pass enough time watching Beijing’sWinter Olympicsand you ’ll no doubt remark that a number of skier and other athletes have covered parts of their faces with patches of tape .
It’skinesiology tape , an excess - stretchable cloth adhesive agent whose acrylic backup is suppose to be pasty enough to softly pull your skin out from the muscles below it . athlete of many sport , from volleyball to lawn tennis , use it to alleviate painful sensation and soreness , and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has beenlicensing the firebrand KT Tapesince the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro .
But the frigid - weather condition rival in Beijing are n’t slapping slip of KT Tape across their cheek and nose to keep those muscles from aching : They ’re doing it to keep warm . What Beijing currently miss in existent snow , it makes up for insingle - digit temperaturesand even frosty wind chills . “ It ’s one of the cold places I ’ve ever been on Earth , ” U.S. skier Aaron Blunck told theLos Angeles Times . “ It piss your torso get potent . ”
A Team USA spokespersontold Bustlethat the KT Tape “ creates a bit of a carapace ” between exposed skin and the frozen air . It seems plausible that even a fragile layer of tapeline would isolate hotness better than nothing , but at this full stop , the evidence is solely anecdotal . And because KT Tape has n’t been clinically tested on faces , the companionship does n’t formally back that particular utilisation — though KT Tape CEO and president Greg Vennertold TODAYthat they “ applaud the creativity . ” The adhesive material is also strong enough tostay on for several days , so peeling it off sensitive facial tegument may be uncomfortable .
“ We ’ve seen KT Tape used as trade protection against the current of air in winter sports over the geezerhood , so although it is n’t a clinically sanction usage , we appreciate the cleverness , ” Venner say .
