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Pressure therapy is generally accepted as an effective means of preventing and controlling hypertrophic scarring after burn injury. Pressure treatment based principally on the use of pressure garments is widely used in Hong Kong and many other countries. These garments are tailor‐made to the individual patient's measurement to provide a uniform and firm support to body contours, and they are designed individually for the area of injury. Attempts to review the existing practice of the various kinds of pressure garments on patients, and to provide a better understanding of the present use of fabric and production methods employed in the manufacturing of the garments. Includes a brief account of the problems encountered by both the patients and the medical staff.

The pressure on body scars resulting from pressure garments gradually decreases with time, probably as a consequence of stress relaxation in the fabric material. In order to understand the basic mechanisms contributing to this phenomenon, an understanding of the stress relaxation behaviour of relevant textile structures is vitally important. Makes comparisons of the stress relaxation and shrinkage properties on six selected fabric samples which are all currently used by the hospitals in the UK and/or in Hong Kong. The design of the stress relaxation tests was based on the consideration of the fabric from a performance‐in‐use standpoint. The results of the tests showed differences between the fabrics collected in the UK and Hong Kong. It was also found that the stress relaxation in the wale direction was considerably lower (resulting in better performance) than in the course direction. It may be noted that the shrinkage of the fabrics was closely related to the degree of elasticity loss during washing.