Introduction: Amputation is the removal of part of a limb by trauma, illness, or surgery. Surgery is used to control pain or to prevent illness or infection such as cancer or gangrene from spreading on an impaired limb. In some cases, preventive surgery is needed for such problems. Special cases include congenital amputations and congenital disorders, where the fetus’s limbs were affected. Lower limb amputations are one of the oldest known surgeries, dating back to prehistoric times. A leg prosthesis is made individually for a specific person. Some prostheses are made only for functional purposes, but many amputees want a prosthesis that visually resembles a real leg as much as possible, and is made of materials similar to human skin. The process of making a cosmesis is a form of art which pursues the goal of making an artificial limb as real-looking as possible. Purpose: Little research has been done about the importance of cosmesis features among amputees all around the world. Therefore, I decided to research this topic and interpret the results to everyone who is in any way related to prosthetics. My goal is to remind manufacturers of prosthetics of the importance of customising cosmesis to customers, because in my home country, Slovenia, this aspect of manufacturing an artificial limb is rather overlooked. We neglect in particular its functionality, even though the development of this particular feature has spread widely all over the world. Methods: The diploma thesis is based on a descriptive method. I collected Slovenian and foreign literature and compared it. Using my own estimation, I selected the sources of literature that are worth mentioning. I sourced most of the literature from the PubMed (Medline) browser, Google Scholar, and other scientific browsers. Results: The results show that current satisfaction of amputees with prosthetic cosmesis is lower than medical and clinical employees would want it to be. The most important cosmesis features indicated in the questionnaire can be used for further research. By testing prostheses with cosmesis and considering the opinion of medical professionals, the researchers have shown that the new design provides greater durability (the new cosmesis lasts up to three times longer than the standard cosmesis). Because the design is more complicated, the manufacturing time is longer, and that could potentially cause a longer first appointment dedicated to fitting the cosmesis, in comparison with the standard cosmesis design. A more durable cosmesis means fewer appointments with doctors. Discussion and conclusion: Appearance is highly regarded in today’s society, therefore limb loss is considered to be something negative or shameworthy. It has a negative impact on an amputee’s self-esteem. In lower extremity amputation, cosmetic covers can contribute to a better appearance, and consequently increase the patient’s self-respect, self-confidence, and overall self-esteem. All this proves that prosthetic cosmesis is more than just an aesthetic accessory to the prosthetics. It has a huge functional role as well. It protects prosthetic components from damage or malfunctioning, as a result of everyday use of prosthetics, sloppiness, or lack of care. It prevents clothes from getting caught between prosthetic components, or dust from collecting on components, which could potentially lead to less flexibility. A cosmesis cover also makes it easier to maintain a clean artificial limb, and contributes to improving gait and posture (it prevents the lower part of the spine from getting damaged).
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