474 Time-Loss Skin Infections Across 20.9 Million High-School Athlete Exposures

November 12, 2026

Doctor’s Notes · Life in Motion · Evidence Review

Editorial disclosure: The featured image is an AI-created illustration of a fictional work or daily-life scene. It is not a patient, diagnosis, before-and-after image or Dr. Arsy #003 treatment result.

Reader question: What did this specific study measure, in whom, at what timepoint—and what would go beyond its evidence?

Study snapshot

Study element	Reported detail
Population	High-school athletes from a convenience sample of U.S. schools reporting through High School RIO from 2009–2010 through 2013–2014.
Design	National descriptive surveillance of time-loss sports-related skin infections reported by athletic trainers.
Comparator	Infection rates and distributions were compared across sports and body sites.
Timepoint	Five academic years.
Key result	There were 474 infections across 20,858,781 athlete-exposures, a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 exposures. Wrestling accounted for 73.6% and football 17.9%; 60.6% were bacterial and 28.4% tinea. Head or face was involved in 25.3%.
Funding/conflict context	The accessible PubMed abstract does not state funding or conflicts. The surveillance did not evaluate skincare products.

What was actually measured?

There were 474 infections across 20,858,781 athlete-exposures, a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 exposures. Wrestling accounted for 73.6% and football 17.9%; 60.6% were bacterial and 28.4% tinea. Head or face was involved in 25.3%.

The large exposure denominator supports sport comparisons, but only infections causing time loss and reaching an athletic trainer were counted.

The denominator defines the scope. A workplace outbreak, clinic series, questionnaire, case report and long-term cohort answer different questions. Their percentages and odds ratios cannot be silently transferred to another population.

What the result does not prove

Convenience school sample, time-loss case definition, dependence on trainer reporting and exclusion of schools without affiliated trainers limit completeness and generalization.

Association, timing and biological plausibility can strengthen an occupational interpretation, but observational evidence cannot automatically establish individual causation. Referral patterns, reporting, task mix, protective equipment, nonwork exposures and access to care may all change an estimate.

A PubMed record is a bibliographic source. PubMed indexing is not NIH endorsement of the authors’ conclusions, this interpretation or any product.

Exposure detail matters more than the job label

People with the same title may handle different materials for different durations. Useful documentation identifies the exact product or process, route of contact, glove or PPE material, wetness, friction, heat, dust, splash potential, frequency and how symptoms change away from the task.

A symptom survey can identify a pattern, clinical examination can refine the differential diagnosis, and patch testing can identify delayed sensitization. None alone proves that a workplace material caused an individual condition. Clinical relevance still requires a credible exposure and time course.

Questions worth recording

Which task, product, glove, tool, chemical, plant, dust or surface came before symptoms?
Where did the change begin, and did it improve away from work or after a process or PPE change?
How often were hands wet, washed, disinfected, occluded, rubbed, heated or exposed to cold?
Were labels, ingredients and safety-data sheets reviewed with occupational health?
Did the problem affect dexterity, sleep, pace, attendance, work quality or safety?

Prevention comes before cosmetic care

Substitution, closed systems, local exhaust, splash control, safer cleaning methods, training and correctly selected protective equipment address exposure at its source. Gloves are not automatically protective: material, fit, breakthrough time, sweating, reuse and rubber accelerators all matter.

Do not deliberately place workplace products on skin to test a theory. Persistent, recurrent or spreading symptoms, drainage, fever, breathing symptoms, severe pain, rapidly worsening redness or major loss of function warrant professional evaluation.

Primary research and guidance

Where Dr. Arsy #003 fits

Dr. Arsy #003 is a cosmetic moisturizer for hydration, moisture-barrier support and dry-skin comfort. This study did not test #003. Its findings do not show that #003 treats, cures or prevents eczema, relieves pain or itch, neutralizes workplace chemicals, is appropriate for every person, or provides pediatric or 24-hour efficacy.

Continue the evidence series

Evidence note: This educational article separates reported findings from interpretation. It is not a diagnosis, treatment recommendation or workplace-safety determination.

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