You can also get Fungal stuff down there although over the counter remedies do the job. Apparently.. 😐

Yeh the fungal thing is jock itch, same thing as athletes foot. Typically the top of your legs up to the crease goes red and raw, seems like chaffing. Generic anti-fungal from the chemist will sort it (chlotrimazole). The stronger kind (Lamisil brand) may be better as it acts faster and you don’t have to use it for as long. I tend to use these creams occasionally as a preventive, especially if I know I am going to have a long day / days in the saddle.

If you think it may be more bacterial than fungal, something like Germolene creme / ointment may be worth trying, before and after a ride. Again, sometimes I use that more as a preventative thing. I don’t use saddle creme, but find any of these products helps in terms of keeping the area moisturized and comfortable as well.

Might sound like a silly question (bearing in mind first time I got a nasty sore, I went to the doc’s to get their opinion on it) but how would I know if my problem is fungal rather than bacterial?

Jedi, shaving down there… Start of a slippery slope, I’m afraid I may not recover from! 😉

Then a few handfuls of salt in a bath of hot water and radox.

Helped a bit last time, but I’ve not really got the patience to spend a long time in the bath each day for it to get gradually better over the period of a week or two! 😐

it works!

Pictures?

ONLY JOKING

Hi Mark.

I get them in the summer, less often or not at all in winter. Holy Moley, they bloody well hurt, great ugly things.

In the shower I wash most of me with ordinary shower gel, and that area with Hibiscrub, which is an anti-bacterial liquid soapy-kind-of-stuff. It smells quite nice and works very well indeed.

If you’ve already got one, wash several times a day with Hibiscrub, it will hasten the demise of the damn’ thing.

For a very long ride I use Savlon or Germoline – cream not ointment – both do a version with antiseptic and local anaesthetic (CNC as a friend calls it… c*nt numbing cream).

Never bothered with creams, but another vote here for liberal dusting of Lanacane afterwards.

Magnesium sulphate paste to reduce / get rid of them (ie apply overnight) and sudocrem to avoid them.

Some of us just get them as a normal reaction but the right stuff can reduce it almost to zero. I think they’re recurring too, so it’s worth really ridding yourself of one by taking precautions in the affected area even well after it seems to go away. I don’t get them too badly tho, just annoying ones that can get worse on multi-dayers.

Had the usual sores after 5-6 days on the TD but managed 17 days with no more than a quick splash in a stream twice, one pair of shorts, so that grimy hobo period can vouch for sudocrem’s anti-bac / durability effectiveness over ‘chammy cream’ that just doesn’t last or protect as well ime.

Bloody hell – another Hibiscrub user 😀

Great stuff – especially if like me you’ve got psoriasis so are prone to skin infections and germs etc.

I will impart one useful lesson, A load of the psoriasis forums etc recommended teat mint – used in cattle to treat mastitis, and I have to say that on psoriasis it is very good, hydrates very well and seems to leave the skin germ free, bit of a tingle mind…

Well, you can see where this is going… cos we all know that assos cream used to be fairly minty, and the brain links the two – suffice to say, never, never, ever put farm grade teat mint on your nether regions, it hurts like you would not believe!

The Bastard is back!

90 miles on the road bike this weekend (longest time in the saddle for me in about 5 months), and it’s come back! In exactly the same spot!

Plenty of chamois cream and very high quality bibs were used, and I was straight out of my bibs after into some clean, dry underwear, but the very next day Vesuvius is back!!!

Infected pore perhaps? It’s always the same spot and takes usually 10-14 days before it finally becomes soft enough to burst (and my god then it doesn’t half burst!). Time for a trip to the docs, or anything else I can try first?

Sounds like a hair follicle. I had similar, decided to do some home surgery/butchery and sliced about a bit then dug in with tweezers. Found a massive curly black hair buried inside. Wouldn’t recommend the DIY approach unless you really enjoy bleeding everywhere!

😯

That is all!

Ingrown hair most likely! Perhaps try exfoliating the area after you shave and after each ride?

My condolences by the way. It’s the stupidest thing to get you off the bike.