In Your Shopping List: A Liner that Minimizes Odor

Written by Bryan Potok, CPO on October 23, 2018
Last updated on May 18, 2019

You know your liner. You know how it tends to get smelly over time. And because they are usually confined in a closed environment (your socket), your prosthetic liners can quickly become a breeding ground for odor-causing bacteria. You often find yourself setting aside so much time and effort just to disinfect it.

The Skeo liner from Ottobock that minimizes odor

Image from Ottobock website

While it sounds like maintaining a liner is too much of a hassle, you know you can’t do without your liner yet. That is until innovators can find an alternative to protecting your skin from the stress of wearing a prosthesis and provide suspension at the same time.

The good news is that Ottobock just released new prosthetic liners that you will love—the 6Y78 Skeo 3D TT and the 6Y88 Skeo 3D TF. These new liners are made from silicone which is generally easy to clean. Furthermore, silicone provides high stability and excellent adhesion, which is great if your limb has a lot of soft tissue. Silicone liners work best with a shuttle lock suspension and are prescribed for people whose daily activity levels can be described as low to moderate.

Most important, Ottobock has been able to incorporate unique solutions such as anti-bacterial properties and skin-friendly oils that help minimize odor while also maintaining skin health.

Skinguard with antibacterial additives

Ottobock’s 6Y78 Skeo 3D TT and 6Y88 Skeo 3D TF are among the newest liners that feature the odor-minimizing antibacterial additives. The antibacterial additives are formulated to better control odor by going straight to the source—preventing bacteria from multiplying while protecting the silicone material at the same time.

The new prosthetic liners for below-knee (BK) and above-knee (AK) amputations are created according to the JIS Z 2801 standard, which means that the antibacterial additive has been proven to reduce bacterial colonies of Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) and E-coli (gram-negative) up to 99.9%. While the antibacterial additives may seem too harsh, you don’t have to worry about it affecting your skin’s natural flora. The liners are also imbued with skin-friendly oils that will work to keep your skin’s health intact.

Anatomy of the new liners

Ottobock didn’t just focus on the odor-minimizing qualities of the prosthetic liner, they also made sure that the architecture of the product is of high-quality. Both the 6Y78 Skeo 3D TT and 6Y88 Skeo 3D TF are designed to follow the residual limb’s natural shape, which makes for a comfortable wear every time you put it on.

Another great feature is the liners’ high wall thickness that works to protect sensitive areas against pressure and external impact. You’ll also find its pre-flexed shape just makes sense, because why use a straight liner on a flexed limb. Furthermore, stretching and pistoning in your socket will become a thing of the past as the new liners are equipped with a distal stabilizing matrix around the umbrella area.

Ottobock also improved the liners’ adhesion with a textured inner surface. This feature also helps channel moisture away from the skin, which makes your socket and residual limb a bit harsher for the bacterial colonies. Therefore, the texture inner surface also works to minimize odor on your prosthetic liner.

With the new Ottobock liners, you don’t have to put up with smelly liners that you may have to replace soon. Doesn’t this make your day-to-day life a bit easier?