Does chamois butter really help?

[RoadRaven]

Thanks, Annie & Corsair! Knowing about being post menopausal and all that stuff, I wonder if maybe we older women having thinner tissues in that area might be more susceptible. I haven't had any actual chafing--just feel tender at the end of a 60-80 mile ride. Maybe I should get some sort cream that will sorta numb the area?? What do y'all think? Has anybody tried anything like that. By the way, Annie, I have this visual of using too much Bag Balm! Thanks for any info/input.......

Since there has been a lot of discussion around this the last couple of weeks I decided to googlesurf this morning...
Didn't find alot that I thought exactly exaplined things for us... and some of the sites are linked to products, so I am always wary of those.
This is what I found in ten minutes... I'll try and do some better research after I have finished my essay (due next week )

Apparently diminishing estrogen does have an effect on the integrity of our skin after menopause, and hormone replacement therapy can thicken the skin rather than return its integrity. It looks like a lot of sites recommend a Vitamin E cream to assist with keeping the skin on/around your girly bits soft, supple and less prone to thinning effects




http://www.womanlab.com/english/prof...salIssues8.htm

This site is kind’ve medical jargon, but there is an interesting bit on skin integrity, collagen and hormones – though not specifically to the genital area


http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/menopause.html

Mentions skin and hair dryness as a symptom, but not any useful solutions other than HRT (Raven is not a fan of the idea of HRT)


http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Inform...h/managing.htm

QUOTED FROM THE SITE:
Harness help from your honey. The nicest advice may be this: When you have sex on a regular basis, you naturally make more lubrication, says Mary Beard, M.D., an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah Latter Day Saints Hospital in Salt Lake City. Continuing sexual activity is an important help in holding back the thinning and drying effects of menopause on vaginal tissues, she says.


http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/symptoms.html

This site recommends using a localised estrogen cream for the area, though whether that is internal, external or both I am unclear