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Marena's compression garments are
made from a proprietary fabric called ComfortWeave,
designed and refined through years of laboratory experimentation
and university testing.
ComfortWeave fabric molds like
a second skin because it is made of a proprietary blend
of INVISTA’s LYCRASOFT® and TACTEL fibers, certified
as the softest, best performing textile fibers available
today.
Three dimensional stretch – not
one or two-dimensional like all other fabrics - makes
Comfortwear superior in providing supportive compression
as it comfortably squeezes the patient’s body.
Manufactured with a patent-pending
knitting design and tested in the laboratory, ComfortWeave
fabric holds its shape even after 60,000 flexes and
30 extreme washes.
Comfortwear™ garments meet Invista
Coolmax® standards for dryness, cooling effect,
and moisture absorption.
The first compression garment with
permanent antimicrobial agents, Marena Comfortwear inhibits
the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew leaving patients
feeling cleaner and fresher even after long periods
of wear.
Laboratory grading of compression
textiles rates "stretch" (percent increase
in size when subjected to specific amounts of force),
and "compression or compressive potential"
(the amount of force returned by the fabric after it
is stretched to a certain peak load and relieved). An
additional measure of the long-term compression compliance
of the fabric is "dynamic creep" (the ability
of the fabric to retain its original dimensions after
repeated stretching or washing). Measures defining the
mechanical comfort offered by the fabric are "bending
rigidity" and "shear rigidity" (the force
felt by the body in response to the bending and shear
deformations of the fabric - lower the force, more comfortable
is the garment).
Various studies were performed a
major teaching and research university (1998-2000) to
test ComfortWeave's performance versus the fabrics commonly
used in other medical compression garments. This comparison
of ComfortWeave with the industry standard Power Net
(a fabric used in most non-Marena compression garments)
illustrates the superiority of ComfortWeave's properties.
ComfortWeave tested superior
to its competitors in all categories, including stretch,
compression, comfort, bendability, durability, absorption,
and wicking. With the unique set of properties, it can
be expected that Marena will be more comfortable to
the wearer during the plastic surgery recovery period
while providing more precisely-controlled postoperative
external compression.
The introduction of a synthetic
layer to augment the compression characteristics of
a patient's skin has significant impact on the body's
autonomic capacity for thermal regulation. Under ordinary
circumstances, heat produced continually by the body
during its metabolic processes is lost to the surroundings
through radiation, conduction, air convection and evaporation
(of perspiration). The mechanical barrier of a continuously
worn compression garment - often covering as much as
50% of the body's surface - interferes with three of
these thermal transfer strategies:
a. The tight garment traps air next
to the skin, thus reducing convective movement of air.
b. The radiative effect is reduced
or eliminated, as the clothing reflects heat back toward
the body, reheating the skin.
c. Most importantly, perspiration
is generally trapped, and blocked from evaporation,
thus reducing the chances of evaporative cooling. In
a futile attempt to cool itself, blood flow to the skin
may be increased as much as seven times its normal amounts.
This significant drain on cardiac output redirects blood
away from internal organs and wound healing, and produces
three critical contraindications:
1. Extended post-operative
recovery,
2. Increased patient discomfort and
3. Lessened patient compliance
Additionally, the potential adverse
effects of un-evaporated perspiration against the skin
are numerous. Continuous wearing of compression garments
makes them living environments, not just for patients
but also (potentially) for bacteria and other microorganisms.
As previously noted, ComfortWeave
compression garments are designed to prevent heat- and
moisture-induced complications through the incorporation
of micro-fibers that wick moisture away from the body,
promote evaporation, and "breathe" (allow
for convection), even when wet.
Patients must still practice preventive
hygiene, washing their garments daily. While ComfortWeave's
fast drying properties allow patients to bathe and dry
themselves while wearing their ComfortWear postoperative
compression garment, maximal hygiene with continuous
compression is best achieved by obtaining a minimum
of two garments for alternate use during wash and wear
cycles. (Special Note: All abdominal and torso compressing
ComfortWear styles may be purchased at a discount in
sets of two for this purpose).
Softness is important for surgical
compression garments for two principal reasons: to minimize
skin irritation during prolonged wear, and to maximize
the chances for patient compliance with the extended
plastic surgery recovery period. Creation of a soft
fabric, which still meets compression needs, was one
of the main objectives behind
the design of ComfortWeave.
The softness of a fabric can be
objectively measured by the Kawabata Evaluation System
(KES). KES is a weighted-regression analysis combining
17 factors measured in five separate tests, including
compression, shear, tensile, bending and surface tests.
Marena's success in this regard has been shown in the
laboratory, where ComfortWeave scored KES values similar
to knitted-silk. Power Weave, the generic fabric used
in most other compression garments, ranks close to emery
cloth, a fine grade of sandpaper.
ComfortWeave fabric molds like a
second skin because it is made of a proprietary blend
of INVISTA’s LYCRASOFT® and TACTEL fibers, certified
as the softest, best performing textile fibers available
today.
Yes. Marena uses spandex, a synthetic
elastic fiber. We do not use latex is a natural, rubber-based
compound which has been shown to cause allergic reactions.
Yes. Marena has been awarded
several U.S. and international patents and patent pendings
for COMFORTWEAVE fabric used in a medical application.
The company continues to develop and design further
innovations and worldwide protections of its intellectual
property.
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