DermaSilk compares silk against cotton

Silk fibre is a protein which resembles human hair in both its physical and chemical structure. Silk is used as a non irritant thread in surgical procedures and can be applied directly onto damaged skin. It is well suited therefore for use on skin irritated by atopic conditions.
Silk has some extraordinary properties. It is capable of rapidly reaching body temperature and then maintaining it at a constant level. Such a characteristic is important because it helps to reduce excessive sweating which is often common in infants, children and even adults affected by eczema. This can protect the skin from a loss of moisture which otherwise can aggravate skin dryness.

	Cotton is a vegetable fibre and does not have any temperature regulating capability. It can only absorb up to 10 % of its own weight and once the sweat starts to cool down, the skin temperature also goes down forcing the body to react to raise the body temperature. This generates more sweating and further moisture loss.
	Cotton threads are composed of millions of very short fibres spun together. Each fibre absorbs moisture and this causes the fibres to twist and contract. This movement can irritate and scratch the already sensitised skin. This can then contribute to the debilitating ' itch - scratch ' cycle.