Julius Nieuwland—Chemist whose research paved the way for the development of Neoprene in 1930 (nice hat Julius).
Neoprene is great—if you’re surfing, or SCUBA diving, or fly-fishing. All of these activities put you in cold water where you want to keep body heat in and cold water out. All the properties that make neoprene great for cold water applications make it terrible for orthopedic bracing. When you’re active, especially when you’re wearing heavy insulation like neoprene, your body obviously starts to sweat. Neoprene is just as good at keeping moisture in as it is at keeping moisture out. With nowhere to go, the perspiration builds up under the brace. The perspiration build-up causes several problems: It releases skin-irritating chemicals used in the manufacturing of the material, makes it tremendously uncomfortable (imagine wrapping plastic wrap around your leg and then going for a run), and makes the brace slippery which causes it to slide down. In addition, neoprene is prone to tearing, smells bad, and doesn’t give much compression.
At Bio Skin, we’ve developed materials specifically designed for the needs of the orthopedic and athletic markets and are trying to push neoprene back into the water where it belongs (also good for mouse pads).
