What is better for a cast – plaster or fiberglass?
Both types of casting agents have their pros and cons – which one is chosen depends on the injury, the doctor, the patient, and cost. Generally, a plaster cast is less expensive than a fiberglass cast, for example. The advantage of plaster is that it can be molded to the limb’s shape and any splint that is used to support it. Fiberglass must be fit after the swelling of the limb has gone down. Both should not get wet – the plaster because it will cause the cast to become misshapen and the fiberglass because there is cotton between the cast and the skin.
