Cosmesis

A covering applied to a prosthetic device that is designed to make the prosthesis look more natural or socially acceptable, and sometimes to improve grip or functionality. Cosmeses are available in a limited range of skin tones, which raises significant equity concerns—people with darker skin tones often cannot find cosmeses that match their appearance, forcing a choice between functional benefit and racial identity. The limited availability of skin-tone-matched cosmeses exemplifies how assistive technology design can fail to account for intersecting identities beyond disability.