Close fitting trisuit - How to alleviate nipple burn from chest hair?
So this is actually not trolling, serious question.
I have also looked at what-can-i-do-for-sore-nipples and is-it-harmful-not-to-wear-an-underwear-while-running as well as a couple of questions that suggest bodyglide etc, I use bodyglide elsewhere, but i don't feel this is the answer in my case.
I feel my question is different from the above because I'm male, with a hairy chest- the questions above don't take this into account. .
Common solutions are band-aids and bodyglide (as mentioned). To use band-aids I'd have to shave to get them to stick. Shaving would open up another can of worms with rubbing from short hairs on my trisuit, which I'd prefer to avoid.
I can't imagine bodyglide working in this case.
Are there any solutions besides shaving and using band aids?
The following details are more case specific to me, but feel free to take them into account if you like:
I'm doing long distance triathlon
The run is where the friction happens
I'm not overweight
I wear a lycra tri-suit (obviously this is tightly fitted)
The rubbing is worst when the suit is wet, I can minimise wetness by not pouring water on my front, but I'm running long distance triathlons in France, some wetness is to be expected
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There are a couple of solutions that I would consider for this, both of which are fairly easy.
Change - You say you are doing long distance triathlons, I am assuming that you mean longer than an Olympic distance, where transition time is more critical, such as half and full Ironman distance. I would take the extra couple of minutes in the bike/run transition tent and change into a loose fitting shirt.
Shave - Go ahead and shave. You can shave close enough that you don't have to deal with short hairs rubbing, and/or put a bandaid over the area. It also offers an advantage in that if you are that hairy, a general close shave all over can have heat dissipation benenfits. Besides, you're already shaving your legs (and if not, see this article. You could be wasting a 4-5 minutes of time) so why not a little more?
If you've already tried bodyglide and similar remedies, I think those two may be your best options left.
Being both hirsute and a runner, I've had the same issue.
The best solution I've found is to apply the adhesive portion of a band-aid directly to the nipple. Take one band-aid, and cut or tear the two adhesive parts off:
Then carefully move the hairs off the nipple (getting them a bit damp can help) and apply one on each side.
Plastic bandages seem to work best, and come off without too much trouble in the shower. Removal can be a bit painful, but far better than chafing!
Do you wear a Heart Rate Monitor on a chest strap? These will monitor your heart rate at the torso and log it to a running watch or a bike computer.
Position it just right and it should function exactly like the wound plasters, providing coverage without moving back and forth causing friction.
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