Product Review – Athletic Body Care – Antimicrobial Foaming Skin Sanitizer For Face and Body
After my recent bout with MRSA, skin care and sanitation has become a primary concern for me both before and after my training sessions. I become somewhat fanatical about immediately cleaning and covering every little cut and scrap, and as a result have tried several products for preventive maintenance and skin hygiene. Finally, I was introduced to the product line from Athletic Body Care, and found the perfect product for my sports and skin care needs. In this review, first I will discuss my experience using the product, and then I will discuss the medical benefits and my doctors comments on the product.
As I stated above, I tried a couple different products before trying the Athletic Body Care Foaming Skin Sanitizer. I found that with some of the products, they are alcohol based, so f you rub that product on your skin after you got a cut, or a bit of mat burn, you experience an almost more painful sting as the alcohol penetrates, than you did with the original cut. (Note: Painful sting is not required to know a product is working) With some other products, that may not be alcohol based, I found that they were either slimy after application, or had some type of fragrance associated with it. Now, no one wants to smell bad when they are rolling on the mat, but you don’t want to smell like a florial bouquet either.
With the ABC Skin Sanitizer, I found the best of both worlds. The product is not alcohol based so there is no painful sting. It also does not leave any slimy residue afterward, or any flowery fragrance. It comes in a convenient 5 oz. bottle, which you can easily store in your gym bag, and the top snaps on to ensure it won’t spill out all over your gear. Since it foams up when you squirt, only 1 to 2 squirts are necessary to apply to any open areas on your arms and legs after your training session. I have been using the product for about 3 weeks after all my training sessions, which are 5 days a week, and only about 20% of the bottle is gone, which means it should last for a couple of months.
Now, on to the medical side of the product. The product is water based, and the active ingredient is Benzalkonium Chloride. Now, I’m not a chemist, but I did do some research and one of the uses of that chemical is as a biocide. A biocide is a chemical substance capable of killing living organisms. Don’t worry, using it won’t kill you, but it is enough to kill any bacteria, fungus, germs or infections on your skin. There is a Page on the Athletic Body Care website that discusses several scientific trials and findings of the Sanitizing Product. Now, I am a firm believer in checking your facts before you believe something, which is why I took this product to my doctor who is treating my MRSA, and is an infectious disease specialist. He fully recommended that I continue to use this product for prevention of MRSA or any other skin infections. Note: if you already have MRSA this product will not cure it, you must seek out antibiotics prescribed by a doctor. However, it will prevent you from contracting it again in the future.