What are the characteristics of silicone used in prostheses?
Good biocompatibility: This is one of the important characteristics of prosthetic silicone. When it comes into contact with human tissue, it will not cause obvious immune, allergic or toxic reactions, and can safely get along with human skin and tissue for a long time, reducing adverse effects on the user's body. For example, for people who wear prostheses for a long time, silicone will not irritate the skin, reducing the probability of discomfort symptoms such as skin redness, swelling, and itching.
Soft and elastic: Silicone is soft and elastic, and can better simulate the touch and elasticity of human skin and muscles. This makes the prosthesis closer to the real human limb in appearance and touch, more comfortable and natural when worn, and can better adapt to the movement of the limb during exercise, reducing pressure and friction on the residual limb.
Good fit: It can be customized according to the shape and contour of the residual limb, fit the surface of the residual limb tightly, ensure the connection between the prosthesis and the residual limb is firm, reduce gaps and sliding, and improve the stability and use effect of the prosthesis. For example, when making a prosthetic socket, silicone can accurately fill the concave and convex parts of the residual limb, providing uniform support and pressure distribution.
Strong wear resistance: Prostheses will experience various frictions and wears in daily use, while silicone has good wear resistance, can withstand long-term use and friction, is not easy to be damaged or deformed, and prolongs the service life of the prosthesis. Even after multiple bending, stretching and friction, the silicone material can still maintain its performance and appearance.
Aging resistance: It has certain aging resistance and can maintain the stability of its physical and chemical properties for a long time under different environmental conditions (such as temperature changes, light, etc.). It will not age quickly, harden or become brittle due to long-term exposure to the air or the influence of external environmental factors, thereby ensuring the long-term use effect of the prosthesis.
Waterproof and easy to clean: Silicone has good waterproof properties and is not easy to absorb water and moisture, which makes the prosthesis unaffected when it comes into contact with water (such as washing hands, bathing, etc.). At the same time, its surface is smooth, stains and bacteria are not easy to attach, and it is more convenient to clean. Just wipe it with clean water or mild detergent to keep it clean and hygienic, which helps reduce the risk of infection.
Dyeability: In order to make the prosthesis closer to the real human skin color, silicone can be dyed. By adding appropriate pigments, the silicone color close to the user's skin color can be formulated, making the prosthesis more natural and beautiful visually, and enhancing the user's self-confidence and psychological comfort.