Wrestling is the most common sport in which we see the "big three" skin rashes, although they do occur in other sports and are fairly
contagious. These rashes include (1) fungal, (2) bacterial, and (3) viral.

Fungal- The fungal rash most frequently seen in contact sports is ringworm. If there's a
single small lesion or rash, it is often circular and can be treated with a topical anti-fungal cream. When ringworm spreads, it often needs to be treated with by mouth medicine.
Wrestlers often miss 3-5 days while ringworm is being treated by mouth.

Bacterial- The most common bacterial infection is impetigo. This is a honey-colored, weepy, crusty, moist rash that responds very well to by mouth antibiotics for staph and strep, the most common bacterial causes. When the rash begins to crust and scab, the wrestler is able to return to wrestling activity. Again, this is a range of 3-5 days.

Viral-The most serious concern is with the viral infection of herpes. Herpes infections show up as fluid filled bumps in a cluster on the wrestler. Studies show that these do not respond
to tropical medicines and need to be treated with by mouth anti-viral medicines. The
wrestler will often miss 7-10 days of wrestling or more. A wrestler's greatest fear is to come up with herpes infection shortly before important matches like the state tournament. Some wrestlers even take the anti-viral medicines preventatively before important times in the
season.

The best preventions for skins infections include:

2.  Daily washing of practice gear and cleaning of mats.

3.  As usual, educating parents, coaches, and athletes to recognize these rashes early and get them treated appropriately before spreading them to other athletes.