I went to the gym for the first time in a long time yesterday. I was wearing a sports bra and didn’t even do any running (just exercise bike and beginner-level weightlifting), but today my nips itch like hell. Any household remedies or suggestions for prevention in the future? Is it just temporary because I haven’t done this in forever?
I already tried moisturizing with Jergens and it didn’t help. They look nice and moisturized, and there’s no apparent rash or redness, but they still itch. :(
Tape, bandaids, pasties and/or petroleum jelly applied before exercising can help. They’re selling Tegadermin drugstores now - that’s that clear film nurses put over IV sites to keep them clean, and we also use them on very early stage bedsores to reduce friction. They should work nicely for nipple chafing. You are not alone.
Nursing moms also have nipple chafing problems, as you might imagine. There’s a cream called Lansinohthat’s been in diaper bags for years for this. Some women also swear by Bag Balm, with was originally made for chaffed…udders. :smack: You can usually find both at a Walgreens or CVS.
Check the material of your sports bra. There should be no cotton.
Check the fit. Loose clothing will cause more chafing than tight.
Check the location of seams.
Sports bras stretch out and wear out over time. A nice new one shouldn’t allow any internal movement at all. It’ll squish your boobs into a funny shape, too 
This may not be true for the extremely well-endowed. I have heard of women wearing two sports bras at once to get the required support. I’m a D-cup, though, and just one at a time keeps me in place.
Thanks WhyNot! I’ll look at trying tegaderm before I go again.
No cotton, really? I thought all underwear was supposed to be cotton for breathability’s sake. Should I look for polyester or lycra or something?
It is a fairly new bra, but it may not be tight enough. It came in a pack so I couldn’t try it on first. I’ll look up some sizing recommendations on that there Google and try again.
Cotton will chafe when wet, look for polyester or acrylic. Brandnames include things like Dry-Fit or Coolmax, you get the idea.
Lycra is a brand name for spandex.
I’m a fat lady who is a size D cup and wear cotton sports bras and have been going to the gym for years and years with zero chafing. Your boobs shouldn’t be moving around that much and if they do, they shouldn’t be moving independent of your bra, which is how there’d be chafing.
Tighten up!
in Boy Scouts we were taught to cut gauze or band aid into a donut shape to remove pressure and rubbing from a developing blister. you could try similar building up to the required height.
I thought this was only a guy thing, because sports bras protected women. I once ran a half-marathon, and when I looked down, it looked like I took 2 bullets to the chest–a stream of blood down each side of the front of my shirt. Yuck. Oh, and ouch, too! Especially after the fact.
Band-aids on the nipples for long runs after that. When I ran the Disney marathon, we went back to watch some of the remaining runners come in. Not most, but lots and lots of guys with the same “dual bullet wounds.” It sucks. I always assumed this was a non-issue for women.
A friend of mine who paces marathons advises wearing a fleece until you start sweating. He says that the initial coolness causes erection of the nipples, making them susceptible to chafing. The chafing further stimulates the nipples in a vicious cycle of abrasion. Wearing the fleece until you break a sweat keeps the nipples soft and less prone to chafing.
Why do I hear Tom Lehrer singing “Be prepared!”?
(It’s not just the ladies. In my prime mesomorph days I once wore a nylon mesh jersey that over the course of a day wore both useless bumps raw. Ow.)
Yep, very common in distance running when people wore cotton t-shirts or blends; in this day of CoolMax, Dri-Fit and such, you don’t hear about it was much.
On NPR a while back, a storyteller told the tale of his first marathon. He talked about the people holding out cups of water for the runners, and the people spraying water on the runners who wanted it. He said the guy holding out a handful of Vaseline looked really creepy.
He said when he crossed the finish line, a couple guys were there to catch him. He said, “No, I’m okay!” The catchers said, “Trust us, we know the look.” Sure enough, about 10 feet after the line his legs wouldn’t hold him up any more.
I was wearing a tech shirt. For me at least, a state-of-the-art shirt doesn’t matter. Anything over ten miles, I run the risk.
[quote=“Rachellelogram, post:5, topic:680827”]
, It came in a pack so I couldn’t try it on first…/QUOTE]
There’s your problem. Try it on. A sports bra should fit tight and not allow for bouncing or chafing.
Also, if it came in a pack, you probably need to spend a little more on it. You are making demands on this thing and it is supposed to hold you up.
How tight was the fit? That’s one of the reasons things like Under Armour is so popular.
It wasn’t snug enough, and that was certainly the biggest factor (not the fabric). When I wear a really snug shirt (something a buddy of mine calls a “Spider-Man shirt”), it’s not an issue. But most of my tech shirts are not exactly loose, but they aren’t form-fitting either. And it pretty much has to be form-fitting (not my preference) if I’m taking 15 or 20 or 30 thousand strides. All that rubbing adds up, take it from me. So I wear those little dime-sized band-aids. (I’m so ashamed. ::sob!:: )
But I am NOT wearing a sports bra. I have to draw the line somewhere.
Careful with the Tegaderm; that stuff fits and sticks like a second skin. Trying to get it off your nipples might be rather painful too! :eek:
The key to Tegaderm removal is to find a free edge and then pull it parallel to the skin, not away from it. 
I don’t see how there would be much movement when riding an exercise bike. And you didn’t say your nipples were *sore *afterward, but that they’re itchy. I’m wondering about your detergent.