Just like any other sport or recreational activity you may like and engage in, bicycle riding also has its unpleasant sides. These may not affect you, but they may affect someone else you know who loves cycling, and one of the most common ones is your butt itching after cycling.
Cycling for a long time helps build stamina and endurance, but for some people, it causes their bum to itch.
This unpleasant side effect of long rides seems to affect mostly middle-aged men which is usually brought about by sweat.
Sometimes this is caused by the weather. If you have this issue you may notice that when you ride during the winter you don’t experience it, because you don’t sweat a lot, but riding during the summer causes you to sweat a lot, bringing about this side effect.
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Here are some of the reasons you may be suffering from this;
1. Not Cleaning And Cooling Off Properly
If you keep having an itchy butt after cycling even after you’ve done everything right, then it may be because you are not cleaning up and cooling off properly after a long ride. One thing you need to be sure to take care of first is your hygiene. After each ride, wash and dry the clothes used, don’t repeat the same cloth twice without washing, wash up yourself properly and check if this continues or not when you’ve first done this basic.
2. Compression And Humidity
Because you are sitting for so long, the compression in the area and humidity can make you itch depending on the kind of skin you have. The compression and humidity will cause friction and decreased blood flow thereby causing you the discomfort you feel after your ride.
3. Wearing Your Chamois For Too Long
You may not think it is necessary but………take off your shorts once you come back after a ride!!!!! It seems simple enough, but you might find it harder to put into practice. It’s so easy to take those extra few minutes after spin class to chat with friends, drive home from that mountain bike ride in your chamois, clean your bike up, check your email, or start making a snack after a road ride, etc. But doing something as simple as this can help you with that itch that comes to embarrass you after cycling.
4. Loose Bowel Movement
Cycling when you have a loose bowel movement could also contribute to having an itchy butt after cycling. If this happens to you, sometimes it becomes hard to keep everything clean enough. The stool is quite irritating. But if you start using wipes after bowel movements and before and after cycling it can help to a large extent.
5. It Could Be a Fungal Infection
When you’re always sweaty in the butt area during cycling, you’re more prone to fungal overgrowths, which can easily be treated. To have better bowel movements and to keep fungus from setting up a breeding ground, try making subtle changes to your diet. This may be hard for endurance cyclists, but it will help you. Eat low glycemic and take probiotics regularly.
6. Connection To Monthly Cycles
For the ladies, try keeping track of how the itching is timed around your monthly cycle, as there may be a connection. During cycling, the ebb and flow of female hormones can have an impact. Progesterone levels rise—in a normal, healthy woman who isn’t on birth control—and they peak near the end of menstruation. That will peak sugar, which can feed fungi and bacteria. So there’s a higher risk for things like urinary tract infection or yeast infection. So pay attention to your cycle.
Read also: Can A Woman Cycle A Man’s Bike?
Dealing with an itchy bum, especially when you love cycling can be very embarrassing, so here are some of the things you can try to solve this issue;
1. Use Witch Hazel
If you are suffering from extreme itching, take a maxi pad and soak it in water with a bit of witch hazel, which can act as an astringent, pulling the tissue tight and decreasing inflammation. Put it in the freezer and then stick it in your pants before you go out to ride to cool off a bit more. Mind you, this tip may not work as well for the men, but guys can still benefit from a damp washcloth with a bit of witch hazel that’s been chilled in the freezer. Do not put on your clothes until you’re completely dry and cooled down.
2. Visit Your Doctor
If it’s an unrelenting issue, it may be time to seek professional help from a medical practitioner. But be careful of a doctor who immediately prescribes a bunch of ointments for you. A topical steroid cream and a low dose like hydrocortisone isn’t too high risk, but if it’s used frequently, it can thin the skin, which then can make the itching worse.
3. Apply Dermoscribe’s Ichybum Itchy Anus Cream
Ichybum Cream is manufactured under a proven formula that has been prescribed by dermatologists around the world for decades. It contains anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal ingredients used to successfully treat skin infections including pruritus ani. If you are having an itchy bum from riding, you may want to give this a try and see how it works for you.
4. Take An Antihistamine
Taking an antihistamine about 30 minutes before you plan to ride is also a good option. Antihistamines act as an allergy medication, and since your itchiness, while cycling is a type of allergy reaction in your body, it will help suppress the itching. You want to make sure that you are using antihistamines properly though, because too many antihistamines can be a bad thing.
5. Take A Break From Cycling
Try skipping a ride once in a while. This way, your butt heals from its itching and you can give it time to get better through the alternatives or medications you may be using to treat the itching
You don’t need to stop the sport you love because of an itchy butt, and you don’t have to be full of dread every time you pick up your bike. Try all these and one will work for you.
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FAQs
- Does cycling cause itching?
No it does not, but for some people, it’s an allergic reaction known as exercise-induced urticaria, which can cause itching and flushing, as well as hives and—in extreme cases—breathing difficulty.
2. Is Vaseline good for itchy butt?
Yes it is. Gently rub Vaseline Jelly onto dry, itchy skin to deeply moisturize and help alleviate itchiness.