Ocean Chafing

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Not all swim trunk problems are the same. One of the biggest issues out there is swim trunk chafing and ocean chafing. There are numerous ways to try to help with preventing swim trunks from chafing, and there are even some companies that boast anti-chafing swim trunks.

What causes this chafing? It’s not as mysterious as some people think, and since your body is in the water part of the day(assumed by the fact that you’re wearing swim trunks), your skin can start to get a bit weaker.

As your skin gets weaker and more sensitive, it also stays wet, starting to cause your skin to get a bit irritated. Then in comes, those man-made materials that swim trunks are made of. They start to rub up against your skin, back and forth, for the day.

All of this combines into your skin eventually breaking and starting to chafe, taking quite a bit of time to properly heal, or at least for the irritation to stop.

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How to avoid ocean chafing?

There are numerous ways to avoid chafing in general, as mentioned in our previous article here. When it comes specifically to preventing ocean chafing there are a few tried and true methods to use that can help with preventing swim trunk chafing.

The best strategy is to have a spare pair of swim trunks with you. You want to be able to rinse away the ocean off of you and off your swim trunks, and have those swim trunks dry, while you wear a fresh dry pair of swim trunks.

This helps keep everything dry and clear of saltwater and sand. It may seem too much to carry around two pairs of swim trunks but it does go a long way in helping with prevention.

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Another way that works well is to cover up your body with some form of lotion. First and foremost always wear sunscreen because sunburnt skin is a wonderful catalyst for chafing to occur, and that can be double painful with damaged and chaffed skin.

Another strategy that works well, especially for those that are prone to chaffing is to use some form of petroleum jelly such as Vaseline. This essentially places a barrier between your skin and the water, as petroleum jelly can be quite hydrophobic.

Vaseline can be quite heavy on the skin and there are some other lubricants out there that are specially designed with a lighter weight as well as adding in some moisturizers to the mix to keep your skin healthy and protected.

What is Beach Chafing?

Chafing isn’t just going to be caused by this and your swim trunks, but you can also start to chafe wearing cotton-based shirts on the beach and ocean. When you wear those shirts to stay warm and dry off, that saltwater and sand will start to be absorbed by the cotton, increasing the aggravation with every movement.

Don’t just focus on your swim trunks for your overall anti-chafing strategy. Your skin is your complete body, which means although the area most prone to chafing is by your swim trunks, it can happen everywhere on your body.

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It’s all about being consistently dry outside of the water and removing that salt that is slowly and quietly drying out your skin. Even if you don’t go into the water, you’re out in the sun all day producing sweat, which you guessed it, is salty water.

That means you need to not only bring an extra set of swim trunks to prevent chafing caused by swim trunks, but it’s always a good idea to bring an extra set of beachwear with you so you always have a fresh dry pair of clothing ready when needed.

Don’t be shy with those showers, again even if you only spent the day playing beach volleyball. There’s no harm with multiple showers throughout the day to stay cool and fresh and protect that skin from the elements.

Just make sure that you have a separate towel ready that is only drying fresh water versus salt water that day, as those towels used to dry yourself off from the ocean will start to absorb that saltwater.

In the end – just consider the above, so you can focus on the fun more.