# saddle sore - any one got a photo?



## bas

One can find a photo of any type of STD in google or google images, but I can not find a photo of a saddle sore.

Anyone?


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## bas

bas said:


> One can find a photo of any type of STD in google or google images, but I can not find a photo of a saddle sore.
> 
> Anyone?


This has some information..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle_sores


This is about as close as I can find to educating me on a picture:


http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/derm/pages/in04_3.htm


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## bas

bas said:


> This has some information..
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle_sores
> 
> 
> This is about as close as I can find to educating me on a picture:
> 
> 
> http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/derm/pages/in04_3.htm


I'm about ready to cut it off with a nail clipper.


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## rellimreeb

bas said:


> I'm about ready to cut it off with a nail clipper.


tear it open then douse it w/ Iodine.


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## david462

saddle sores are very similar to boils...correct?

anyways, ive only gotten one saddle sore (boil type infection where i make contact with the saddle).

but ive gotten 4 or 5 more on lower areas of my legs, one on neck, one on face.

after the most recent one ive started using hibiclens soap. so far so good (knock on wood).

ive been to the doctor for the ones on my face (less embarassing), which is wear i learned how to get rid of them... although i was put on anti-biotic medicine which probably helps as well..

anyways, you want to first off keep the area clean, i just used some anti-bacterial cream throughout the day. then you want to use a hot washcloth and press it against the sore for a few minutes a couple times a day. this will help all the bacterial come to the center, where you can eventually have lots of fun and squeeze all the stuff out. it can hurt though.

wear clean bike shorts, use a proper saddle, use good chamois cream, be clean before you ride, shower right after you ride (possibly using some hibiclens soap), and you should be well off. this is what ive learned from the past couple months of getting a few here and there.


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## Dream Plus

*....umm, that sounds painfull*



millerinva said:


> tear it open then douse it w/ Iodine.


I'm no doctor!
I'd treat it with an antibacterial ointment such as neosporin or some othe antibiotic before I ripped my flesh. The ripping could potentially cause worse problems. Keep the area clean and monitor it. If not sure, see a health professional.


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## Wookiebiker

Two types basically....

One is like a boil...it's basically an ingrown hair that gets infected and pusses up. The other is a wearing down of the skin, almost like a scrape on the knee.

Both hurt a lot and take several days to get over. Most of the time some antibacterial ointment will help them heal faster. Some can ride through them, some can't...depends on how bad they are and how high your pain tolerance is.


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## magnolialover

*I've found...*



bas said:


> I'm about ready to cut it off with a nail clipper.


Over the years when I've had them, and I've had a few. Tea tree oil works wonders. You'd be amazed. Clean the area, douse with tea tree oil, repeat until it's gone. When I've done this, they've gone away in 2-3 days.

Give it a try, it's cheap, and it has worked for me.


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## gollig

I've found hydrocortisone reduces the swelling when it is painful to ride. Bag balm has kept the saddle sores away since then. I've also used tea tree soap, but don't seem to need it anymore since I started using the bag balm. I apply it before a ride and after I get out of the shower.

Good luck.


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## dadat40

Those little buggers are no fun. clean very well, keep lubricated, after a few days or weeks they wil be soft enough to pop, after that clean even better and use lube on all rides and after cleaning.


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## Dr_John

I "lived" with them for years. I always got out of my shorts immediately after a ride, washed my shorts after every ride, showered immediately afterwards, etc. A month or two ago I started religiously using Assos Chamois creme, and voila! All gone. So nice. I had tried it and others on and off, but sticking with it, following the directions of initially "treating" the chamois cleared me up great.


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## phoehn9111

I don't really want to see a photo of your or anyone elses buttock boils
for that matter.


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## Andrea138

phoehn9111 said:


> I don't really want to see a photo of your or anyone elses buttock boils
> for that matter.


Yeah, I've got one, but there's no way in hell you're getting a picture of it :nono: 

I agree with everyone about bag balm, though I find it most useful for "chafing" type sores and not the cyst-type.


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## allison

I've got 2 or 3 that won't go away. Earlier this year I was doing most of my rides on the weekends, so they'd heal up during the week, then come back.

Well, this month I've done 280mi already (that's basically my monthly total previously, and now it's my half a month total), and they aren't healing. I've tried every home remedy listed (couldn't find tea tree oil, though) and nothing is helping.

This past weekend I rode with a different saddle and while less irritating, they still are there. Took Monday off completely and they got WORSE!

Yesterday I did 9 miles, spread out (4.5 in the morning, and 4.5 in the evening and nothing else). 

Unfortunately today it's back on the bike so I can imagine they are going to get a lot worse yet again. Including tonight, I'll be riding the next 9 days in a row :thumbsup: 

I tried the corn bandages (they don't stick while you are actually riding :mad2: ), acne creams, neosporin, etc. 

I started leaving clothes overnight to wash two loads together (thought it'd be nice to save the water/energy), but have gone back to washing every day once I am done with the clothes. They always air dry.

I even put a tad of bleach in my weekend race gear. 

Guess I'll be living with these for awhile 

(Am not yet irritated enough to take time/money to go to the doctor for them.)


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## outtashapeguy

A couple of us got them on our first century


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## ms6073

allison said:


> I've got 2 or 3 that won't go away.


Based on mine and my wifes experiences, I can honestly say that the type of saddle sores men and women get are somewhat different but often based on similar causes. Occasionally saddle sores are simply a function of ambient conditions as we see them more often when it is hot and humid than when it is colder with lower humidity. So for those affected, are the saddle sores territorial, in other words do they appear in the same spot each time or is the location random? For those who are suffering from saddle sores in the same place each time, this might be an indication of poor or improper position on the bike either due to seat being too high or possibly an assymetry with parts of the body. Very few cyclists have completely symetrical bodies, but for many the differences are so slight that the rider never notices and does not suffer any adverse effects but for the rest of us, unless riding a recumbent, the little things add up and the results are usually aches, pains, saddle sore, or all of the above.


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## bas

Wookiebiker said:


> Two types basically....
> 
> One is like a boil...it's basically an ingrown hair that gets infected and pusses up. The other is a wearing down of the skin, almost like a scrape on the knee.
> 
> Both hurt a lot and take several days to get over. Most of the time some antibacterial ointment will help them heal faster. Some can ride through them, some can't...depends on how bad they are and how high your pain tolerance is.


I think it was the first type. 

I had tried some hyrdocoritzone stuff...couldn't tell if it was numbed or not?

Then I hit it will the benzyol peroxide next night/day..

Finally turned purple/black and I guess broke on my ride home. 

Been hitting it with neosporin right now.


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## bas

Andrea138 said:


> Yeah, I've got one, but there's no way in hell you're getting a picture of it :nono:


shucks!  :sad:


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## ms6073

Bas,

If they are anything like the ones my wife used to get, you really do not want to see it, much less get them! Even though the wife has not had a reoccurence in nearly a year, the affected area still bears the witness marks' (ie an area of lumpy/scar tissue) and I am of the opinion that baring minor surgery, the scar will be there for quite some time but fortunately it does not effect her riding (usually 150-200 miles per week). 

For Andrea, I suggest you have a competent fitter check out your position on your bike to assure things like proper saddle height and cleat alignement - note that this does not not imply each cleat is positioned in the same place on each shoe as part of proper alignment. Also, while the name is a bit of a deterent for some , I suggest you try Crotch Guard (http://www.crotchguard.com/) - although it is a bit messy when applied, the wife does not leave home without it as it provides much, much longer protection than other products such as Assos or Chamois Butter. There is also a new product - Dz-nuts (seriously - http://www.dz-nuts.com/) - endorsed by Dave Zabrieske who races for the Slipstream-Chipotle US Continental Pro-Tour cycling team.


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## Andrea138

ms6073 said:


> Bas,
> 
> If they are anything like the ones my wife used to get, you really do not want to see it, much less get them! Even though the wife has not had a reoccurence in nearly a year, the affected area still bears the witness marks' (ie an area of lumpy/scar tissue) and I am of the opinion that baring minor surgery, the scar will be there for quite some time but fortunately it does not effect her riding (usually 150-200 miles per week).
> 
> For Andrea, I suggest you have a competent fitter check out your position on your bike to assure things like proper saddle height and cleat alignement - note that this does not not imply each cleat is positioned in the same place on each shoe as part of proper alignment. Also, while the name is a bit of a deterent for some , I suggest you try Crotch Guard (http://www.crotchguard.com/) - although it is a bit messy when applied, the wife does not leave home without it as it provides much, much longer protection than other products such as Assos or Chamois Butter. There is also a new product - Dz-nuts (seriously - http://www.dz-nuts.com/) - endorsed by Dave Zabrieske who races for the Slipstream-Chipotle US Continental Pro-Tour cycling team.


I feel your wife's pain! Sounds exactly like what I've been going through, and, I agree, you don't want to see pictures...

Anyway... I've been fit- it's mainly been an issue of finding the perfect saddle. A lot of them work at first but then seem to start flexing or otherwise breaking down after about 2 months (I also ride about 200 miles a week). I've been through at least 10 that I can think of off the top of my head since I started riding about 1.5 years ago (as well as a host of different chamois/shorts). I could have sworn that my latest (san marco glamour aspide) was going to be "it," but alas, as it's become a little more flexible, bad things start to happen... I just ordered a Fizik Vitesse that should be in next week, though. 

I've never seen crotchguard (*snicker*), but I did see the webpage for dznuts a few days ago. I'll have to try both.


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## California L33

Dr_John said:


> I "lived" with them for years. I always got out of my shorts immediately after a ride, washed my shorts after every ride, showered immediately afterwards, etc. A month or two ago I started religiously using Assos Chamois creme, and voila! All gone. So nice. I had tried it and others on and off, but sticking with it, following the directions of initially "treating" the chamois cleared me up great.


Assos +1

I'd get them occasionally after longer rides. Since using Assos before every ride, more than a year now- exactly zero. 

The only question is- Is Assos an ironic name? The Swiss aren't known for their senses of humor, but you never know. 

When I did have them I'd treat them by soaking in hot chlorinated water- what better excuse to hit the hot tub for an hour? (Check the chlorine level- you want to kill bacteria, not add to it). The skin would get soft, the bacteria would get dead. The sores would start to get better almost immediately, and if big they'd pop of their own volition without pain in a couple of days and it was Neosporin time.


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## ms6073

Andrea138 said:


> I feel your wife's pain! Sounds exactly like what I've been going through, and, I agree, you don't want to see pictures...


Just out of curiosity, have you noticed when looking at the nose of your saddle whether or not the material that covers the saddle is worn/scuffed more so on one side of the saddle than the other? My wife has Selle Italia Pro Link Genuine Gel saddles and before I shimmed the cleat on one shoe and got the fore/aft position for both figured out, she would wear off the Pro Link logo on the nose of the saddle on the same side as she got the affliction in as little as 15-30 hours and made noticeable wear in the microtex outter cover (ie wore a hole through to the foam) in under 3 months time.


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## Andrea138

No, I haven't noticed any wear on the nose. The side I get a sore on seems pretty random, also, and when I got my last fit, we took several leg measurements and, other than one calf being a little larger than the other, I'm pretty symmetrical.


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## Cruzer2424

Hmm... the acne cream works pretty well when I get them. Usually gone within a day or two.

Get outta that chamois as quick as you can after the ride!


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## bas

ms6073 said:


> Bas,
> 
> If they are anything like the ones my wife used to get, you really do not want to see it, much less get them! Even though the wife has not had a reoccurence in nearly a year, the affected area still bears the witness marks' (ie an area of lumpy/scar tissue) and I am of the opinion that baring minor surgery, the scar will be there for quite some time but fortunately it does not effect her riding (usually 150-200 miles per week).
> 
> .


Yeah, its still hard 

Thankfully -its an area that doesn't receive 100% direct saddle pressure - so no real problems sitting.

If it changes or anything - I might go get it checked out. I just imagine going to the doc and he not having a clue and it being a waste of time and money.


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## bas

Andrea138 said:


> No, I haven't noticed any wear on the nose. The side I get a sore on seems pretty random, also, and when I got my last fit, we took several leg measurements and, other than one calf being a little larger than the other, I'm pretty symmetrical.


I symmetrical too.. except for the male anatomy where one side hangs further.


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## Andrea138

bas said:


> If it changes or anything - I might go get it checked out. I just imagine going to the doc and he not having a clue and it being a waste of time and money.


Do you know any cyclists who are doctors? That would probably be a plus.


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## rellimreeb

Andrea138 said:


> Do you know any cyclists who are doctors? That would probably be a plus.


that's a good idea. I had an ankle injury and sent out an doc inquiry to my bike club's email list, and I amazed at the response. Many docs and recommendations. I was able to see a specialist w/in a day. It's amazing how tight the cycling community hangs together.


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## s2ktaxi

one thing to consider is the condition of the padding in your shorts. I had 2 pairs of Performance Ultra shorts that I alternated between and wore them for about 8 months through the warmer seasons, then I started getting sores. Turns out the padding material cover was coming delaminated from the padding itself and bunching up at exactly the areas I was getting sores on. The shorts looked in good shape otherwise. I switched to newer shorts and it's been fine since. I've also noticed that looser shorts could also be a culprit - so now I go with bibs only, I'm exactly between S and M for shorts/bib sizes and have chosen to go with S so that there's less movement of material to skin if everything is nice and snug.


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