Ethnocare will host an online webinar on Wednesday 24 June from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, introducing the Underlay, a new textile interface designed to help manage one of the most common comfort challenges experienced by lower-limb prosthetic users: heat and moisture accumulation inside the prosthetic liner.
The session, titled “Managing Heat and Moisture at the Skin–Liner Interface: Introducing the Underlay by Ethnocare,” will examine the clinical need, product design, intended use, available configurations and preliminary testing results for the Underlay.
The webinar will be presented by Marc-Antoine Malouin Lizotte, Co-Founder of Ethnocare, who has played a key role in the development of the company’s prosthetic interface technologies. His work focuses on product innovation, user-centred design and the commercialization of solutions that improve comfort and mobility for lower-limb prosthetic users.
For prosthetists and rehabilitation professionals across the Middle East, India and Africa, the webinar addresses a daily problem that is often underestimated: a prosthesis may be structurally well made and clinically well aligned, but if the user is uncomfortable inside the liner, long-term wear and confidence can still be compromised.
Why heat and moisture matter in prosthetic care
Heat and perspiration inside a prosthetic liner are not minor inconveniences. For many prosthetic users, they are among the most persistent barriers to daily prosthesis use.
Most modern liners create a close interface between the residual limb and the prosthetic socket. This helps with suspension, cushioning and load transfer, but it can also trap heat and moisture against the skin. In hot climates, during physical activity, or after long periods of wear, perspiration may build up inside the liner.
This can contribute to:
- discomfort
- skin irritation
- odour
- slipping inside the socket
- reduced confidence
- interrupted daily prosthesis use
- difficulty maintaining suspension
- increased risk of skin breakdown
- lower prosthetic wear time
For IMEA markets, this issue is particularly relevant. Many prosthetic users live in hot, humid or dusty environments where perspiration is a daily concern. In the Gulf, South Asia, North Africa and many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, liner comfort cannot be separated from climate.
Introducing the Underlay
According to Ethnocare, the Underlay is a textile interface designed to be worn directly under the prosthetic liner, between the skin and the liner.
Its intended use is to help manage perspiration and moisture accumulation by absorbing and transferring sweat away from the skin. The aim is to support a drier and more comfortable microclimate inside the liner.
This is a different approach from traditional liner-liner or liner-to-socket solutions. Instead of focusing mainly on volume management, cushioning or socket fit, the Underlay specifically targets the skin–liner microclimate.
The webinar will review how the Underlay is designed, how it is intended to be used, and how it may fit into the daily routine of transtibial and transfemoral prosthetic users.
A practical comfort issue for clinicians
For clinicians, heat and moisture management is a practical fitting issue as well as a patient-reported comfort issue.
When perspiration builds up inside the liner, users may experience movement between the limb and liner, liner roll-down, difficulty maintaining suspension, or a feeling that the prosthesis is less secure. In some cases, users may remove the prosthesis during the day to dry the limb and liner. Others may reduce their activity level or avoid wearing the prosthesis for long periods.
This can affect rehabilitation outcomes.
A prosthetic user who feels unstable or uncomfortable may walk less, participate less and lose confidence. In paediatric, active adult, diabetic, vascular and traumatic amputation cases, this can have significant clinical consequences.
The Underlay concept is therefore relevant not only as an accessory, but as part of a wider discussion about prosthetic adherence, comfort and user-centred care.
How the Underlay differs from traditional solutions
The webinar will also discuss how the Underlay differs from traditional liner-liner solutions.
According to the webinar description, Ethnocare will highlight:
- an expanded sizing range
- open-toe and closed-toe options
- use for both transtibial and transfemoral users
- a focus on perspiration and moisture management
- textile design intended for use directly under the prosthetic liner
This is important because prosthetic users vary widely in limb length, shape, liner type, suspension system and daily activity level. A moisture management interface must be easy to integrate into real-world prosthetic routines if it is to be adopted successfully.
For clinicians, key practical questions will include how the Underlay affects liner fit, suspension, donning, skin inspection, hygiene, user training and compatibility with different liner types.
Relevance for IMEA prosthetic services
The Underlay may be especially relevant to prosthetic services across IMEA because climate is a major factor in prosthetic comfort.
In many countries across the region, prosthetic users manage daily wear in conditions of high heat, humidity, long commutes, outdoor work, limited access to air-conditioned environments and variable hygiene infrastructure. For users in labour-intensive jobs, school settings, rural environments or humanitarian contexts, liner perspiration may be a constant challenge.
In these settings, even small improvements in skin comfort can support:
- longer daily wear time
- improved confidence
- better prosthetic control
- fewer interruptions during the day
- reduced skin irritation
- improved user satisfaction
- stronger adherence to rehabilitation goals
This is why prosthetic interface innovation matters. Comfort is not secondary to function. For the user, comfort is often what makes function possible.
A continuation of Ethnocare’s interface innovation
Ethnocare is already known in the prosthetic sector for the Overlay, a breathable fabric sleeve with an integrated air expansion system designed to help manage socket fit and residual limb volume changes. The company describes the Overlay as compatible with most liners and systems, including pin lock systems, suspension sleeves and vacuum systems.
Distributors have described the Overlay as an external socket insert worn over the liner to support fit, comfort and mobility, using interconnected air cells to compensate for residual limb volume variations.
The Underlay appears to address a different but related problem. While the Overlay focuses on socket fit and volume management, the Underlay focuses on the climate directly beneath the liner: perspiration, moisture accumulation and skin comfort.
Together, these types of interface technologies reflect a broader shift in prosthetics. The socket and liner are no longer viewed only as structural components. They are being treated as dynamic environments that must respond to volume, pressure, movement, heat, moisture and user behaviour.
What clinicians should watch for
During the webinar, prosthetists and rehabilitation teams should pay particular attention to several clinical questions:
- How does the Underlay affect liner fit and suspension?
- What level of moisture absorption and transfer has been shown in testing?
- How should users clean and maintain the textile interface?
- Can it be used with different liner materials and suspension systems?
- How does it perform in hot and humid conditions?
- Is it suitable for sensitive skin or high-risk residual limbs?
- How should clinicians introduce it during fitting and follow-up?
- What patient profiles are most likely to benefit?
The answers to these questions will be especially important for IMEA clinicians working with active users, first-time amputees, vascular patients, traumatic amputees, paediatric users and those living in high-temperature environments.
Event details
Webinar: Managing Heat and Moisture at the Skin–Liner Interface: Introducing the Underlay by Ethnocare
Presenter: Marc-Antoine Malouin Lizotte, Co-Founder of Ethnocare
Date: Wednesday 24 June
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Format: Online
Access: Anyone can view and join
Why this webinar matters
Prosthetic comfort is often determined by what happens at the interface.
A well-made socket, a good liner and a carefully aligned prosthesis can still fail the user if heat, sweat and discomfort make the device difficult to wear. For lower-limb prosthetic users in IMEA markets, where environmental heat can intensify liner-related problems, moisture management deserves more attention from clinicians, manufacturers and suppliers.
Ethnocare’s Underlay webinar offers an opportunity to examine a practical solution aimed at a common problem: keeping the skin–liner interface drier, more comfortable and more manageable during daily prosthetic use.
For prosthetists, the key message is simple. Comfort is not an accessory. It is part of clinical success.
- Ethnocare official website
- Ethnocare Overlay product information
- OPC Health: Ethnocare Overlay overview
- Ortho Europe: Ethnocare Overlay TT
- The O&P EDGE: Meet the Ethnocare Overlay
- The O&P EDGE: Introducing the Ethnocare Overlay TF
- WHO Rehabilitation
- International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics