But ever since Lance Armstrong sported the yellow "Live strong" silicone bracelet to make people aware about cancer till now, silicone bracelets have come a long way and have increased in popularity all over the world as a fashion accessory, promotion tool or party favor etc and most of all as an awareness medium.

But along with the success there have been criticisms of the ways the growth of this trend has taken place. Here we will address some of these issues which have been associated with silicone awareness bracelets:

The original Livestrong Silicone wrist bands can be purchased directly from the Lance Armstrong Foundation with the money going towards the various awareness programs setup by the Foundation. The original Livestrong Silicone wrist bands can also be bought from other suppliers, but the thing that should be kept in mind is that the proceeds from the sale may not be going for a charitable cause and the supplier is making a profit, cashing on the Livestrong brand. So, it's always advisable to buy the original Livestrong Silicone bracelets from the Lance Armstrong Foundation only. So, critics argue that consumers may be misled into believing the price of a bracelet is donated to the corresponding charity when it actually is not.

Since there are many more charitable causes than colors, the bracelets lose meaning since it's impossible to tell which issue is represented by a bracelet based on its color. With so many colors and causes, the bracelets have lost their awareness-creating value and have instead become just another fashion trend.

Colored silicone wristbands are similar in appearance to the color-coded wristbands used by hospitals to symbolize certain health care instructions. So, in order to avoid confusion in any of the patient's health care, its important to not wear the colour coded silicone awareness bracelets while on a visit to such a hospital or clinic.

Even though silicon bracelets are being touted as the latest trend as a fashion accessory, its important to note that the silicon bracelets will not be preferred for formal parties and can never substitute the formal party accessories consisting of real jewelry items. They are more suitable for teenagers or kids parties where they are treated as fun accessories.