# Sore spot



## Danny (20 Aug 2007)

I have a minute spot on my perineum which nevertheless seems to get very sore after I have done a lot of cycling. When I say "minute", I mean you can barely see or feel it, and most of the time I don't even notice that it is there.

I first noticed the irritation last summer, but then the problem seemed to die down over the winter - possibly because of the colder weather or because I was doing less cycling. But it seems to be flaring up again just as I am about to go off on a four day tour.

I don't suffer from saddle soreness generally, apart from this one small area, so I don't think changing shorts or saddle would necessarily help. 

Any ideas?


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## frog (21 Aug 2007)

Had similiar about a year ago. My spot was just off centre and chaffed a lot  Went to the doc and he said I'd got an abcess and gave me a course of anitbiotics. Week later just a little swelling left which dispersed over the next couple of weeks. 

Get thee to thy vetinary


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## bonj2 (21 Aug 2007)

this and this


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## Blonde (21 Aug 2007)

If it isn't an abscess, or just an ingrown hair, it could be an actual saddle sore -a real one. Is is a hard lump? If so, it could be a saddle sore. This is a build up of soft tissue to form a protective layer (a little like calcification on bone, or a callous on a foot) on an area that is either chafed, or pressured by a hard saddle. They are a right pain, 'cos you can only get rid of them by either taking some time off the bike or getting a saddle that does not put any pressure at all on that spot - ie, one with a cut out hole in the right place.


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## Mr Phoebus (21 Aug 2007)

I used to get sore down there, and having Diabetes my skin would take ages to heal (even Sudacrem wouldn't help).
Then I discovered Udderly Smooth udder cream I cycle over to Tamworth to get mine.
It's like a miracle cream, I very highly recommend it.

I'm assuming you mean your skin is sore?


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## Blonde (21 Aug 2007)

Yes, I use that too. It is very good and heals sore skin overnight. I get sore skin if I am sitting in a wet chamois all day - wet from sweat and rain. Some of us just have more sensitive skin than others I think! BTW do you mean an actual sore 'spot' (like a boil or acne) or an area that is sore?


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## Danny (21 Aug 2007)

Thanks for the various responses. I am sure it is not an abcess, it is much more like a very small pimple (no more than a couple of mm in size)

Am intigued by Blonde's suggestion that this could be an actual saddle sore, but not sure how you distinguish a saddle sore from a pimple, ingrown hair, or small wart - particularly when it is pretty difficult to see what is going on down there!

Am loath to change my saddle as I have a very comfortable Brooks B17N, which is well worn-in and for the most part is really comfortable. I'll try Undderly Smooth.

My existing shorts are pretty well padded and give me no problems elsewhere - but as they are wearing out I might invest in the Endura ones recommended by bonj (can't afford Assos at the moment I'm afraid).


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## Blonde (21 Aug 2007)

The saddle sores I had were really, really hard, pea-sized lumps under the skin. It was most alarming - I thought it might be cancer or something at first! I had Brooks B17 saddles on all my bikes, and found them comfy only for sit bones, but not for soft tissue - I found the mid section and nose of the saddle too hard and the wrong shape for me. The rounded shape meant the saddles pressed up into soft bits and caused saddle sores there. The hard lumps only went away once I had some time off the bike. Since then I've bought leather saddles with a hole in, to relieve the pressure in that area. They are made in the US and are a lot more flexible (mostly because of the design of the cut out hole) than the Brooks so I find them more comfortable and I no longer have any problems. http://www.mcmwin.com/ if you want to see what these saddles look like. If you look at the 'R&D video clips' you can see how they work when someone is pedalling - they actually move with the rider.

If your spot is more like an acne type spot, it's probably just caused by sweat blocking your pores, and/or hormones. Just treat as you would any other acne type spot - wash and dry well, apply an anti-acne cream or antiseptic cream etc. Better wicking shorts may help, as well as getting out of the saddle more often to let things dry out!

Another thought - it's not just a varacose/sticky-out vein is it? I have these in my abdomen and upper thighs/groin area as well as in the more usual calves areas. Mine don't look bad at all, but are quite painful, especially after a hard or hilly bike ride, and you can't do owt about 'em!


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## Danny (21 Aug 2007)

As I said, given its location it is a bit tricky to see exactly what the spot is though I have tried to look at it with a mirror. My partner has also had a look and says it just appears to be very small spot with no distinguishing features.

I'll try the Utterly Udderly cream on my tour and see if that helps. If not I'll ask the doctor for his opinion before getting involved in changes to my saddle.

Alas, I think I may be too old to get Acne any more


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## Tynan (21 Aug 2007)

seeing as we're talking about sores and lumps, I've got one, upper upper inside of the thigh where the thigh presses against the side of the saddle sometimes and at the edge of the padding of the shorts, hard, under the skin and about the size of a large pea, hurts a lot when squeezed, otherwise ok, annoying when cycling as it does ache when riding, not riding and it slowly goes down, I dimly remember the same thing in much the same place a very long time ago when I was cycling a lot

any ideas? I assume it's a cycling thing


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## Mr Phoebus (21 Aug 2007)

Tynan said:


> seeing as we're talking about sores and lumps, I've got one, upper upper inside of the thigh where the thigh presses against the side of the saddle sometimes and at the edge of the padding of the shorts, hard, under the skin and about the size of a large pea, hurts a lot when squeezed, otherwise ok, annoying when cycling as it does ache when riding, not riding and it slowly goes down, I dimly remember the same thing in much the same place a very long time ago when I was cycling a lot
> 
> any ideas? I assume it's a cycling thing


Sounds like a blocked hair follicle or sweat pore.
If it brings tears to your eyes then it is.
They're sometimes a real sod to get rid of too, because as they go, they can leave a void/hole where the pore has stretched and then reinflame and grow again in size.
Pro-rider's suffer from them, an old trick was to rub the site with surgical spirit.
This toughens up the skin area.
When I had one, what I did was to cut a hole in the middle of a sticking plaster,(rather like a corn plaster) so it surrounded the raised lump, but stopped the lump rubbing and getting more inflammed.


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## Tynan (21 Aug 2007)

thanks, new one on me, gone done a lot as I've had a week off and counting for a nasty knee (drunk and on the stairs ahem)

see what happens after my weeks hols this weekend, might be time for cream then

thanks again


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## Joe (1 Dec 2007)

Mr Phoebus said:


> I used to get sore down there, and having Diabetes my skin would take ages to heal (even Sudacrem wouldn't help).
> Then I discovered Udderly Smooth udder cream I cycle over to Tamworth to get mine.
> It's like a miracle cream, I very highly recommend it.
> 
> I'm assuming you mean your skin is sore?


Just a bump to third this recommendation. This stuff is actually amazing!
I had a little pimple on my sit bone last night (after commuting in shorts that don't fit). It was really sore and I couldn't even sit on it. I had a bath and put some udderly smooth cream on, went to bed and this morning it has completely vanished!


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## punkypossum (2 Dec 2007)

Joe said:


> Just a bump to third this recommendation. This stuff is actually amazing!
> I had a little pimple on my sit bone last night (after commuting in shorts that don't fit). It was really sore and I couldn't even sit on it. I had a bath and put some udderly smooth cream on, went to bed and this morning it has completely vanished!




Recent convert to Udderly Smooth myself, although I haven't tried it for cycling related stuff yet. Unfortunately, it means a trip to Hawes to stock up on a regular basis as that's the nearest stockist


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## cyclebum (2 Dec 2007)

There really is a number of things it could be judging by the symptoms and as it hasn't been resolved easily so far. My advice would be visit the doc, it can then be properly examined and if you need antibiotics you'll get them. You can save a lot of time (and money) in the long run if you get it properly looked at first. There can be little benefit using exphensive creams if it really requires medication. If the doc says it's just irritation then you've got nothing to loose by getting this 'udder' cream!
By the way where can you get it from?


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## Joe (2 Dec 2007)

cyclebum said:


> By the way where can you get it from?


I got mine from http://www.udderly-smooth.com/B1.htm as there are no shops that sell it locally. Wish I'd gone for the big pot though!


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## punkypossum (2 Dec 2007)

Joe said:


> I got mine from http://www.udderly-smooth.com/B1.htm as there are no shops that sell it locally. Wish I'd gone for the big pot though!




How weird...it's cheaper in the shop than on the website and the website has less choice!

This site gives you stockists cyclebum:

http://www.notjustforcows.co.uk/stockists.htm


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## cyclebum (2 Dec 2007)

punkypossum said:


> This site gives you stockists cyclebum:
> 
> http://www.notjustforcows.co.uk/stockists.htm




Thanks, looks like I may be able to get to the 1 in Liverpool next time I'm over with my parents.


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