Sitting for long periods of time, especially if you are confined to a wheelchair, can create a nice environment for a vaginal yeast infection or male yeast infections.
Sitting all day can also cause a Candida skin rash in the warm, moist environment inside your clothing.
If you aren’t able to get up and move around, you’ll want to be especially careful to wear only cotton underwear that is changed often, even several times a day.
It will help if you wash your genital and rectal area every morning and night with a non-scented soap that contains no disinfectants or antibiotics, since these products can make a yeast infection worse. Be sure to rinse thoroughly with water after washing.
Don’t put your underwear back on until you’re good and dry – some folks even recommend using a hair dryer on a very low setting, but this obviously requires some caution.
Yeast can survive for long periods in underwear and other clothing – so if you wear your underwear to bed, be sure to change into a clean pair of cotton undies before going to bed and when you wake up. Stick to white cotton underwear, which allows your crotch to breathe, and always wash your underwear in the hottest water possible, with a non-hypoallergenic soap.
If you have recurring yeast infections, you will want to avoid pantyhose for a while, because it traps moisture and keeps your crotch warm and wet – just the environment that yeast is looking for.
Warm, moist conditions in the crotch area can also create a pathway for your rectal yeast. If a rectal colony of yeast moves to the vagina it may find conditions that cause it to become infectious. Zeasorb Super Absorbent powder can help keep this area dry so yeast can’t move from one place to another.
Skin infections usually occur in areas that stay warm and moist, such as the underarm area, under the breasts, and in folds of skin. An absorbent powder may help prevent future infections. Try to avoid a powder that contains antibiotics unless your doctor suggests that you use one.
If possible, place a real sheepskin rug on your chair to help absorb any extra moisture if you need to sit all day – plastic chair covers should be avoided because they don’t breathe and cause you to sweat.
Even if you aren’t confined to a wheelchair, if you sit for many hours a day at the office be sure you don’t aggravate an already unnatural situation by wearing non-breathable panty hose, or underwear made from man-made fabrics that cause chafing.