Prosthetic Articles
You Say Cosmetics, I Say Cosmetic
“This patient desires a cosmetic prosthesis... nothing functional..” is a statement I hear every week from doctors, therapists, case managers, and even prosthetists. Why the distinction between cosmetic prosthetic devices and traditional ‘functional’ prosthetic devices? Is not something functional if it achieves what it was created to do?
Historically, prosthesis were only considered functional if they enable individual individuals to perform physical tasks, permit the body to move, or enable any number of active functions not previously capable without a prosthesis, this perspective has changed over the years and many health care providers now recognize the functionality of cosmetic prosthetics, in addition to recognizing their incredibly high rehabilitative success rate. However, the industry still has a long way to go.
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Don't Sweat It
Many amputees complain of being allergic to plastic, and often wonder how much of this is a result of a skin-allergy or some other cause. Some visit dermatologists who run patch tests on an area of skin to determine which products are causing the problems. Another possibility is that excessive sweating inside the socket is causing skin irritation.
Two years ago, I was approached by a group of five above knee amputees who were active golfers. All had recently been fitted with new prostheses using several different kinds of socket materials. All of the golfers experienced skin irritation, particularly in hot weather.
Since the use of natural products in health care, food, beverages, and personal hygiene has increased, I decided to check out what was available in the way of natural remedies for skin problems.
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