5 Levels of Needs for Surviving a Skin Funk Apocalypse

Author: Dan Seidenberg
Owner and founder of wrestlingreality.com

It is no secret that skin disease has always been a common issue in sports, but that does not mean we have to accept that for what it is. While we may not be able to eliminate skin disease entirely, there are ways to minimize its presence, and it starts with creating awareness.

Ask a dozen people how to survive a zombie apocalypse; they will rattle off a wide range of tips and strategies as if they have survived one before. Ask a group of people how to prevent skin disease; there is a good chance they will look at you like you’re weird, as if there is no use for such knowledge. That being said, the Matguard team has created a hierarchy of needs for skin disease prevention designed to help you and your team survive a “skin funk apocalypse” caused by harmful germs and bacteria -because unlike zombies, these issues are real and they attack people everyday.

1. Hygienic Needs: Showering and Washing Your Clothes

First things first, you need to stop attracting skin funk or else you will be seen as a liability to the group. Maintaining proper hygiene should go without saying, because fulfilling higher levels of needs are meaningless without it. Yet for some reason, there is always a smelly kid on every team -and if no one comes to mind then it’s probably you. When you get this reputation, it becomes harder to get rid of than skin disease itself. If you are not maintaining proper hygiene, you might as well be infected already because everyone will avoid your presence at all costs anyway -let alone make physical contact with you. Eventually, rumors will spread that you have skin diseases; and even if they aren’t true, they will be soon enough.

So if you have access to showers in the locker room after practice or competition, stop “forgetting” your towel 67 days in a row. If you feel uncomfortable, then wear a bathing suit. I don’t care how you have to do it. Just get in the shower and wash your clothes, or you will become the outcast with skin funk. It is that simple.

2. Environmental Needs: Cleaning All Surfaces

Any area where physical activity takes place is bound to have an abundance of harmful germs and bacteria waiting to give you all types skin diseases. Because of this, you must attack them before they attack you. If you do not consistently kill off these germs and bacteria, they will continue to accumulate until the chances of getting skin funk will eventually become inevitable. In other words, you need to create a sanitary environment where any physical activity will be taking place.

MatPRO cleaning solutions/ mop systems are a very safe and efficient way to clean and disinfect wrestling mats, gyms, gymnastic mats, floors, and other large surface areas without causing wear and tare the way bleach does. You can consider these your weapons of defunkulation that will make you look forward to destroying harmful germs and bacteria on large surfaces before they get a chance to attack your skin.

Don’t get too excited though -you’re not in the clear just yet. Having clean mats and floors will only be effective in preventing skin disease if the equipment you are using is sanitary as well. So after the heavy guns are used on the larger surfaces, you should then use athletic surface disinfectant wipes (or sprays) to clean and disinfect any athletic equipment, pads, or gear that will be used.

3. Skin Protection Needs: Disinfecting Your Skin

You can never be too safe when it comes to a skin funk apocalypse. While your weapons of defunkulation are very effective in killing harmful germs and bacteria on the surface, you cannot prevent all of these germs from reaching your skin. There is still the possibility of coming in contact with someone that has skin funk and doesn’t know it yet. Hence, the reason why your surface cleaners are only your first lines of defense. Rather than accepting defeat, you need to be armed with antiseptic body wipes to prevent these harmful germs and bacteria on your skin from giving you a skin disease despite their best efforts. To do this effectively, it is important to wipe yourself down from head to toe with these wipes immediately after engaging in physical activity.

4. Educational Needs: Identifying Skin Funk Before It’s Too Late

Even when you consistently use all these necessary lines of defense, they are still only 99% effective in killing harmful germs and bacteria; thus, there is still a possibility of getting some type of skin disease. Hopefully you never become infected, but you should always be prepared for these situations.

You need to be familiar with the main types of skin diseases commonly found in sports (ringworm, impetigo, staph, etc.) and what they look like. Secondly, it is better to be safe than sorry, so if you notice anything unusual on your skin: do not touch it, do not pop it, and do not play with it -just leave it alone. Creating any breaks on your skin will only make you more vulnerable to skin disease. If you already have some type of skin disease, further breakage will only aggravate your condition.

5. Ethical Needs: Accepting the Harsh Reality That You Have Skin Funk

When you are in denial or choose to ignore a skin issue, you put yourself and everyone around you at risk. So if you think you have a skin disease, it is your responsibility to stop it from spreading to others -meaning DO NOT TRY TO HIDE IT! Yes, it can be frustrating having to miss a few days of training or competition while you remain in “quarantine” getting treatment for the condition, but it does not compare to the repercussions of letting it go without proper treatment.

When you have a skin disease, the sooner the athletic trainer looks at the infected area, the sooner it can be treated and cured. Without doing damage control, the skin disease will only continue to grow as will the risk of passing it onto others. This can lead to a team-wide outbreak that can potentially affect athletes of other teams and schools as well. By avoiding physical contact with others and notifying the athletic trainer as soon as possible, he or she can help you with treatment while performing daily skin checks on the entire team; thus preventing a skin funk epidemic from spreading beyond anyone’s control.

Matguard is the professional choice for your cleaning and disinfecting needs! Our patented formula contains no caustic chemicals; therefore it is safe both on skin and surfaces, and leaves no biofilm residue. Matguard effectively kills MRSA, HIV, Staph, Impetigo, and other viruses, germs and bacteria on contact! With Matguard, you can prevent the spread of skin infections such as ringworm and athlete’s foot. It is used by 2,000 health clubs, gyms, and programs nationwide, and we continue to spread the germ-free lifestyle to various industries.