- Olympic athletes have been hitting the slopes wearing KT tape on their faces.
- KT or kinesiology tape is a flexible tape that can be used to help support muscles, tendons, and ligaments in athletes.
- With temperatures sometimes dropping below zero in Beijing, some athletes may be using the tape to protect their faces from frostbite.
If you’ve been watching the Winter Olympics in Beijing, you may have noticed something new. Many of the athletes competing in the outdoor events have started putting tape on their faces with brightly colored tape to protect their skin from the cold.
The tape called KT tape, or kinesiology tape, is made of a flexible material, which makes it easy to apply and comfortable to wear. Its adhesive formula means athletes can wear it for an extended period of time. It has been traditionally used because it is effective in helping stabilize and support joints.
But is this tape, something used traditionally for muscle, ligament, and tendon support, good for another purpose, as well?
Frostbite is easier to get than you may think, and this year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing are extremely cold, with athletes regularly competing in temperatures that range from below 0°F(-17°C).
Frostbite canoccurmore quickly when exposed to wind while in severely cold temperatures and if you’re at a higher altitude.
Both of these can apply to athletes at the Olympics. And even with frostbite risk aside, it’s simply uncomfortable to have wind nipping at your face all afternoon.
CEO of KT Tape Greg Venner toldUSA Todaysaid that the tape hadn’t been tested to be used in this manner.
“We’ve seen KT Tape used as protection against the wind in winter sports over the years, so although it isn’t a clinically approved usage, we appreciate the ingenuity. KT Tape doesn’t endorse the use of kinesiology tape on the face as it isn’t clinically tested,” Venner said. “However, we certainly applaud the creativity — we are proud to support Team USA!”
The tape certainly does provide an extra barrier for the skin, protecting it against the frigid winter winds in Beijing, which often feel colder when athletes are moving at rapid rates, such as flying down a mountain at 60 mph on skis. However, experts are pointing out that where it may help in one arena, it can do harm in others.
“While kinesiology tape is known to be comfortable to wear, the adhesive is extremely sticky, and you can develop contact dermatitis to the tape adhesive,” saidDr. Susan Massick, a board certified dermatologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Contact dermatitis can lead to skin irritation, redness, itching and swelling.”
Contact dermatitis is either from a sensitivity or an allergy to an ingredient.
“Remember,” said Massick. “The skin of the face is much more sensitive than the skin on your hands or body, so it doesn’t take much to cause a reaction.”
Even if you are not sensitive to the glue of the adhesive, it’s possible that your skin will become irritated when removing the tape from the skin, particularly on the face.
“Trying to remove this very sticky tape will strip superficial layers of the skin. This is why it’s painful to rip off a Band-Aid. If you do this repeatedly, the skin will become sore, inflamed, and irritated, as well as just from the mechanical removal of the tape,” Massick said.
While the athletes at the Olympics may have more rigid restrictions on what they wear in the competitions, those of us who are trying to protect our skin from the cold can look to a wider range of solutions.
“Barriers to cold temperatures are important, which is why facial coverings are helpful,” said Massick. “While kinesiology tape may provide a barrier of sorts, think of using the old-fashioned scarves or gaiters as a more practical and better alternative way to keep your face covered and warm.”
Taking breaks from the cold can be helpful, as well.