SKIN INFECTIONS - FUNGI
Contact sports such as wrestling, judo, BJJ and the like, where in addition to the contact between the practitioners, the rooms where the exercise is practiced, the climate in which it is practiced and other specifics, there is a possibility of the appearance of certain skin and infections, it implies a certain increase in hygienic needs in order to ensure a safe environment for all practitioners.
What every practitioner must understand, accept and strictly adhere to are hygiene protocols in and out of the gym because any failure to adhere to them puts himself directly and indirectly other practitioners as well as his and their loved ones in danger.
Since tinea corporis (ringworm) fungal infection is the most common skin infection, we'll start with it.
Tinea Corporis is a fungal infection that is extremely common all over the world and is most commonly transmitted through direct contact between animals and humans and less often through contact of damaged skin with some surface where it can linger for a certain period of time (mats).
Damaged skin or surface of the skin (damage to the epithelium) is the most common way of transmitting fungi.
In order to protect practitioners from getting this infection, it is necessary that in addition to maintaining their hygiene, they also influence the exercisers around them in order to make everyone aware of the importance of it.
The order of importance goes in this order:
- Personal hygiene care before entering the mat: Nails neatly cut on the hands and feet, do not start training sweaty from previous activities and take a bath before training as needed. Feet cleaned or washed before training!
- Taking care of equipment before entering the mats: Do not leave the dressing rooms without slippers. Barefoot not in the dressing room or toilet etc. And especially not to the squirrel. Slippers are washed regularly as well as other equipment. All training equipment is machine washed and dried after each training session no matter how much you train! Do not start training with wet equipment. Gum is washed like other pieces of equipment!
- Care for damaged skin before entering the workout: Any skin changes that are not caused by direct injury should be reported to trainers before training to see if there is a need for additional examination and whether it is safe for the exerciser and everyone around him to start training. All places of skin damage that are not infected (determine always with trainers) it is necessary to cover with gauze and bandage-adhesive tape before starting training, Any deliberate concealment with clothes or duct tape, etc. Damaged-infected skin and places on the body that are under infection and not reported to coaches is strictly punishable and penalized by expulsion from the club and banned from entering club premises. It is extremely important that every practitioner, if he notices the same on another practitioner, approaches the trainers and personally points out how they can react in time. Just one training is enough to transfer the infection with the fungus to more practitioners and create an epidemic so this is of utmost importance!
- Equipment care: If anyone from training got fungus, it is necessary to wash your equipment immediately at 60c and dry it well. Wash the kimona once a week at 60c, while after each workout it can be at 30c. Do not use fabric softeners for equipment, but only detergents, preferably only liquid ones, so as not to linger in the weaving of equipment (kimonos).
In addition to maintaining body and equipment hygiene, examining yourself and your body is necessary to perform regularly if you regularly train contact sports. It is an elementary culture of every practitioner and anyone who does not do it is considered irresponsible. You stand in front of the mirror once a day and pay attention to whether there are any changes worthy of attention (bruises, redness, etc..).
However, if and when they occur, the fungus must be properly treated from the start.
If they occur, at first they do not have to resemble something more serious and can only be reddish dots, but it is necessary to monitor their development and be careful and ready to react immediately to prevent transmission and further spread throughout the body.
In the pictures below you can see textbook examples of the emerging fungal infection Tinea Corproris when they develop, but there are differently developed the same infections.
Figure 1 shows a change in emerging and at the same time a developed fungus.
Figure 2 shows the resulting fungus but on a smaller scale
Figure 3 shows a scattered fungus in several places
The moment you notice a change in the skin, no matter what the doctors tell you because it is not uncommon for dermatologists themselves to initially diagnose as dermatitis or some other diagnosis, but it turns out that in the end it is a fungal infection. It is also not uncommon that dermatologists will not insist on a swab (removing the surface of the layer of change and sending it for analysis).
However, this is necessary to determine the existence of a fungal infection and is most accurate in order to eliminate it in a timely manner. Swab or sampling is done in laboratories where blood is drawn and other tests are performed.
In order for the swab to be successful, the surface of this change must not be smeared with any cream for at least 2 days, so it is best to do the swab immediately and only then apply therapies.
Keep in mind that the swab analysis is not completed immediately, but it takes a few days for the results to arrive.
When it is determined that it is a fungal infection, treatment is taken.
Although fungal infestation on the surface of the skin is just superficial, it is necessary to apply oral therapy with anti mycotics and local creams and ointments at the same time. It is also necessary to apply a complete increased hygiene.
Let's go in order... :
HYGIENE:
- Regardless of where the fungus appears, it is necessary to dispose of all clothing immediately after wearing in special bags away from other household clothes and wash them as soon as possible on min. 60ºc machine.
- Bed linen immediately after bedtime change and wash on min. 60ºc machine.
- Avoid direct skin contact with everyone. Avoid sexual contact.
- Avoid scratching this place because it can be scattered all over the body. Scratching the skin with nails can lead to fungal spores under the nails and then it can be scattered to other parts of the body or worse to your or the sexual organs of the partner-partner, which can lead to other complications.
- Physical activities reduced until the onset of sweat outbreaks because sweat itself can scatter the infection.
- Cover and protect any other damage to the surface of the skin that is not infected with the fungus.
- When bathing, use Micoseb® shampoo and wash the part of the body where the fungus is separately and wipe after bathing with a separate towel and not the same for the body, and especially do not wipe the fungal area first and then the whole body with the same towel. Do not use towels twice and wash them at 60ºC by machine.
THERAPY:
- Antifungal oral drug Diflucan (Flucanazole) 150mg immediately one tablet and one tablet at 150mg once a week for 4 weeks.
- Octanisept spray spray on the fungus before each smear and wait until it dries well before smearing
- Lamisil cream 2x daily in the morning and evening until complete disappearance.
- 3derm ointment 1x a day in the afternoon for 7 days and then replace dipped with Canespor cream until complete disappearance.
- Vitamin or immunotherapy will improve, accelerate healing and prevent new formation. There are a lot of them and it's certainly any better than none.
It is safe to continue training only for a minimum of 7 days after the fungus is completely gone, and not before, because even though you have been cured in that place, it is not impossible to catch a new fungus in that place.
We all know that the worst part of the appearance of fungi is the cessation of regular training, but realize that if you do not do this interval properly and disciplined, you can drag the infection for a very long time and complicate your life.
Getting fungus does not mean that your life has stopped or that you should stop physical activities, but they should certainly be individual and in accordance with safety measures so as not to infect other exercisers.
The more disciplined you are in therapy and hygiene care, the faster the fungus will disappear.