rashes etc in the nether regions
 

near the end of this summer i started breaking out down there, sort of where the thigh meets everything else. rash, white heads, pretty bad for cycling. I did switch saddles (slr to some sort of gel flow thingy). So here is the question: Should I get a new saddle or get tested for STDs?

try a non-cotton underwear, they sell cycling-specific undies made of lycra on Nashbar.
I guess getting tested for STDs couldn't hurt either. Be careful out there.

Talcum power is your friend.

Assos Butt butter! Only the best for my Butt!

The new saddle may be the problem. Butt a good chamois creem will help you heal faster and prevent more problems.

Clean shorts are a must. And get out of them right after a ride.

Steel wool and Goo-Gone will probably remove it, if it's worrying you.

hydrocortisone cream is your friend.
learned this from a fellow messenger (hi Teamster Eric) whose dad is a dermatologist.
it works.

+jasco

Not just ouch, but AAAAAHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGHHHH!

But seriously, one easy, non-messy thing you might try (once you clear up the current problem) is a little bit of Body Glide around the thigh band of your shorts (I assume you wear briefs, not cycling shorts). I use it to keep my wetsuit from chafing my shoulders and it works.

this type of thing happens.
for a while my leather belt was rubbing my where my thigh meats the meat and potatos. it made me break out in a little bit of an irritation / rash... i just started hiking my pants up higher and making my belt a notch looser and i'm good.

try experimenting with your gear... and i don't mean gearING, i mean your gear that you get dekt out in.

same thing happened to me.... got tested and am clean

just wear clean dry clothes and they will go away

After I shower I put lotion on my gooch and then baby or body powder. If it gets really bad (like when I DDR'd in cotton pajamas for hours then promptly went to sleep) I'll scrub my junk in the sink and then do the lotion baby powder thing.

Isn't there an old punk song with this title?

riding shorts and chamois butter for long rides and just riding shorts in general. I have like 6 pairs that I usually wear instead of boxers everyday.

My dermatologist told me that type of thing is often caused by something from your feet migrating to your nether regions; the trick is to make sure your feet are clean before dressing… you know it makes sense ;)

- Wil

After a ride, quickly get the area dry, this helps prevent them in the first place.

After a ride use some sort of salve or treatment. Good ones in this thread, I've also heard Bag Balm is good, and I've gotten good results from Aloe (for regular abrasion) and Cortisone cream (if it's a rash). Also, from the roadie forum, "Keith Bontrager says the pros use a mixture of a 13 oz vaseline container mixed with 1 oz neosporin, 1 oz lanolin (bag balm), and 1 oz cortisone cream." FWIW.

Because of where they're appearing, I'd check to see if your saddle is too wide, or you have a seam on your shorts.

Ah, a Rash o' Chastity!

A friend of mine had one this summer. It's just a heat rash. Like everyone else said, talcum and synthetics are your friend.

A squishy saddle is what you don't want. It allows your sitbones to sink down and that brings pressure to bear on sensitive areas. You want a brick hard saddle like a Brooks.

You could have a yeast infection. Or some other fungal infection. If so, get some jock itch ointment, same stuff that's used for athlet's foot.

I'd be looking into getting some lycra shorts, too.

Whatever you do, moisture is not going to help. Change your shorts daily, wash them often, and get out of wet undies immediately after you ride, and wash & dry the affected area thoroughly, also immediately after you ride. Keeping dry is key. Baby/talcum powder works well.
To clear it up, hydrocortizone cream is great. You can also use A&D ointment, or even Neosporin.
bbattle's mention of a yeast infection might sound silly, but it's plausible. Men can get them as well.

Long & short of it is: wash that ****, and keep it dry.

saddles sours are a part of life when you ride a bike
get some bike shorts and wear em
get some chamois butta and slather the nethers all up with it

totally get tested...not because of the rashes, just because of respect for your partners.

as far as those rashes, i have 'em, too. on really hot days i also get rashes where my bag sits between my shoulders and where the strap goes across the chest. i think it's just heat, sweat, friction, etc.

QFT.

Sounds like you got jock itch to me, AKA the male's version of yeast infection. You may want to see a doctor, but for future prevention remember the advice told to countless women with the same problem: plain yogurt, daily.

Jock Itch is caused by a fungus...like someone else mentioned, it's probably spread from the feet. The 'feminine equivalent' is caused by a different beastie. He's probably kidding, but yogurt won't help a case of cock rot.

If it's mild, the over the counter sprays (Tinactin, etc) sold for Athlete's Foot will help, but they're cold and will tickle you in a way that is virtually indescribable. If things get severe, go see a dermatologist for a .50-caliber remedy.

If you're sure that it's fungal, take care of it ASAP, and don't stop treatment till you have no symptoms left. Athlete's Foot and the like can get seriously nasty...the environment around your twiddly bits shouldn't be as nurturing as that around your feet, but the longer it stays the harder it is to get rid of.

Dude, I don't say these words simply going by hearsay and popular opinion. Do your research, and include a few things like acidophilous and bifidus and candida albicans and probiotics in that research. This is stuff that connects a little deeper than the superficial view that dermatologists tend to take as literally seeing maladies as merely skin-deep. But yes, you're right, athlete's foot is pretty similar to jock itch in that both are fungal related. For the record I'm just differing from what you're saying in that I think plain yogurt would help over the long run. It's all connected, but this is neither a philosophy forum (where I would debate western isolationism seen in science/medicine vs. eastern holism) or a nutrition forum (where I'd probably get a little more in depth about the above), so I'm not going to exhaust the rest of the BF members with these semi-relevent details.