Belly flap and heat and sweat rash!

[EnergyJaguar]

Please help, I’m too embarrassed to go to the doctor to find a solution.

After babies, two sections and some weight gain I have a belly flap. In the heat it can get irritated under there. I thought it might be fungal bought a fungal cream than just irritated it and made it really lumpy and red. I stopped the fungal cream and used Vaseline and some deodorant. That seemed to help but now I’m scarred under my belly. The irritation has gone for now.

if now it gets hot or sweaty it flares up again, so I’ve been using anti perspirant but hate using this around that area as I worry about the aluminium in anti perspirant.

does anyone have solutions?

due to chub rub thighs I need to wear cycling shorts which seems to exacerbate things when it’s hot. I never had this problem before and always had a flap of sorts.

Any ideas what it could be?

Another one to recommend detail soap, followed by a good drying and this…

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medipure-Unisex-Medicated-Irritated-Skin-200g/dp/B00GTRY1BC/ref=asc_df_B00GTRY1BC/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310879429615&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=784763580172634036&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007242&hvtargid=pla-598734039106&psc=1

it’s talc free!

I dry my skin folds with a hair dryer set to cool. Look up a small catalogue called Independence. They have under boob and under belly anti chafing 'thing' that cost less than £20 (for 3). They are washable too

Mine just persists hangs lower even after weight loss it’s like it needs chopping off. I hate it.

I'm reading this thread thinking about what us women have to handle sometimes. This thread makes me weirdly feel better as we are all in this together. For me it's an under boob problem.

I have this under my boobs and medicated talc really helps.

I have this from c-sections and weight gain. I use a hair-drier after shower to make sure all moisture gone. Then a thin layer of sudocrem. What makes it worse IMHO is that I have very limited feeling left in the nerves around my lower abdomen (thanks again c-section) so I sometimes don’t notice that it is becoming infected until bad. Sudocrem usually sorts that too, together with cotton underwear (no fabric softener though as this irritates).

Wash and dry with a bar of soap, then rub camellia oil over the area. Repeat every morning and every night. Pants under the overhang not holding it tightly folded. Bras over a thin Tshirt till healed. All will be better in a few days.

In the last few years if her life my grandmother decided she hated wearing a bra. As a result she got an awful rash under her breasts requiring a visit from a GP and some medicinal cream.

Once the skin had healed I bought her Calamine lotion and that patted on gently using a cosmetic pad did the trick of preventing friction and the resulting sore rash that she had previously suffered with.

I used to have it under my boobs and Canesten did the trick, plus I'd wedge a sock under my bra wire.

I've recently had a boob reduction and I'm living the bloody dream now! 😍

I'm saving up for a tummy tuck now to get rid of my overhang!

It really is stressful packing for holidays and thinking about how I’ll stop this happening in the heat. On top of a million other things I hate it. I don’t want to hate my body but this part I hate, I have a B belly so if I got rid of the hanging part I would have to work hard at the middle bit and probably have that cut off too! I don’t know how it works.

also have the numbness after two sections so don’t realise. Last time it got bad after a flight in tight joggers. Will be wearing lose combats this time and following above tips!

Wash with gentle soap at least twice a day, preferably in a cool shower. Pat your skin dry. Don't be afraid to lie down and lift the flap to let it "air". Even 5 minutes at a time will help. Wear loose flowy skirts or trousers and if you're not walking far don't be afraid to go "commando" . If you do start to develop reddening of the skin use germolene at the first sign (yes it can sting at first but also has a numbing action )All these worked for me after I developed cellulitis out of embarrassment about approaching my GP

Is this possible?! This could be me! My middle part got saggier after weight loss!!

Wash and then dry thoroughly, and then use a thin layer of metanium nappy rash cream. This is honestly amazing, it sorts out the inflammation and prevents anymore.

The most important thing is to make sure it’s completely dry after washing. I either tuck a towel under for a while, or use a cool hairdryer….that works best.

Really grateful for the advice, I never knew it affected so many people just had my wash and tucking my PJs under it and will let it air, it’s actually okish atm but I’m dreading the flying. Think I’ll have to do the tissue thing a flannel would be too bulky and least a tissue would soak up some of the sweat.

I’ll deffo stop using aluminium based anti perspirant it doesn’t stop the sweating anyway!!!! I don’t know why I’ve got so sweaty there I never used to be.

I know it’s tmi but I don’t like to use metanium I don’t want my DH to see anything during sex so it’s best it’s not a visible cream I freak out when he touches my belly.

'Cotton tummy liners' on Amazon are a thing.

I would really avoid the chub rub shorts from Snag, they're all manmade fibres so will be trapping all the moisture against the skin. I've got some from Yours which are 95% cotton - I haven't actually worn them yet but thought I would highlight. I can't wear anything less than 95% cotton when the weather's warm or it will flare up somewhere.

I can't wear chub rub shirts as I always find them too sweaty around my overhang. I stick to cotton trousers and pants.

I got this cream from Amazon it's called
Neat 3B Cream Action Cream
It helps prevent sweat rash and chaffing I've used it under my breasts and between my thighs too
I've also been using it in the area of my belly overhang which you describe
This cream has been a game changer I just come back from Turkey were it was very hot and it worked it's really worth buying and really does work.

Thanks for the info re snag, I’ll stick to cotton cycling shorts I didn’t realise that. I’ve bought some of the stuff we head off today so hope it arrives before we go. All seems relatively calm down there this morning. When I’m on my period (as I am now) and being peri meni I can get hot flushes. Bought an air con machine last year too to help a bit in the hot weather at night.

what I don’t get is I literally do not sweat anywhere else!! I’ve never worn anti perspirant or deodorant!

I had this, also (and much worse) under boobs. Really itchy, and whenever I rubbed, loads of dead skin would slough away. GP spent ages treating it as intertrigo, with antifungals and anti bacterial creams, plus oral antibiotics and antifungals. It would ease, but never resolve completely, and then spring right back when treatment stopped.

Turned out it is a form of psoriasis - called inverse or flexural psoriasis. I also have some more classic psoriasis plaques on my arms and occasionally get it in my hairline and behind the ears.

The reason it was easing was because they were giving me creams with a small amount of hydrocortisone in. They gave me one with a higher strength steroid - cleared within a week. I now use it a couple of times a week just to keep it under control - but other times, I use Cetraben cream. Cream morning and evening, usually Cetraben, but a couple of times a week is the medicated one.

A bit of a long-winded way of saying - consider other options. And also offering Cetraben as another option, if it’s purely rubbing and soreness.

OP, you've got loads of advice on how to manage this, but if it ever gets worse, please do see a doctor as a bacterial infection could take hold. If it isn't a fungal infection then the Canestan won't help (but it sounds like you may have had an allergic reaction to that?).

I get how unpleasant it is for you, but for a GP, this is just a skin infection, they are not bothered where/why.