How To Prevent A Rash On Your Chin From A Life Jacket?

One of the most irritating things that can happen is – when you’re out swimming and your chin area comes into contact with your life vest, it can create a patch of rough, sore skin. This is called chafing and can be quite painful, which can deprive you of all the joy and excitement of your pool time. Chafing is a kind of rash that’s caused by moisture, unpleasant or abrasive materials, and constant rubbing. 

A life jacket is not just a piece of clothing, it’s essential for both adults and children to wear while swimming. However, these life vests are the main contributor to the formation of rashes on your chin. Moreover, this rash can occur in any part of your body. And along with life jackets, many other things can cause this issue like swimsuits, wetsuits, etc. Even though it’s pretty common, experiencing skin chafing is very unpleasant. 

How To Prevent Chin Rash Caused By Life Jacket?

Life jackets can keep you safe and secure from all types of water situations. However, you need to make sure they don’t become the reason for your discomfort. Thus, If you want to enjoy your time in the water without having to worry about getting a rash, then consider following the preventative steps stated below. 

Lubricate

When a wet life jacket rubs against your chin, your skin is most likely to get sore. Moisture and friction are the primary reason for those rashes you develop on your chin. A good prevention technique for this is to use lubrication. You can apply an extra layer of protection on your chin that’ll work as a barrier. You can use barrier cream or gel in areas where the skin is prone to get rashes.

Barrier creams prevent any sort of friction between your skin and the life jacket. Lubricants like petroleum jelly can be really helpful as it’s inexpensive and widely available. Although petroleum jelly would be a great barrier to your skin and might help you avoid chafing, it can be troublesome for acne sufferers.

In case of that, you can switch to lubricants that have anti-inflammatory properties like coconut oil or shea butter, which soothes the skin. You can also use any healing ointment or balm as well. 

Deodorant Or Anti-Chafing Sticks

Deodorant functions as a great barrier against these types of rashes. You can use deodorant as a protective layer to protect the area of your skin that’s prone to chafing. Using a deodorant that is fragrance-free and has cleansing effects can also help with the healing process. If you’re not comfortable using deodorant on your face, then you can opt for some anti-chafing sticks.

These are like specialized deodorants. Anti-chafing sticks come with a formula that is particularly developed for chafing. They use components like aloe and coconut oil to hydrate or lubricate the skin to form a barrier between it and foreign particles.

It’s recommended to get anti-chafing sticks that contain waxes which would protect the skin and create a barrier against friction. You can find an anti-chafing stick at almost any drugstore or sports goods store.

Vest Fitting

Sometimes the fitting or style of your life vest may cause a rash on your chin area. Thus, it’s vital to determine what kind of life jacket you’re getting and if it fits you correctly or not. While using a loose or larger life vest, it will cause the vest to ride up and cause a rash on your chin.

The black nylon edges get really scratchy when wet, scraping across the skin and irritating it. It’s recommended to wear vinyl vests to prevent any rash problems. Especially for kids, should avoid neoprene vests as they tend to be a bit bigger for them. Thus, there’s a risk for them to getting rash on their chin. 

Blister Bandage

If you don’t want to apply any cream on your chin then there is another way to prevent friction. You can use a blister bandage as a barrier against wet life vests. A blister bandage is a pretty versatile item that can benefit you in various ways. You can just cut a strip from a blister bandage and place it over your chin area to avoid friction. 

How To Heal It?

If you already got a rash on your chin from a life jacket then rather than ignoring it, you need to treat it with care. Here are some of the tips and tricks you can follow to treat the rash on your chin:

• Moisture makes your rash even worse. Thus, clean the chafed area gently with water and completely dry it.

• After you’re done drying the spot, apply some petroleum jelly or aloe vera gel, whichever suits you the best. This will help to soothe and hydrate your irritated skin and calm them down. 

• To heal your rash completely you need to make sure the area stays as dry as possible. You can apply talcum powders so that area doesn’t get any moisture.

However, if the rash on your chin is really painful, swollen, bleeding, or crusted then you should take professional medical help. It may have some signs of infection so it’s better to consult a dermatologist to avoid any risk.

The Takeaway 

Here are all the precautions you can take to avoid getting a life jacket rash on your chin. Make sure you’re using the right kind of life vest and applying all the necessary products to avoid friction. This will reduce the chances of you getting a rash on your chin.

If somehow you do end up getting a rash on your chin, then try to take the correct steps to heal it. While this kind of rash is a pretty common skin condition, bacteria might enter your rash area due to the damaged skin and cause an infection.