Inner thigh chafing is a highly uncomfortable issue faced by many, especially once the temperature rises. Often associated with warmer weather, chafing in the inner thighs can range from irritating to downright painful. Our founder, Marnie Rabinovitch Consky, experienced chafing on a regular basis which led to her founding her company, Thigh Society. “I would get a painful, red rash and would need to make sure my thighs wouldn’t touch,” says Consky. “I called it my duck walk.” Here she walks us through some of the causes of thigh chafing and some of the best solutions, including, of course, our thigh-saving shorts.

Causes of Inner Thigh Chafing

There are a few different scenarios that can cause thigh irritation but all of them typically involve heat, friction, and moisture. Chafing on the inner thighs happens most frequently when bare skin rubs against each other with sweat agitating the area further. However, there are other moments that can also create chafing — those typically involve fabric. “Chafing can also happen when bare skin rubs against itchy fabric,” says Consky. “Think wool pants when there’s no liner.” The fabric itself can cause irritation by repeatedly rubbing against skin. Another fabric-related chafing scenario can occur when someone is wearing jeans and after repeated friction the fabric disintegrates. “Denim can wear out on the inner thighs so after repeated rubbing it leads to chafing,” says Consky. “Eventually it will create a hole through the jeans.”

How It Looks and Feels

There’s a variety of ways inner thigh chafing can look and feel ranging from mild redness to severe blistering. Some people also experience red bumps, rashes and bleeding in the area. This can lead to scabbing and scarring on the thighs. Chafing can ruin your day, making walking so uncomfortable that running errands or exploring a city becomes a painful undertaking. “When I experienced thigh chafing, I would get bumps on my thighs that would get inflamed and burn,” Consky recalls. “I would have to avoid skin on skin contact.” This would mean avoiding skirts, dresses and shorts on a warm day which is exactly what you want to wear in those temperatures. Luckily there are options that can help prevent chafing. 

How to Prevent Inner Thigh Chafing

There are many options to prevent chafing on your inner thighs, though some are more successful than others. The idea is to keep your inner thighs completely dry and there’s an array of creams, powders, and deodorants that intend to stop moisture from forming, unfortunately this may only be temporary. “For me, since I sweat a lot, it would only create a barrier for ten minutes and would have to be reapplied constantly,” says Consky. Continuously applying powders and creams all day proved to be inconvenient and time-consuming. “I needed a permanent barrier so that my thighs and skin wouldn’t come into contact with each other,” says Consky. “That’s why I came up with Thigh Society undershorts — I wanted something that was the closest thing to bare legs with an ongoing thigh fabric barrier.” Thigh Society shorts use moisture-wicking fabric pulling moisture from your skin and evaporating it into the air. Since moisture is one of the chief chafe culprits, this technology combined with the physical fabric barrier, makes thigh irritation a thing of the past. Thigh Society has four different types of shorts that will get you through the day chafe-free, whether you’re walking around on a hot day, doing outdoor activities, going to an event or just lounging at home. They also make great maternity shorts.

Check out our different shorts here.