• In 1860, pressure bandages were used for burns.

• In 1881 Jobst® made adhesive plaster.

• In 1902 traction garments were used to treat scars with pressure. 

• The traditional method was to make the model for a burn mask by applying a plaster material to the patient’s face. The process created extreme anxiety for the patient since their eyes and mouth were completely covered (and straws stuck in the nose for breathing purpose) until the plaster had dried. The weight of the plaster casts would sometimes shift the tissue on the face, making it impossible to get an exact image.

• In the 1970s total contact burn masks used were called facial orthoses and Jobst® pressure masks.

Being clear, you could see how they compressed the scars. It was worn 18-20 hours every day for 18-24 months. 

Plastic sheets (orthoplast) were heated to a high temperature and placed directly on a patient’s face. The heat was a problem so it was decided to make a plaster cast of the face on which to put the plastic sheets.

• In 1986, a clear (transparent) face mask was made out of a material called U-Vex.  These are still used in some places.

A clear plastic is put over a form to make a mask that follows the facial contours, then vacuum-fitted. It takes two days to create.  A better fit makes for quicker healing and less scar tissue. It is worn 23 hours a day for approximately two years.

• In the 1990s the non-contact surface laser scanner became the new way to make burn masks using image science and stereolithography technology.  The scanner studies the contours of the face (15 seconds), then stores the data.  It is entirely painless for the patient.  The data is saved and sent to a factory which casts a plastic head form.