I was just diagnosed with this. Also a serious cyclist. I get it in my saddle area and where my heart rate monitor sits. I thought I had some sort of recurring fungal/yeast infection. Treated it, came back. Saw three doctors. Finally got a biopsy. No little buggars – eczema or some kind of immune rash. Sounds very similar to what you have! I was wondering what, if anything, has worked for you? I feel like I will have to stop cycling if I can’t get this under control and I was literally crying when I got the results. I started on an injectable antibody drug for migraines shortly before this started, so I am suspicious this may have started an immune response. But I want to try anything I can to control it or any allergic reactions I may be having. What has been working for you since you posted this?
What prescription creams do you recommend? This just started for me, and I have an appointment with a dermatologist in a week, so I’d like to have some suggestions ready.
There’s sort of a hierarchy of corticosteroid creams of varying strengths. The two that I use mostly are a hydrocortisone (very gentle, usable on babies) and Betaderm (0.1) which is mid-range. I used to have a stronger one but no longer need it and can’t recall its name - I used it only on very problematic outbreaks.
Good luck with the dermatologist. I’m sure you’ll find it a big improvement.
There was also
Vitamin B complex (daily) is what finally worked best for me. I’ve tried it all for various parts of my body, they eventually keep coming back. Vitamin B complex dramatically minimized mine. Try this consistently for a couple of months and let me know.
If you get chronic ezcema on your scrotum area (could be common for ezcema-prone cyclists), don’t use steroid cream. Use Desonide instead for no more than 2 weeks at a time.
I am sorry to hear this and feel your pain, it is very frustrating trying to cycle (and live) with eczema, but it can be done. This does sound very familiar to the problems I have. From my experience you need to do everything you can to maximise your skin health off the bike and then to minimise disruption and irritation to your skin during your rides. Here is what has worked for me:
Off the bike:
• Regularly moisturise the area with an emollient that works for me – at least twice a day but I find best results doing this 3 to 4 times a day including first thing in the morning, last thing before bed, after showering and an extra one during the day.
• Minimise stress of the bike, as this aggravates eczema.
• Optimise sleep quality and make sure your room is nice and cool when you sleep.
• Drink plenty of fluids to keep your skin hydrated.
• My skin responds really well to the mildest topical creams, so I am quite lucky in the fact I can get rid of the eczema quickly, but it comes back just as quick.
• Shorten the length of showers and baths to a minimum with cool water.
• Experiment with different moisturising products to find which one works for you the best. The one I use on my hands is different to my face, and they are both different to the one I use for my body. Unfortunately, I had to go through lots of trial and error to find the right ones.
My cycling routine is now solely based around my eczema:
• I cannot wear a chest HR strap either, so have switched to an arm band with no issues.
• I wear clean bibs for every ride.
• I moisturise the affected area 60-90 mins before each ride.
• I have been experimenting with different dressings and plasters to cover the affected areas and offset the pressure. This has been helping to a degree and there is definite improvement, but you have to be careful when removing them as this can damage the skin (medical adhesive removal spray really helps). Extra tough plasters and hydrocolloid dressings have been working the best for me. I did try reskin protective patches but found they didn’t work for me, as they struggled to stick with all the moisturising and didn’t cover all the area that I needed.
• I shower as soon as I finish my ride with cool water and then moisturise straight away.
• I try to wear something loose fitting and cool after my ride to let my skin breath and recover.
• If it is a turbo ride, I try to stay as cool as I can and use a rear fan pointed straight at my saddle area to keep cool.
• Optimise your bike fit – I am much more comfortable on my saddle following a bike fit which means I shuffle around a lot less and have a more even distribution of pressure across the saddle.
• If my eczema is pretty bad I can apply topical ointments before my ride, which will protect and heal my eczema whilst allowing me to continue.
There is also a lot of trial and error that goes into finding the right things that do and do not work for you. I have recently starting using a menthol-based cream which is really working well for
moisturising. Also, I have found that I get on with Rapha bibs the best, not just in terms of comfort but skin health as well. Although, this is a very personal thing and I had to try Castelli, DHB, wahoo and band of climbers to help confirm this.
I am still waiting for a dermatologist review, which unfortunately has been delayed due to Covid, but will feedback any information once I have had this. Feel free to message me on here if you want to discuss any of this further.
@pykeylou Vitamin B complex is an interesting one and seems beneficial from my research. I have been looking for systemic ways to improve my skin health so will try picking some up and adding it to my routine.
I struggled with eczema for many, many years prior to taking up cycling. I would go through periods of really bad flare ups, see my GP who incidentally specialised in dermatology, get prescribed a cream (and maybe antibiotics as sometimes it had become infected), clear up for a month or two and repeat.
It wasn’t until I left college and started looking after my diet, getting plenty of water and generally living a healthier lifestyle that I finally managed to reduce the flare ups and as of 5/6 years ago, finally beat it.
So here is my two cents worth – there are plenty of magical creams out there (I even went on an immunosuppressant one once that burned my skin when applied first!) that will give you a short-term fix, but I would start by analysing your diet & lifestyle. Looking back now, I feel that the eczema I was suffering was my body reacting to poor nutrition, not enough water and likely excess alcohol. Heat builds up from within and escapes at certain points, causing the skin to dry out and become irritated. I saw it a lot in folds of my skin and at joints – elbows, hands, knees, eyelids, ankles, armpits. So rather than seeing a dermatologist who will likely prescribe a quick fix, I would consider seeing a dietician (not a nutritionist). They would probably start you on an elimination diet that is sympathetic to your requirements on the bike (enough calories, carbs, protein etc.) and slowly introduce foods so that you can pinpoint what may cause the flare ups.
I hope this helps. Full disclaimer - I only have my own personal experience to go on. Food for thought.
Well I posted on here while I having mild, manageable eczema that I’ve managed with controlled use of steroid creams/ ointments. Since Christmas I had a flare up like I’ve never had before! Pretty much all over. I went through antibiotic treatments (oral and skin), and different creams. The biggest impact was on my sleep, as I was waking up itchy af. Despite this, I’ve actually been flying on the bike!
GP referred me to a Dermatologist, who I was in with on Saturday. 3 week course of Prednisone, and getting booked for a course of light therapy. The steroids have a pretty remarkable effect in a short term (on my skin at least!).
Incidentally, he was pretty dismissive of it being anything food related, in my case at least. My diet hadn’t and hasn’t changed (bar perhaps volume over Christmas). Even the impacted sleep didn’t seem to matter (a good nights sleep, could be followed by it being really itchy the following night).
At this point, I’m questioning why the GP didn’t go the Steroid route earlier, but will discuss with the dermatologist/ GP, as maybe it is purely a short term fix, and as soon as I come off it I’d be back to flare up without the alternative treatment.
Also, is it wrong to be somewhat looking forward to getting back into build and some potential fringe benefits?
Hi, I suffer with Atopic Eczema in the same area. After much experimentation, I found a solution which enabled me to ride a bike again. I couldn’t get on with any of the modern artificial chamois pads. Originally it was a genuine chamois leather, before that it was a piece of beef steak. I buy a Mequires premium natural chamois leather, the sort you may use after washing your car. I make a paper template of the shape of the pad in my shorts. I put the template on the chamois leather and draw around it. I cut this out, then pin and sew it over the top of the chamois in the shorts. After washing them with Surcare, I turn the shorts inside out and apply vaseline to the damp chamois. This stops the leather going hard. I dry them slowly indoors.
I use Morgan Blue solid chamois cream. I buy it from Spa Cycles of Harrogate. It’s really an ointment, meant for riding in wet weather. I apply it before each ride and also carry extra, which I apply at each coffee and lunch stops etc. I can usually ride 20 or 30 miles between applications. I put a disposable glove on my hand before I apply the chamois cream. This is because something in it ruins brake lever hoods.
I wash the shorts by hand in very hot water, as hot as my rubber gloved hands will stand. I wash them by hand because the chamois cream also quickly degrades the door seals in washing machines.
I also use an ISM PR1.1 saddle, which stopped my family jewels getting sore.
Although I still get some discomfort on long rides. On several occasions, I’ve managed to ride up to 120 miles in a day. I can’t ride every day, but I can ride 2 or 3 times a week.
I hope this helps?