Saddle sores can be caused by pressure, abrasion, or infection. Saddle soreness caused by pressure should not be of great concern. The pain can be intense but your body will soon adapt. This is the type of soreness experienced by novice riders. The best way to resolve pressure soreness is to simply keep riding.
Saddle sores caused by abrasion or infection are more concerning. Your first line of defense is to try to avoid allowing them to get started in the first place. Wear high quality, properly fitted bicycle shorts. They need to be relatively snug fitting. The idea is that the shorts adhere closely to your body and only the shorts are rubbing on the seat. Ideally, nothing is rubbing on your body. Personal hygiene is also very important. Scrub the groin area with soap and water by moving your hands rapidly back and forth. Rinse thoroughly. Finally, infection basically involves pimple like lesions on the pressure points. If this occurs step up the hygiene and apply Cortizone 10 Creme with Aloe (purchase in pharmacies). Continue riding and the problem will soon resolve.
I typically experience abrasion problems only when riding in the mountains under hot and humid conditions. There is so much sweat that my bicycle shorts become completely soaked. This facilitates movement between the shorts and my body and abrasion develops. The solution is to change shorts. New shorts may also help resolve the problem. Old shorts may look perfectly serviceable, but over time they lose elasticity and do not hug the body properly.
I buy new shorts every year for this reason. When you buy new bicycle shorts, I suggest that one pair be a different brand from the other pairs. If you are experiencing abrasion problems, change to the different brand shorts. I have found this to be extremely helpful because the slight differences in seam placement and construction will often magically resolve abrasion problems.
There is one more problem that can cause saddle sores that you need to be aware of. Let’s say you’ve just taken a couple of rest days. You decide to go for a ride. Even though you have only covered a few miles you notice that you are unexpectedly experiencing abrasion type saddle soreness. How is this possible since you are well rested and have only covered a few miles? The answer is that you may have the fungal infection known as tinea corporis which has increased your skin’s susceptibility to abrasion. If your skin has circular red areas, that’s a sure sign that this is your problem. Use antifungal creams to solve the problem. The brand that has worked best for me is Lamisil cream. If that doesn’t work, try Lotrimin cream.
I have never tried “chamois butter,” a product designed to lubricate your skin next to your bicycle shorts. It sounds messy and violates the principle that the shorts should grip your body. There have been occasions, however, when I would have happily tested the product had it been available!