| Why
should I use silk instead of cotton
underclothes? |
Whilst
both fabrics are natural products,
silk has the advantage over cotton
as it is a protein fibre of animal
origin rather than a vegetable fibre
and has the ability to mimic human
hair. The long strands of silk provide
a smooth, friction free garment which
will not irritate the skin, even on
the most active toddler. In addition,
DermaSilk is capable of maintaining
a stable body temperature in whatever
climate and absorbing up to 1/3 rd
of its weight in moisture before it
begins to feel damp. These are important
features for children with eczema as
cotton garments can feel cold when
they get damp and encourage the child
to sweat more and lose further moisture
to keep warm. |
|
| Why
should I not use ordinary silk
underclothes instead of DermaSilk? |
Conventional
silk underclothes are made of tightly
woven threads which do not allow for
the free passage of air through their
weave – rather like the material
used in parachutes. DermaSilk uses
a specially designed knitted construction
with plenty of ventilation capacity.
You can breathe through 48 layers of
DermaSilk without too much effort.
This is very important for eczema patients
who need to maintain a stable temperature
and moisture levels close to their
skin. |
|
| Why
has the sericin been removed from
the silk? |
Medical
grade silk, used as stitches in surgical
operations, is made of pure fibroin,
the central core of the silk thread.
This is because the outer sericin coating
of conventional silk has been shown
in the past to be linked to some allergic
reactions. There has only ever been
one report of a single allergic reaction
to Fibroin silk in the whole world.
DermaSilk therefore uses pure fibroin
silk for this reason. |
|
| Are
any dyes used in the manufacture
of DermaSilk? |
DermaSilk
is manufactured using pure un-dyed
silk. It is only available in its natural
light cream colour. |
|
| Why
do I have to wear the clothing
all the time? |
The
benefits of DermaSilk are most pronounced
with continual use as its activity
depends upon close contact with the
skin. DermaSilk can be worn for shorter
periods of time or removed for those
occasions where it would not be appropriate. |
|
| Why
is the fabric so fine? If it were
made thicker then surely it would
be stronger? |
It
is the fine knit of DermaSilk which
gives it the ability to allow the skin
to breath and act as a
“second skin”. Thicker knits
would only be bulkier and interfere with
the lifestyle of the patient. DermaSilk
is discrete and allows wearers to escape
from their condition and wear normal
fashionable clothes over the DermaSilk. |
|
| I
am used to loose fitting clothing.
Will there be any discomfort from
wearing close fitting garments? |
Loose
fitting cotton clothing is designed
to help protect the skin from the environment
but they can be very bulky and difficult
to hide under outer clothing. DermaSilk,
by contrast, is designed to act as
a second skin. The smooth nature of
silk means that the wearer will be
unaware that they are wearing DermaSilk
and the ability to wear today’s
fashionable clothes over DermaSilk
means that the rest of the world will
be unaware too. |
|
| Do
I have to wear any special clothes
on top of DermaSilk? |
No.
DermaSilk clothes are designed to be
worn discretely under any form of outer
clothing. Just pick the style that
suits your needs. |
|
| Are
the seams going to irritate the
skin? |
No.
Special attention has been paid to
the design of the garments. For infants
the seams are on the outside of the
garment and the clothing for children
and adults use very small seams with
over-locked stitching to prevent any
raw edges coming into contact with
the skin. |
|
| What
would I use the undersocks for? |
DermaSilk
undersocks perform a number of functions.
Firstly they help to keep the feet
fresh and free of odour since the Microbe
Shield is capable of killing the bacteria
responsible for foot odour. They are
also effective against the fungi responsible
for Athletes’
foot and so they help relieve the itching
associated with that condition. |
|
What
is the Microbe Shield? |
The
Microbe Shield is a specially designed
antimicrobial substance which protects
the garments from contamination from
a number of common bacterial and fungal
microbes. It is non-toxic to humans,
is permanently bonded to the silk fabric
and does not wear out over time. |
|
| Will
the Microbe Shield irritate sensitive
skin? |
The
Microbe Shield has undergone extensive
sensitivity tests and has been used
in hospitals for nearly 30 years. Furthermore
DermaSilk garments have been available
in many parts of Europe for a number
of years and no reports of any adverse
reactions have been recorded. |
|
| Does
the Microbe Shield leave the DermaSilk? |
The
Microbe Shield is permanently bonded
to the silk by a patented process.
It has been shown not to leave the
silk – even after 50 washes.
Other antimicrobial coatings are designed
to leave the fabric and kill organisms
on the skin, but DermaSilk retains
its killing power throughout the life
of the garment. |
|
| Can
I use all my medical creams with
DermaSilk? |
DermaSilk
is designed to compliment the majority
of dermatological treatments. However
as DermaSilk works best when in direct
contact with clean skin, we advise
that all medical creams and ointments
are fully absorbed into the skin before
putting on the DermaSilk. |
|
| Is
DermaSilk suitable as a replacement
for Wet Wrapping? |
No.
Wet Wrapping is a specialised technique
used by people with specific needs
for extensive emollient therapy. In
this type of treatment patients have
large amounts of emollient applied
to the skin and then covered with a
damp dressing. As the DermaSilk would
not be in direct contact with the skin
its positive effects would be blocked
by the emollient. DermaSilk can be
used once the eczema flare-up has subsided
and the Wet Wrapping discontinued.
Many nurses are now finding that the use of DermaSilk prior to moving on to Wet Wrapping actually reduces the need to move to more severe and time consuming treatments. |
|
| How
often should I wash DermaSilk? |
DermaSilk
can be washed as often as necessary.
With some forms of weeping eczema it
may be necessary to wash it more than
once a day to remove any discharge. |
|
| Why
should I not wash DermaSilk loose
in the washing machine? |
Silk
is by nature a delicate fabric and
washing by hand will help prolong the
useful life of the garment. The major concern is that the shearing effect caused by the silk tangling with other clothes might rp the seams. However, if you do wish to use a washing machine please put the DermaSilk in a net laundry bag to help prevent the shearing. |
|
| Why
should I not use a fabric conditioner? |
Fabric
softeners add chemicals to the fabric
of any garment. Silk will stay soft
for many washes without the need for
a fabric softener which could irritate
the skin. |
|
| What
is the reason for using a bicarbonate
of soda soak every 10 washes? |
In
many areas there are minerals in the
water which can remain on the silk
fibres after washing and rinsing. The
bicarbonate of soda soak, every 10
washes removes the hard water residues
from the silk and prolongs the life
of the garment and helps to maintain its softness.
A Bicarbonate soak can also be used to remove stubborn stains from the garments. |
|
| How
long should a garment last? |
This
is very much dependent upon the type
of garment worn, the nature of the
wearer and whether the garment is worn
alone or under other clothing. It is
generally expected that the garments
used for infants are more likely to
be out-grown rather than worn out. |
|
| How
long will the Microbe Shield last? |
Microbe
Shield will retain its effectiveness
throughout the life of the garment. |
|
| Has
DermaSilk been tested medically? |
DermaSilk
has undergone a series of clinical
trials in a number of different medical
conditions and has been shown to offer
a positive benefit to the wearer compared
with those patients who were not selected
to wear it. These results have been
presented at medical meetings around
Europe and several have now been published
in medical journals. it is this clinical information which has given the UK authorities confidence in approving DermaSilk for prescription. |
|
| My
child doesn't like to wear cotton
undergarments because they look
unfashionable. Is DermaSilk different? |
DermaSilk
garments have been designed to be discrete.
They are a neutral colour, so they
match with most clothing and are made
of a fine knit which can be “hidden” under
even the most skin tight clothing.
With no bulky seams, coloured stripes or loose fitting
underclothes, even the most fashion
conscious teenager should get on with
DermaSilk. |
|
| What
age range does DermaSilk cover? |
Eczema
and dermatitis can affect any age group.
DermaSilk garments are therefore available
in varying sizes and designs to suit
infants from birth with Atopic eczema
right up to the elderly who may experience
the discomfort of Varicose or Asteatotic
eczema. |
|
| I
have hand eczema caused by contact
dermatitis. Can DermaSilk help? |
It
is thought that upwards of 5% of
the UK population may suffer from
some form of latex allergy and many others suffer from contact dermatitis associated with chemicals such as cleaning detergents and hair preparations.. DermaSilk
is almost unique in that it has a
range of 5 fingered gloves, especially
designed to be used in hand eczema.
These gloves can be worn alone or
under protective rubber, latex, nitrile or
household gloves when the hand could
come into contact with skin irritants.
The gloves are available in child
and adult sizes and are available on a doctor's prescription in the UK..
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|
| DermaSilk
seems expensive, is it good value
for money? |
Whilst
the initial cost may seem expensive,
you should remember that the garment
is made of pure medical grade silk
with an added anti-microbial permantently
bonded into the fabric and this is
what makes DermaSilk durable, long
lasting and so clinically effective. The durability of DermaSilk means that they often outlast many of the cheaper alternatives. |
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