News

17 October 2016

Why aren't plasters as sticky as they used to be?

Following Steve's recent appearance on BBC One's Rip Off Britain, where we were asked by the programme on how to choose a good quality first aid plaster, we've now been asked by several customers if we'd write an article to explain what to look for in more detail.

Most of our existing customers who know us well, will know that we spend a lot of time and effort when we design an SP branded product, even on something as small and as simple as a plaster

Steve Bray, our MD and resident 'plaster expert' says "In the medical world there is no such thing as a 'simple product', even a first aid plaster has a huge number of manufacturing variables that can effect quality, efficacy, price, comfort and even the potential for allergic reactions."

Here are a few explanations on some common plaster terminiology: 

Fabric - Comfortable and conforms easily around joints 
Waterproof - Can cope with heavy use in water eg swimming & showering
Washproof - Can only cope with very light use in water eg washing hands
Water Resistent - Usually means the same as Washproof
HypoAllergenic - Ideal for sensitive skin
Detectable - Coloured blue and usually also x-ray metal detectable, for the catering industry.
Latex Free - Some people are allergic to latex
Zinc Oxide Adhesive - Excellent adhesive properties
Acrylic Adhesive - Lower risk of allergic reaction than Zinc Oxide but not as adhesive but still good depending on formulation

To sum up, like most things in life, you get what you pay for. If you only spend £1.00 on a packet of plasters then you should not have high expectations of it sticking for more than a few minutes. It can be a false economy as you will end up using 2 or 3 times as many plasters if you buy cheap. Most of our professional customers spend the extra money and buy quality plasters that have a certified quality level.

THIS ARTICLE IS STILL BEING UPDATED




Back to news
  • Payments secured by
  • Barclaycard Logo Created with Sketch.
  • Mastercard Logo Created with Sketch.
  • Visa Logo Created with Sketch.
  • PayPal Logo Created with Sketch.
DCC
DCC
Cookies