Chafed nipples when running. It burns!

bigpanda

So I've been running into an issue with my nipples chafing from rubbing against my shirt when I run. I was wondering if anyone else has encountered this and found a way to stop it. I'd prefer not to tape them for a number of reasons including that I have a hairy chest. It's gotten to a point where they've started to bleed a little because the skin has become raw from it.

Improvolone

Lanolin lotion (or anything for breast feeding mothers, which will probably have lanolin in it anyway) will cure those nipples right up.
What kind of shirts are you wearing?

THEPAIN73

Well whats worse the taping or the bloody nips?

I would tape and take the pain of pulling out hair, rather than a prolonged annoying pain that is visible through shirts.

-Phil-

I know I have seen runners use bandaids to prevent this.

ResidentSleepwalker

This was covered in an episode of The Office once...

And by covered - I mean they made a joke about it. Andy Bernard rarely offers suggestions on how to solve problems.

Ruckus

The most common solution I've heard is BandAids. I myself don't have that problem what with my iron nipples and whatnot.

TL DR

-Drink more water
-Try a different shirt (maybe a wifebeater under your tshirt, or that stretchy Underarmor shit that's so popular)
-Bandaid the nips. I did this for awhile after I got mine pierced.

JoeUser

You could also try Vaseline

Chanus

THEPAIN73 wrote: »

I would tape and take the pain of pulling out hair, rather than a prolonged annoying pain that is visible through shirts.

You should be shaving your chest anyway... for the ladies.

Band-Aids shouldn't stick to the hair too badly, as long as you don't get the cloth kind (they seem to be much more adhesive in my experience).

Or you could just use cheap medical tape, which probably doesn't adhere as well as Band-Aids would.

kaliyama

Taping isn't great because the sweat will tend to wear away the adhesion. You can buy a roll-on stick at any shoe store, or apply vaseline or deodorant to your nipples. Any of them should stop chafing.

Underdog

Cotton shirts will do a number on rubbing skin raw. Maybe a spandex shirt would help?

kaliyama

Tech shirts don't really help if you're sweating and the material gets wet. I've done a marathon and a few halfs. To be honest, at times I have a better experience with a light cotton t-shirt than expensive shirts. The only thing worth doing is what my last post suggested.

the wook

i've had the same problem. vaseline helped

though these days i just run without a shirt on and call it even

Corvus

Get those little round band-aids they use to put over injections. Alternatively, get a shirt with a better weave.

RUNN1NGMAN

Go to a running or cycling store and get some Body Glide. The stuff is awesome. It's the best solution for any part of your body that chafes. Also works great on your feet to prevent blisters.

A tech shirt isn't necessarily going to do anything--I've gotten horrible bloody nipples with blood running down the front of my shirt even with an expensive cool-max top. All bets are off when your shirt gets wet from sweat, but Bodyglide will keep your nipples happy no matter what.

Corvus

Well, a good technical shirt shouldn't get over whelmed by sweat. But if it rains on you, then yeah.

RUNN1NGMAN

Corvus wrote: »

Well, a good technical shirt shouldn't get over whelmed by sweat. But if it rains on you, then yeah.

It's more a function of how hot it is, how humid it is, and how much you're sweating. Sure it wicks sweat away from your body but the rate of evaporation is what it is. Eventually an shirt gets saturated, if you run long enough or you sweat enough. And my shirts usually aren't soaked, but the chest area definitely gets damp and stays that way on a long run.

Heir

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

Go to a running or cycling store and get some Body Glide. The stuff is awesome. It's the best solution for any part of your body that chafes. Also works great on your feet to prevent blisters.

A tech shirt isn't necessarily going to do anything--I've gotten horrible bloody nipples with blood running down the front of my shirt even with an expensive cool-max top. All bets are off when your shirt gets wet from sweat, but Bodyglide will keep your nipples happy no matter what.

I use Body Glide and it helps a ton.

And you're right, while cotton is the worst, almost any shirt will cause chafing eventually (it did when I was training for a marathon).

CooterTKE

vasoline or noxzima (sp) is what the bike racers i know use.

Eat_Fire

Consider just trimming the hair around the nipples? That's what I do. More asthetically pleasing to the eye in my view then just going all out Sean Connery style chest hair.

moocow

Eat_Fire wrote: »

Consider just trimming the hair around the nipples? That's what I do. More asthetically pleasing to the eye in my view then just going all out Sean Connery style chest hair.

Wouldn't the hair protect the nipples from chafage?