What to wear under swim trunks to prevent chafing

Some people feel that they will never run into chafing problems. They are one with the tropical paradise and are connected to nature. They feel that since it hasn’t happened, it never will. 

For the rest of us in the world, wearing swim trunks and heading to these places can cause chafing. The heat and humidity mixed with the elements from the sea or ocean are the perfect combinations to dry out and eventually harm your skin. The saltwater alone mixed with the sand will eventually have the water part dry up, and crystalized salt mixed with sand scratch your legs. 

Eventually, you hit chafing, which can be extremely painful, as you’re still in a hot and humid location that keeps those legs too moist to heal up quickly, ruining many a vacation before they start. 

Being in a pool setting may be a bit different, because chlorine water doesn’t really crystalize, but wear the wrong sized swim trunks, or stay in the water too long without washing it off later on, and it’s a near guarantee that your swim trunks will cause chafing.

First of all – what not to wear

We start off discussing what is never a good idea to wear under swim trunks to prevent chafing. That is underwear in general. Whether it’s boxers or briefs, or boxer briefs, none of these options are a good idea. 

First of all your swimwear is made of a specialized combination of materials to do their best to dry quickly and prevent chafing, and adding in underwear can make matters worse.

Another major reason not to wear underwear under swim trunks is that most underwear is either 100% cotton or primarily cotton. Cotton is breathable when dry. Cotton is also a great absorbent with water so the opposite happens, and it will take a long time to dry. 

Read more about what material swim trunks are made of.

It will stick to your skin, and if you’re using them in saltwater areas, it will speed up the chafing problem, because it’s keeping those elements close to your skin. 

What may be considered a possibility to wear

Swim trunks themselves are built to be worn by themselves. With proper maintenance such as keeping them clean and dry after use, you can do a lot of things to have an anti-chafing holiday with your swim trunks. 

Check out this article here, that helps with some preventative measures when you want to avoid chafing from your swim trunks.

There are some options that may work well, depending on the size of your swim trunks. If you’re wearing board shorts, you can always consider wearing speedos or neoprene skin-tight swimwear underneath them. 

Board shorts should be waterproof in nature, and wearing that type of skin-tight swimwear will help to keep your body movements fluid and reduce the irritation that can eventually cause chafing. 

Another idea to consider can be compression shorts. Again it’s a good idea to wear them underneath larger size swimwear such as board shorts to feel comfortable throughout the day. Compression shorts will keep everything tight, and they are almost always completely made from synthetic materials. 

Although not exactly their intended usage, these types of shorts are used for high-intensity activities such as cycling, which is an activity that can cause chafing itself due to the fast cycling repetitions. 

Consider specialized anti-chafing swimwear

It’s also not about what goes underneath your swimwear, but if you’re constantly having chafing be an issue, there are some swimwear out there specially designed for this situation. 

How they help prevent chafing is by building swim trunks that just dry faster. They are also designed to prevent less friction through movement, but in the end, other measures may need to be considered to help prevent chafing.

Wear moisturizing creams

A good idea always is to do preventative skincare around your entire body, not just the legs where the chafing will occur. This is about keeping your skin constantly protected from the elements. It’s important that your skin is as moisturized and hydrated as possible at all times to ensure that it’s working as hard as possible to prevent chafing from occurring. 

While proper-sized swim trunks and regular cleanings will help throughout the day, the preventative measure of protecting your skin from sunburn, and keeping the skin supple will go a long way to prevent chafing from occurring. 

Since chafing can be a problem that you least expect, there are actually several types of balms out there specifically to help prevent and alternatively relieve chafing if it occurs. They are simply more concentrated to provide your skin with as much armor as possible. 

If all else fails

Sometimes no matter how hard we try, all of our anti-chafing swim trunk prevention activities are moot. We still get chafing or at the least, some irritated skin after a long day at the beach. It happens, and there’s a lot that can be done to prevent it, but in the end, it’s not the end of everything. 

Also, make sure to always have your swim trunks be as fresh as possible, and if you’ve already gone on several adventures with a specific pair, it may be time to replace them sooner than later. 

Older swim trunks lose their protective attributes, and may not be as properly fitting as you may think. They could end up being the root cause of what is causing the chafing, and a good way to prevent chafing is not by wearing thick cotton-based underwear (which isn’t waterproof), but to consider getting a new pair of swim trunks, for the next set of adventures that await you. 

Everyone is different, so some of the tactics above may or may not always be the best fit for your individual need. Our bodies also do change, and sometimes we do get larger or smaller, and that can affect the effectiveness of your swim trunks, because no matter what you always want to start with the right size for swim trunks to prevent chafing. 

Read more about anti chafe

• Swim trunks with built-in underwear
• Best anti chafe swim trunks
• Anti chafe youth swim trunks
• Ocean Chafing
• What to wear under swim trunks to prevent chafing
• 5 Tips to prevent swim trunks from chafing
• Anti Chafe Swim Trunks

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