurs are long but not the lower part of my leg (whatever that bone is called)... I would prefer the protective part weren't bright yellow, but perhaps that isn't a bad thing. The important thing is protecting my legs from pedal slap. Even with the Lizardskins it seems like one of the pins still gets my skin on my knee, or they sneak in between the velcro on my calves... I am unsure from the looks of these guards that the the protective part would cover the areas where I tend to get slapped by the meat tenderizers on my pedals.

The nice thing about the G-Form shin pads in the link is they come in sizes. I am unsure if they offer any real protection to the back of the calf, I do tend to get dinged up pretty good there from pedal slap. The G-Forms have a similar price to my Lizards.

My LBS has told me of a different kind of shin guard that is more breathable than what I have, apparently there is some kind of gel/substance that doesn't get hard until there is an impact. They say it works very well and isn't as hot as my Lizards. The problem is they run about $100 retail...Not this year I am afraid.

Does anyone have other shin guard suggestions that provide partial protection to the back of the leg that might come in different sizes? Right now strategically placed bandaids prior to riding is the ticket, but yesterday the humidity and heat had me sweating so much that I had problems persuading the bandaids to remain in place...