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Dermatology and Sports

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Dermatology in Public Health Environments

Abstract

People participate in sports for recreational, social, and/or health purposes. Additionally, some may invest in sports as a professional career. Distinct aspects are important with regard to athletes’ health and dermatology. Athletes are particularly prone to develop distinct cutaneous reactions or diseases, most being infectious or traumatic. Patients with preexisting skin diseases may have worsening of the symptoms depending on sports activities. Preventive measures to avoid reactions to the environmental aspects such as weather, UV radiation, or pressure/friction from sports equipment are also significant for professional athletes’ cutaneous homeostasis and to improve performance. Moreover, some infectious diseases when active may eliminate athletes from official competitions. Finally, some prescriptions commonly used in dermatology may be included in the prohibited substance list of some sports. Therefore, it is extremely important for dermatologists to detect and treat the cutaneous reactions associated with sports participation and to be aware of the distinct aspects related to sports and dermatologic prescriptions.

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Abbreviations

HSV:

Herpes simplex virus

UV:

Ultraviolet

WADA:

World Anti-Doping Agency

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Correspondence to Renato Marchiori Bakos .

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Glossary

Flushing

Sudden vasodilation by different mechanisms causing skin erythema.

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Bakos, R.M., Purim, K.S.M., D’Acri, A.M., Camasmie, H.R. (2023). Dermatology and Sports. In: Rangel Bonamigo, R. (eds) Dermatology in Public Health Environments. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13505-7_57

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13505-7_57

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