Tackling Butt Sweat and Anal Itch: Prioritizing Butt Health in the New Year

Just like that, it’s time to make another set of New Year’s resolutions. Health goals are always popular this time of year, but there’s one part of the body that often gets overlooked: the butt. Sweaty buns and anal itching (pruritus ani) can be caused by different things like irritants, infections, skin conditions, sweat, and medical conditions like hemorrhoids and fissures, which tend to get worse in hot and humid places. But when things get sweaty down there, it may be uncomfortable enough to keep you from working out or making plans with your friends.

Don’t let your buns keep you from living your best life. Read on to learn what causes sweaty buns, what you can do about it, and how to prevent the dreaded anal itch.

What’s up with butt sweat?

Sweaty buns are part of how your body keeps itself at a steady temperature. When you start to get too hot, like during an intense workout, your sweat glands jump into gear to begin cooling your body down. You have sweat glands all over your body, but you’re most likely to notice excess sweating in specific areas, like the armpits, chest, and, yes, butt.
Everyone gets butt sweat, but these things may make you notice a little extra moisture between your cheeks:

• Exercising
• Heat and humidity
• Stress and anxiety
• Drinking alcohol
• Thick, unbreathable clothing

Your butt is the perfect environment for sweat buildup since you have skin-on-skin contact with little to no airflow. And once the sweating starts, it’s a short, slippery road to full-on sweaty buns.

What can you do about sweaty buns?

Just because it’s normal doesn’t mean you have to like it. Sweaty buns can be uncomfortable and potentially embarrassing—no one enjoys checking their seat for sweat spots when they stand up. Then, there’s the itch of it all. When butt sweat gets trapped between your glutes, it can lead to bacterial and fungal growth that up your risk of developing itchy rashes or infections.

Since you can’t keep your butt from sweating, the key is to make sure the sweat doesn’t stick around for too long. You can do this by:

• Stick to loose-fitting, breathable cotton underwear.
• Stay away from tight pants.
• Wear moisture-wicking underwear when you work out.
• Try not to sit in one place for too long (standing and walking around can help dry things out by getting some airflow around your butt).
• Keep a spare pair of underwear with you if you know you’ll be in a sweaty situation and change when you feel it getting too wet down there.
• Pat yourself dry in the bathroom, but don’t rub or itch—that can make your skin even more irritated.

Finding relief from itching and irritation

Gentle hygiene can go a long way in reducing the unpleasant effects of butt sweat. When you’re cleaning yourself off in the shower or after a bowel movement, try to be thorough without wiping or scrubbing too hard. For extra help with anal itching, you may find relief with anti-itch creams or ointments, like Bloop’s Anal Itch Soothing Topical Cream. Butt sweat and anal itching can be uncomfortable, but with a little effort, you should have an easier time keeping things dry and itch-free.

Click here to learn more about Bloop products, like our Hemorrhoid Relief Topical Cream and Anal Fissure Healing Topical Cream.