Unbearable itching because of sweat

[ElizaDoolittle]

I'm sorry for asking about something that has nothing to do with diving (though this forum is supposed to be for non-diving topics related to women), but when I wondered whom I might ask, this is the first place that came to my mind. It sounds like a silly joke, but it's a real problem.

Here in Spain, we haven't had any summer this year. All we've had is a continuous heat wave, with 35ºC-40ºC and over during the day, and over 25ºC at night. My skin is very sensitive, and I sweat a lot, and the result is that for the last two months, so much sweat has been gathering all the time in the elastic band of my bra (under my breasts) and in the elastic bands of my knickers (under my spare tyre and in my groins), that my skin is all red and irritated, and it itches terribly.

I have reached a point where, much as I try, I cannot avoid scratching those areas, and I'm finding it more and more difficult not to do so in public (both because scratching is not the most polite thing you can do in public, and because, well, scratching your arm or your leg is one thing, and scratching below your breasts, or your groins or just over your pubic hair line is another). I know that by doing so I'm worsening the problem, but I don't really know what to do, and I can't help it.

I've taken to sprinkling talcum powder on those areas after my daily shower (just before going to bed), first thing in the morning, and after lunch, and to sleeping stark naked so there's some relief in those parts for a few hours. And although I feel better afterwards, the effect seems to last for half an hour at the most. All the time, I've been saying to myself that the end of the summer is closer all the time, and I must stand it just a bit longer, but I've reached a point when this is unbearable. And if what they say is true, we must expect most summers to be like this from now on.

I'm sure some of you live in hotter places, or also sweat a lot. Is there any suggestion about something I can do to stop all this irriation? Should I visit a doctor? I feel stupid about it, and the anonymity of a internet forum makes it easier for me to ask for help.

Thanks a lot!

 

[astr0b0y]

Doctor I reckon. Might just be a fungal jock itch so you could try an over the counter anti-fungal. Maybe one with a steroid component to help knock out the itch so you get some relief.
I wa in south France for a couple of weeks recently. Heatwave was just terrible.

 

[CathyE]

This has also been my problem most of my life, even as an infant I broke out in the heat.
In my case it is strictly a thin/sensitive skin issue, doctor verified. I can’t tolerate perfumes either so no baby powder, I used cornstarch instead. I stick to cotton clothes as much as possible and always cotton underwear and bras.
Steroids can thin the skin even further and I’m my case are not beneficial. I have occasionally been prescribed an antihistamine to help calm the itch.
Things have much improved since I gave up working.

 

[Ana]

35ºC-40ºC? eso es mucho calor. Me imagino que no vives en el norte.
Cuidado con el talco , mejor almidón y todo de algodón.

 

[MiloR]

I get a similar issue in the groin area from excessive heat and sweat and movement. Took a while but I finally found the solution in the application of foot fungus powder. Shower, dry, apply powder, and leave area as uncovered as possible at night. Reapply in the morning. (I shower in the evenings due to my Job). I got away from the products for 'Jock itch' and went with the ones for feet....same issue different location. Powders are medicated and that makes the difference.

Good luck! Sweat, heat, and rubbing (skin on skin or skin on fabric) is no laughing matter and can get out of hand quickly.

 

[Bubblesong]

Yep, either fungal or yeast infection. If it is a chronic problem, might qualify for breast reduction surgery in extreme cases.

 

[ElizaDoolittle]

Thanks a lot for your kind help!

I have a friend whose son has so smelly feet that no one can stand being closer than three metres when he's barefoot, who I know has foot fungus powder. I hope that will fix it. And from now on, the moment I see I start sweating too much again I will use corn starch. I had no idea it could be used for such things. I used talcum powder because I thought that if it's good for babies' nappy rash, it could be good for my bra rash (and because I always have it handy to remove grease stains from clothes). And if the fungus powder doesn't solve the problem in a week or so, I'll go and see a doctor, as astr0b0y suggested.

I'm pretty sure it must be something related to the fact that my skin is really sensitive, as, coincidentally, I haven't dived or been to the gym or the swimming pool or the sea this summer, and I don't know how I may have got the fungus. I've never been diagnosed with hypersensitive skin, but I've known it all my life, and one of the very few times I've been to see the doctor, I scratched very slightly (like 2-3 seconds) under my nose while I was answering one of his questions, and apparently it got red so quickly that he stared at me and said that was one of the clearest cases of sensitive skin he'd ever seen. But he didn't pursue the topic any further, and neither did I (after all, I've been like that all my life). Of course, with my skin type, I've always worn cotton underwear, so that's not the problem.

Although I don't think that'll be my case (I've had it for one month now, and it's the first time in my life), does breast size influence my having the rash? I suppose that even if I were a man, and I wore a bra, its elastic band would gather sweat, independently of not having any bulk above it, wouldn't it?

Ana, no, I'm in the north part of Spain, not the south. Temperatures between 35ºC-40ºC have been common in all Spain the entire summer, and in the south it's been more like 40ºC-45ºC. I suppose that's why they call it a heat wave. But the worst part of it has been not being able to sleep at night, always 25ºC or upwards (I waited as much as possible before going to bed, hoping the temperatures would come down, and at 12-1 am it was something like 30ºC). So for almost two months I've been sweating absolutely the entire day (here where I live no one has air conditioning, since these temperatures aren't common). These days, it's more like normal summer (30ºC-35ºC at day and 20ºC-25ºC at night).

Thanks! I do hope my skin will improve in a few days, following your advice.

 

[Ana]

Good luck

 

[CathyE]

Yes, I hope you feel better soon!

 

[formernuke]

Actually avoid cotton underwear and bras. Use materials that wick moisture away from the body instead of absorbing it.

Next see a Dr to verify that there isn't a fungal infection.

If no fungal over the counter drying powders can as long as you skin isn't sensitive to them. The key is to keep the areas dry.