The skin is the body’s largest organ and lies at the interface between the athlete and the sports milieu. In this series, Nella Grilo discusses dermatological conditions pertinent to athletes, such as traumatic injuries, environmental insults, infections, precancerous lesions, and skin cancer. In part one, Nella will explore the anatomy and function of the skin.
Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 3 - Lorient to Pontivy - France - Team Jumbo–Visma rider Primoz Roglic of Slovenia crosses the line Pool via REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Almost all athletes, to some degree, are exposed to the environment. Whether it’s winter, summer, water, or indoor sports, all are associated with potential skin damage. In addition, each sport has its own unique set of risk factors and diseases. For example, water interferes with skin in aquatic sports, resulting in dryness and eczema. However, the most significant danger for outdoor athletes is sun exposure and the risk of developing malignant tumors.
In the general population, one in five Americans will have skin cancer before turning 70(1). In addition, the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer has increased by 77% in the last 15 years(2). However, endurance athletes spend a lot of time training and racing in the sun, and the incidence of skin cancer in outdoor athletes is higher than in the general population(1,3).
Long periods of sweat may remove sunblock, resulting in increased exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. In addition, the exposure time increases the risk of harm in athletes who compete outside or in aquatic sports. For example, researchers at the Bond University in Australia found that surfers are three times more likely to get melanoma than non-surfers, potentially due to the sun reflecting off the water(4). Swimmers are also at a higher risk as sunblock is less effective when wet(4).
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