Sometimes you find a really great gynecologist, and you get to have really interesting conversations while you're otherwise indisposed. This entry isn't about my appointment in question but something she was telling me about during the fact.
You know how doctors of various fields have conventions every now and again to get the latest news in their specialization and try new products? Well it turns out that ob-gyns have assumed the responsibility for treating a great deal of other commonly female ailments not necessarily related to our insides, including the almighty chub-rub.
At the last conference, she told me, there's apparently new evidence being passed around that suggests that some discomfort related to chub-rub may not be just chafing, but in fact a fungus. The times we're most susceptible to chub-rub often feel like they're in the summer months when one is hot and sweaty. Your inner thighs are rubbed raw and if you're anything like me, you also get pretty horrible heat rash in your cleavage and under your braline.
Turns out that if it's red, bumpy, and itchy and importantly if it doesn't want to go away when you put on powder or chafing gel, you may have a fungus kind of related to jock itch (gross, I know, but interesting, right?) that hangs out in hot, moist areas where skin touches.
So she gave me this list of suggestions, some of which have been listed here in previous chub-rub posts, but you'll forgive me for repeating them, won't you?
-antiperspirant under the breasts and in cleavage, or on inner thighs (think bikini line too, or any other place where skin touches, under the stomach, etc.)
-buy some small cotton handkerchiefs, fold them over and lay them in the bottom half of the cup of your bra to absorb sweat. More bras are being made out of synthetics these days so they have trouble breathing, and this will not only help you keep cool but also will save your bras and help them last longer.
-jock itch spray or powder for cleavage, inner thighs and other problem areas to kill fungus and cool the itching and redness.
I always come from that school of thought that fears putting the product made for your armpits or male genitals anywhere not specified on the package might make it explode or something, but apparently it works. I'll give it a try myself and get back to you, but I just figured I'd share in the meantime. This is why I love having size-positive doctors that understand and actually try to help you with problems specific to your body shape, size, etc...