Why does this plaster have a non-woven backing, and does it matter in practice?

The backing of the OLKO plaster is made of non-woven material: unlike stiffer film or fabric backings, it follows the contours of the skin better and bends with it. This is especially noticeable on mobile areas such as joints, fingers and elbows, where the skin is constantly stretching and contracting with movement.

In practice, this means several things:

• The plaster "pulls" the skin less when you bend a limb, which reduces discomfort when wearing it during the day.
• The edges adhere more closely to the skin, which makes it less likely that the plaster will start peeling off at the corners too early.
• Non-woven material is usually softer to the touch than stiff synthetic films, which matters if the plaster is worn by children or people with sensitive skin.

At the same time, a non-woven backing is not waterproof, so on contact with water (a shower, washing up, swimming) the plaster gets wet and does not hold as well. Once it has got wet, it is recommended to replace the plaster with a fresh one.

The 6 x 10 cm size provides enough adhesive surface around the pad for the plaster to stay firmly in place even on wide areas of the body, where a narrow strip simply would not give the necessary coverage.