Jan 02, 2020

It could be your soap. How to choose the right BJJ soap to prevent skin infections

The skin is an amazing organ. It is the bodies primary defense against environmental and biological attacks and has it’s own unique symbiotic community that helps prevent common skin conditions associated with wrestling, MMA (mixed martial arts), BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and other contact sports. Most soaps for contact sports take a western medical approach and focus on the anti-microbial properties of essential oils and chemicals to kill off microbes on the surface of the skin. Unfortunately, these products also kill the good with the bad, leaving the skin unprotected and susceptible to infection and the formation of bio-films associated with common diseases like ringworm, MRSA, Impetigo and Cellulitis. Here is why protecting your skin is important:

Every good gym has a mix of people, there are a few rotten eggs, but for the most part everyone is cool and enjoyable to be around. If the bad guys start to make a fuss everyone pushes them out or shuts them down with little drama. Life is good! Now, imagine you showed up to your gym one day and the place was empty, the doors were open and parking lot vacant. The slate is now clean! Unfortunately, before the regulars can return a few rotten eggs show up and start intimidating the good guys and gals as they walk in the door. People start to quit, workouts aren’t fun anymore and the bad guys have brought their annoying friends and use the place as a hangout. Now you have a problem.

Your skin often finds itself in a similar predicament. The natural microbial community is mostly good, with a little MRSA and the occasional Tinea corporis hanging around, but not in high enough numbers to cause a problem. Now, you rub your face against the mat and get some mat burn, the skin is damaged and community disrupted. MRSA takes advantage of this opportunity and starts to multiply. In response, you use an anti-microbial soap and wipe the skin clean. Now you got rid of the potential MRSA, but also the natural protective layer of beneficial bacteria and essentially wiped the slate clean. Whomever shows up first is going to run the place. Will it be the good guys or the bad guys? You can’t say, so the only way to prevent future infection is to continue using the anti-microbial soap. Your skin is now dry and itchy, so you apply lotions and other synthetic barriers to help restore balance, but in-balance is always just a shower away. There has to be a better way!

At Contact Sports Soap we have developed a better way. Our products contain beneficial lactic acid forming bacteria and yeast to help support the bodies natural defensive functions without stripping the skin and leaving it dry and open to future infections. We focus on cultivating a strong natural defense against common skin conditions and breaking the cycle of treat-and-repeat so that you don’t have to worry about developing trouble in the first place. This Eastern medical approach allows you to spend less time focusing on your skin and more time focusing on training, because that’s why you do it in the first place!