A study on the degree of skin hydration in athletes in beach sports
Information for nursing staff, 2022, 55(2), 41-44.
I. Miteva1, V. Valtchev2
1 Chair of Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University – Sofia
2 Chair of Physiology and Biochemistry, National Sports Academy “Vasil Levski” – Sofia
Abstract. The aim of the present study was to determine the extent of skin hydration on beach athletes and whether the use of an SPF 30 sunscreen affects skin hydration. Materials and methods: We studied 40 (20 men and 20 women) active athletes aged 20 to 22 years who had sports activities on the Black Sea beaches. The athletes were divided into 2 groups depending on whether they used photoprotective cream or not. With the help of a probe device, we determined the degree of hydration of the skin on the left forearm on the first day and on the tenth day. Each of the athletes had their skin moisture determined using a three-level scale (I (from 0 to 0.99) – very dry skin, II (from 1 to 2.4) – dry skin, III (from 2.5 to 5) – hydrated skin). Results: Using Fisher’s Exact Test, we found that there was a statistically significant relationship between the use of SPF 30 sunscreen and skin hydration. The use of photoprotection slows transmembrane water loss. The coach’s role in the team is not only to train the athletes, but also to remind them to use photoprotective creams when training outdoors.
Key words: hydration, skin, sport, sun, beach
Address for correspondence: Assoc. Prof. Iva Miteva, PhD, e-mail: i.miteva@foz.mu-sofia.bg