Race Products

ReSkin - bi-elastic plaster.

During the years of organising Desert Runner Training Camps, general trail, road running, road and mountain bike camps and the Al Andalus Ultra Trail stage race you get to talk to many runners and cyclists, both male and female.

The main concern for the majority is how to avoid blisters and rubbing during the longer events, particularly multi stage races in high temperatures and cycle sportives where you are in the saddle for many hours.

I recently discovered a product originally developed for cyclists by the Belgian company Bio-Racer and it seems to be the perfect answer. It is called ReSkin.

Bio-Racer is a big name in the cycling world and they produce high quality race clothing as well as sponsor the national teams of Belgium, Holland, Germany, Finland and Luxembourg. Re-Skin was developed by them to solve the problem of saddle pain due to friction.

ReSkin combines a perforated type of Lycra with a specially created silicon coating which has resulted in a skin-friendly product with outstanding qualities. It is also painlessly removeable, can be trimmed to fit, it’s washable and it’s reusable.

The specific cycling item is designed to be applied to the perineum, the piece of skin between anus and genitals which contains sweat glands, hair follicles and sebaceous glands. This area can become irritated by rubbing which can lead to an infection. For professional riders who spend many hours in the saddle, this situation would be a major setback and you can imagine the pain and discomfort caused by hours of training and competing in races like Paris-Roubaix, which includes many kilometers of cobble stones, or three weeks riding the Tour de France. ReSkin has solved the problem.

The success of the Bike Patch led to the development of the ReSkin Allround Patch and this has to be the answer for all runners who have problems with any form of rubbing or blisters.

Looking more specifically at the Desert and Ultra Runner clients who come here, (Andalucia, Spain), to train for events like the Marathon des Sables and looking back at past races, blisters and rubbing are always the runners biggest enemy.

Running with a 10kg pack on your back carrying food, water and minimum clothing, over 5-6days and 250km puts a lot of strain on the body. The heavier built runners often struggle because of friction rubbing between thighs; shoulders, back, nipples and neck can be rubbed by rucksack straps, feet can swell and blisters can develop very easily either ending or resulting in a very painful race experience.

I have now had time to see the benefits of the ReSkin product and it definitely works. You can buy the patches in pre shaped form or in a larger sheet which can be cut to size, ( one reason I recommend the Victorinox Swiss Card for MdS competitors as the scissors are perfect for cutting the patches ). The bi-elasticity, ( two-directional stretch ), creates relief from rubbing as the friction now takes place between ReSkin and other materials rather than your skin acting like a second artificial and breathable layer of skin.

At first I wondered about the remove, wash and reuse claims but there wasn’t a problem. It is possible to use it several times depending on how intensely it is used. When showering after sports you can simply stick ReSkin to the bathroom tiles, rinse it with lukewarm water or wash it with mild soap. Let it dry on the tile surface and then use again or store on the original backing sheet or a piece of cling film.
( During a self-support race such as the Marathon des Sables, the ReSkin could be removed, washed and stuck onto the side of water allocation bottle if you lose the backing paper ).

The adhesive is a silicone gel, it has a healing effect and it is bio-compatible. It can be applied to damaged skin/open wounds and after looking at some medical testimonials, which included before and after photos, I could see just how well it works. It should be a definite item in any ultra runners pack and could make the difference between finishing and not finishing events like the MdS.

For more information have a look at www.reskin.eu or contact me on info@axarsport.com if you have any questions.