Originally Posted by B. Carfree

There's two types of saddle issues:
1. infections: (what fietsbob is referring to), which can mostly be dealt with by impeccable hygiene with perhaps a bit of anti-microbial ointment.

2. Pressure-related: This is from lack of circulation where too much weight is pressing down on tender parts. Some parts are more tender than others (the nerves and blood vessels in the perineum come to mind) and really shouldn't be carrying any load. However, the tissue between the sitz bones and the skin can also suffer from being crushed for hours on end. There are a few things you can do:
A. Don't sit still. At least don't sit in the same position for protracted periods. Stand up and change your posture regularly. This comes naturally to the young bucks (whippersnappers) who are constantly climbing hills, but you need to do it too.

B. Don't sit upright. Sure, there's this huge market for "comfort bikes" and everyone is told that upright is comfortable, but it just isn't so if you insist on riding more than a few miles. Get that torso tipped down a bit and get your load off your bum. This may require a bit of cross-training to strengthen your abdominals, but it is worth it. Note: do not just put your weight on your hands or you will have a more serious problem than a sore bum. This is a bit like solution A in that you are just adding another set of postures to your repertoire. As you bend over, you will be on a different part of those bones that are under your bum, so you can relieve the pressure from your formerly crushed tissue.

C. Go bent: We're all going to get there eventually. I'm going to go kicking and screaming when my time comes.