While there is no “best” sport for getting scars in the traditional sense of the word, there are certain sports that place participants at a higher risk for injury and scars than others. Perhaps your son plays football or your daughter plays soccer. Maybe you participate in an adult hockey league, or maybe you’re even a pro athlete. Following is a list of sports known for their risk of causing injury and potentially, scars.
- Soccer … Cuts, scrapes, scratches and bruises are painfully familiar to those who play soccer. While participants often wear protective gear such as shin guards, injuries are still common due to the high impact, fast paced nature of this exciting sport. The most common soccer injuries involve the shins, legs and head.
Hockey … Injury to the face is a fact of life in this high-contact sport. While the rest of the body is typically covered in padding, the face is often left vulnerable. Cuts to the face caused by impact with a stick, puck, ice, boards or another player are very common. It isn’t uncommon to see hockey athletes with fresh cuts or scars on their faces, in addition to missing teeth.
Boxing … Talk about a high impact sport. The whole idea of boxing is to hit your opponent, hopefully more often and more forcefully than he or she hits you. By nature, this results in in nasty to cuts to the face. If a boxer gets a cut to the face early in a fight, his or her opponent often targets that area, making the wound even worse. Failure to properly treat these cuts can result in unsightly scars that last a lifetime.
Skateboarding … Road rash or pavement burn are a regular occurrence to those who spend significant time riding a skateboard. While most sports include falls, the fact that skateboarding is done on ultra-hard surfaces at high speeds puts its participants at a high risk of suffering these types of injuries, even those that wear protective clothing.
Cycling … Whether speeding around corners on a street bike or out in the woods on a mountain bike, cycling can lead to some nasty scrapes and cuts. Pads and other protective clothing can lessen the impact but even so, falling from a fast moving bike onto a hard surface is likely to leave its mark.
Lots of sports and activities can cause injury, from cuts to bruises to breaks. The key is to get treatment when it’s called for. If your injury results in severe pain, swelling, or numbness, get to a doctor right away, says the NIH. If a cut or scrape becomes infected, characterized by localized swelling, redness, and puss, see a doctor as well. Lastly, be sure to use a topical treatment that helps to reduce scarring on the skin, such as Scarfade.