No More Chafing !

A year ago I visited my doctor. I had circular red patches on my chest. Just where the chest dips in at the centre... Circular... red... but not itchy. Ringworm, I wondered ?

My doctor examined the circles. Gave a few technical explanations. Settled on, "chafing".

Chafing ?!

In the middle of my chest ?! Where the chest dips in... How could chafing happen there ?!

No worries, I accepted the diagnosis. The doc prescribed anti-irritation cream. Stuff that works its chemical magic, to remove the visible signs of chafing.

I used the cream. For two weeks. No change at all... Are these circles really irritation caused by chafing ? (I rejected the alternative option of miniature crop circles.)

Then I thought, I get chafing in less obvious spots... Spots which are more obviously subject to chafing. Chafing in areas where all runners get chafing. (And more about that in a later post.)

So, over the next few runs, I considered the area of the red circles on my chest. And found that there is, indeed, friction. Friction which could cause chafing.

I felt nothing as my shirt rubbed against my skin. Nothing that would explain chafing, that is. Doesn't take much, it seems ! As I sweat the shirt gets wet, sticks to the skin -- and rubs.

Perhaps there's movement of the shirt against the skin ? The dip in the chest is between the pectoral muscles (is that the correct name?). The muscles move as I run, as I move my arms and shoulders while running. That must be enough to drag the shirt across the skin... causing chafing.

Why the regular, circular shapes ? It may be that the material of the shirt pulls evenly round the area where it rubs. Poke your finger into a stretched piece of material and it stretches -- in a roughly circular pattern. The stickiness of the sweat pulls a point of the material against the skin -- and the material stretches in a roughly circular pattern ? That's my guess.

Now I know the cause of the red circles: chafing during running. Why didn't the doctor's magic cream remove the visible signs of chafing ? Because I keep on running.

So what do I do ?!

That's easy: use the standard measure for prevention of chafing... Vaseline.

Before each run, I rub Vaseline on the red circles. As well as on the various other areas which are subject to chafing. There may be many miracle creams for prevention of chafing. Simple Vaseline works for me.

Sure enough, within two weeks, the red circles are gone. Never to reappear.

I don't always apply Vaseline to my chest. On long runs on a hot day, yes. When I expect several hours of running in a sweat-wet shirt, yes. On other days, when I can be bothered, yes. But not for every run. The chafing chest is special, not endemic :-)

Running causes friction -- in various areas. Some obvious, some less so. Friction causes chafing -- or worse. Vaseline -- like any grease -- reduces friction.

Like a good mechanic, I grease my body to prevent friction. Before I run.

No more visible signs of chafing ! Well, some areas still get red... Even Vaseline wears off. But the chafing is reduced from bright red and occasional itching -- to nothing much at all.

No more chafing ! Almost :-)

It works for me.