An awesome article which answers many questions about saddle sores: http://bicycling.about.com/library/weekly/aa042699.htm
"It's pretty early in the cycling season for most of us, and just about the time we start to increase our mileage. And the one thing that seems to go along with increased riding is "saddle sores."
What are saddle sores? The term "saddle sores" is usually used to describe one of the following conditions:
Chafing: The constant rubbing against the saddle caused from the normal cycling motion can cause chafing of the groin and inner thighs. This is why you want to buy as thin a saddle as will support you (by the ischial tuberosities - your "sit bones") and why cyclists usually wear good quality, skin tight cycling shorts. Even if you ride a recumbent, you want to wear shorts that wont rub you raw.
Boils and "in-grown hairs": Both of these are from bacterial infections. "In-grown hairs," or folliculitis, is not such a problem, occurs frequently where you have a lot of rubbing and a lot of hair in tight clothing, and tend to heal on their own without causing pain. On the other hand, boils, or furuncle, which look a lot like acne are from bacterial infections, and can become large, hard, and really, really hurt! You really don't want to get a boil in the wrong place, or your bike won't seem so friendly to you anymore! If this is a frequent problem, ask your physician about preventative treatment with anti-bacterial ointments. The important lesson here is to always wear clean shorts, and to get out of your cycling clothes as soon as you can after a ride.
Sore Backside: This is when the flesh that you're sitting on becomes red, inflamed, and sore. Here it's important to check the fit of the bike, and to check that the saddle is both level and wide enough to hold you up by the pointy extrusions on your rear-end that actually make contact with the padded, back part of the saddle. Women should definitely get a saddle that is built for their wider pelvises. I highly recommend saddles from Terry Bicycles.
Skin Ulceration: Basically, this is rubbing the skin off, causing a crater-like lesion. Ouch! If you ride a long tour - 100+ miles/day for five days or more, you are a candidate to develop an ulceration. This definitely should not be ignored, and you should seek medical treatment. If you ride on it untreated, you are at serious risk of getting a much worse skin infection.
Don't get discouraged if you're a new or casual bicyclist who keeps getting saddle sores. The important thing to remember is that the more you ride, the more you will condition you're "backside" and the less likely you are to have problems.
And, my latest discovery... I've known about comfrey root as an herbal remedy for skin abrasions, cuts, and tears for years. My wife is a doula, and she pointed this out to me when we were discussing the impending birth of one of our children. Well, after not riding much this winter, when I started getting some decent miles in this spring, I ended up rubbing myself raw. Oh the joys of being such a hairy man! Well, my wife came home from a conference and brought me some comfrey soap from the hotel. I tried it, unbeknownst to my darling wife, who probably didn't need to know that I'd rubbed my self raw. Wow! That really healed me up in a hurry, and just made my crouch happier and healthier in general.
Here are some sources for comfrey soap on the Web:
Comfrey and Aloe Soap from Monegaw Springs.
Comfrey and Mint Soap from Candlelight Gifts.
Comfrey Soap from Mrs. Pinky's.
Other people have tried lubricating their shorts. I find it a little scary, but people who do swear by it! Recommended (by others, not me - I'm a dry shorts kind of guy) lubricants and powders: Desitin, Bag Balm, talcum, baby powder, Vaseline (especially if you have shorts with real chamois inserts), and Body Glide."
Hope it is of some help!!
"It's pretty early in the cycling season for most of us, and just about the time we start to increase our mileage. And the one thing that seems to go along with increased riding is "saddle sores."
What are saddle sores? The term "saddle sores" is usually used to describe one of the following conditions:
Chafing: The constant rubbing against the saddle caused from the normal cycling motion can cause chafing of the groin and inner thighs. This is why you want to buy as thin a saddle as will support you (by the ischial tuberosities - your "sit bones") and why cyclists usually wear good quality, skin tight cycling shorts. Even if you ride a recumbent, you want to wear shorts that wont rub you raw.
Boils and "in-grown hairs": Both of these are from bacterial infections. "In-grown hairs," or folliculitis, is not such a problem, occurs frequently where you have a lot of rubbing and a lot of hair in tight clothing, and tend to heal on their own without causing pain. On the other hand, boils, or furuncle, which look a lot like acne are from bacterial infections, and can become large, hard, and really, really hurt! You really don't want to get a boil in the wrong place, or your bike won't seem so friendly to you anymore! If this is a frequent problem, ask your physician about preventative treatment with anti-bacterial ointments. The important lesson here is to always wear clean shorts, and to get out of your cycling clothes as soon as you can after a ride.
Sore Backside: This is when the flesh that you're sitting on becomes red, inflamed, and sore. Here it's important to check the fit of the bike, and to check that the saddle is both level and wide enough to hold you up by the pointy extrusions on your rear-end that actually make contact with the padded, back part of the saddle. Women should definitely get a saddle that is built for their wider pelvises. I highly recommend saddles from Terry Bicycles.
Skin Ulceration: Basically, this is rubbing the skin off, causing a crater-like lesion. Ouch! If you ride a long tour - 100+ miles/day for five days or more, you are a candidate to develop an ulceration. This definitely should not be ignored, and you should seek medical treatment. If you ride on it untreated, you are at serious risk of getting a much worse skin infection.
Don't get discouraged if you're a new or casual bicyclist who keeps getting saddle sores. The important thing to remember is that the more you ride, the more you will condition you're "backside" and the less likely you are to have problems.
And, my latest discovery... I've known about comfrey root as an herbal remedy for skin abrasions, cuts, and tears for years. My wife is a doula, and she pointed this out to me when we were discussing the impending birth of one of our children. Well, after not riding much this winter, when I started getting some decent miles in this spring, I ended up rubbing myself raw. Oh the joys of being such a hairy man! Well, my wife came home from a conference and brought me some comfrey soap from the hotel. I tried it, unbeknownst to my darling wife, who probably didn't need to know that I'd rubbed my self raw. Wow! That really healed me up in a hurry, and just made my crouch happier and healthier in general.
Here are some sources for comfrey soap on the Web:
Comfrey and Aloe Soap from Monegaw Springs.
Comfrey and Mint Soap from Candlelight Gifts.
Comfrey Soap from Mrs. Pinky's.
Other people have tried lubricating their shorts. I find it a little scary, but people who do swear by it! Recommended (by others, not me - I'm a dry shorts kind of guy) lubricants and powders: Desitin, Bag Balm, talcum, baby powder, Vaseline (especially if you have shorts with real chamois inserts), and Body Glide."
Hope it is of some help!!