Saddle sores

[ridin a giant]

Can someone "tastefully" describe saddle sores?

Obviously, I haven't had one, but I'm sure that I will. I'm in need of a new seat, I can't seem to get comfie with the one that I have now. I sometimes feel like my woman parts are doubled in size and wonder if I'm on my way to getting the dreaded sores.

thanks

[coolbeansbikes]

well - there are several different kinds!

some are actually ingrown hairs (folliculitis) where the hairs have been rubbed off at aor below the skin surface...


some are like blisters and scabs...

some are like blisters that never open, and just leave you sore...

occurence is usually wherever there is an "inside" corner (as opposed to an "outside" corner...)

if you'd like more information / detail, check out Chapter 21 in the book A Woman's Guide to Cycling by Susan Weaver ...

hope this helps --
beanie

[ridin a giant]

Thanks very much ..... I hope that I don't develop one. They don't really sound all that fun

[eyeore53]

i think my saddle sores (in grown hair type) have turned into calluses. how do i get rid of them? i was thinking about an exfoliator, but didn't know if this would aggravate it further. any tips? tks much!

jady

[karen_fish_bio]

The worst most saddle sores get is like a burst of acne in a place you really don't want it. Like any rash of zits, they are sore, some will pop and drain and are just generally uncomfortable. Not life threatening though....a light coating of neosporin over the top of them before bed RELLY helps to bring them under control. Make certain you are wearing clean shorts for every ride... no doubling up on rides before laundry is done. Karen

[missliz]

Neosporin is great for saddle sores- which I never got until recently when I changed shorts. (gained weight during my long layoff). Chamois Butt'r really helps prevent them for me, and the clean shorts thing is absolutly true. I can't wait to get back into the other shorts, though, I think they made a big difference.
I've heard that a seat change, or seat position change, can make a big difference too, either makes 'em worse or clears 'em up. Something to think about.

Lizzy

[eyeore53]

what i'm not hearing anyone else saying anything about is ingrown hairs. i think my problem is not clean shorts. that's not a problem. gawd knows i've got enough that i don't need to do laundry all the time!! i just have to stop shaving everything... i was just wondering if anyone else had these kinds of sores. like i mentioned before, they start out as ingrown hair bumps (tiny) & then turn into big callus-like bumps. if i don't shave, they don't get bigger, but they haven't gone away. it's been a couple of weeks. oh, & i DO use neosporin. i have several tubes throughout my house. i swear by the stuff. tks again!!

jady

[Irulan]

There are probably SOO many factors. I shave "everything" and find that if I get saddel sore at all it's of the litttle callouses in the labia minor , but they never hurt so I never notice it.

Irulan

[annie]

I have problems with the ingrown hairs, too, especially if I shave all the way up, you know, so that when I wear a swim suit, I don't feel like an ad for Nair Bikini Line hair remover. What I do is slather the sore spots with Bag Balm (I imagine neosprin works, too) and pretty much just ignore them. Rarely have I had one get terribly sore. They tend to go away during the winter when I can't ride as much. Until then, I put up with it as a side effect of riding. Small price to pay.

[tinkerbell]

Although saddle sores might not be life threatening (I'm not a Dr. , but I think that if they were to become infected and untreated they could become very serious--if an infection is left untreated can it not spread or somehow get into the blood stream and become deadly? I'm probably wrong, I guess that's why I left nursing in my first semester and became a 5th gr. teacher ) Anyway, a guy on our bike team had them this year and they became so bad that he developed an infection and ended up in the emergency room for treatment. YIKES! Definitely just beware, try the recommended treatments, and if you have any questions or it doesn't seem to be clearing up use caution and see your doctor.

Also--just to mention, I often get infected glands down in my nether regions. At first the Dr. thought they were just ingrown hairs and I was told to treat it with hot wet washclothes, but later after seeing a specialist I was told they were infected glands and I needed to take an oral anitbiotic. They show themselves as hard bumps at the bikini line where my leg meets my pelvic region, they are extremely painful when I ride, but they do not at all get *****-- they merely look like a lump (sometimes show themselves with a reddish tint)--or a large bump or "callous" as someone mentioned. I didn't get them until I started to cycle, and now I've had them several times. I just thought I'd throw out the fact that not all pains down there are "saddle sores" and if you aren't sure you should once again consult a physician to make sure you are using proper treatment.

[eyeore53]

i, too, get inflamed lymphnodes & have since at least jr high. i have no idea what causes them or how they go away. i've never taken anything for them, but was advised by my dr not to squeeze or pop them because that could cause more infections. i don't think what i have now is the same thing. my calluses aren't painful. just not very pretty. guess i have to date only serious cyclists who can understand!

jady

[missliz]

Hey- I get that lymph node thing too and could NEVER figure it out! I usually feel fluish with them, then they go away.
Wierd.
At least I'm not the only one. Good to know.

Lizzy

[Irulan]

I don't get lumph node things ( I don't think) but I do get what I thought were just infected hair follicles, large almost pimple-like things, sometimes with a whitehead. (Sorry to be so groass but that does seem to be the topic...) They always seem to be right under the leg band of my panties, and have no relation to the amount of cycleing I' am doing

Irulan

[MightyMitre]

Fortunately I don't get too many in-growers, but while we're on the subject, what do you girls find is best for the bikini area?

Irulan mentioned she shaved "everything". Hope you don't find this weird but do you mean EVERYTHING, like a brazillian wax?

I usually got for a full head, but just very short and under control.
What do people find is best, long, short, hair or bare? After all - it must be there for a reason? If I'd be better off with bare then I'm willing to give it a try.

[Irulan]

haha, I had to go look up "brazilian wax" on google.

here's tmi
I have what's called ( I guess) a "playboy" wax (except I don't wax) Oh, my the things you learn on the internet. All I"ll say is this, it drives my hubby crazy and that's good for me.

here's WAY tmi...

Technically speaking there are four types of bikini waxes.

1.The Bikini Wax - Hair is removed from outside the panty line.
2.The Brazilian Bikini Wax - Leaves a vertical stripe in front, two to three fingers in width. Hair is not removed from the labia. Hair is removed from the tush. Hair may be removed from the butt crack if woman wishes.
3.The Playboy Bikini Wax - All hair is removed from the labia, all hair is removed from the tush, including the butt crack and only a very narrow strip is left in the front. Named after Playboy magazine because that's what you see on the models in Playboy.
4.The Full Bikini Wax - It's all taken off baby. Everywhere. Everything. Bald.