Covering Facial Scar - Tips Please

lessonlearned

I have a scar on my face due to removal of basal cell carcinoma (it was a birthmark which became cancerous). The scar itself is white but still has some red and "angry" looking areas surrounding it. I had my op about 15 months ago.

Can anyone please recommend suitable makeup to help cover it. I have quite sensitive skin at the best of times and the scar still itches occasionally.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

sillyvixen

have you thought of cica patches (not cheap but supposed to be very good...ask your dr as may be prescribable for facial scaring). i was going to try these for 7 inch abdo scar from surgery and before i got to full healing i developed a further problem that will require further surgery and opening and extension of the origional incision so no point trying now as it would be a waste of money..still waiting to get on the waiting list for surgery....never mind 2nd outpatients appointment next month!!!

Nile

lessonlearned wrote: »

I have a scar on my face due to removal of basal cell carcinoma (it was a birthmark which became cancerous). The scar itself is white but still has some red and "angry" looking areas surrounding it. I had my op about 15 months ago.

Can anyone please recommend suitable makeup to help cover it. I have quite sensitive skin at the best of times and the scar still itches occasionally.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

Hello lessonlearned

Have a look at this website:

http://www.skin-camouflage.net/index.htm

If you think that the British Association of Skin Camouflage can help you, see your GP for a referral. It might be better to see a professional and be shown how to correctly apply the products, rather than buy makeup products yourself which may not be as effective.;)

Regards

Nile

judyjetson

I have some facial scars, thanks to a plate glass window a few years back, and while they've healed really well , thanks primarily to a fantastic surgeon, occasionally I get a bit of redness and itchiness around one of them. I use Barefoot Botanicals SOS cream which is really good at calming the skin, and it's specifically aimed at sensitive skin.

It depends on how red and angry yours is, but I use Barbara Daly concealer from Tesco to take the edge off the redness - it's not heavy duty and doesn't cover up the scar but I find it's just enough to tone it down. Oh, and I avoid the actual scar itself and just apply it to the inflamed area.

Bio-oil is supposed to be very good for scars as well, as is vitamin E oil, which is what I used and was recommended by my plastic surgeon.

lessonlearned

Thank you all for your replies - lots of tips for me to try. Already use bio oil and am finding this quite good, the scar itself is looking better since I started using this - less puckered and much flatter.

Will see my GP next as you suggest, however, I notice that the website you pointed out for skin-camouflage is not a million miles from me - (Macclesfield - I'm in Derby) so I might contact them direct if the NHS can't help.

Good luck with your treatment Sillyvixen.

Thanks again for all the info.

angel81uk

Hi lessonlearned, I'm a make up artist trained in camouflage make up so I hope I can offer you some help.

As others have suggested it would be a good idea to contact your GP as you may find they can refer you to someone locally. Hospitals often have make up artists who are able to teach you the correct techniques. It's also possible in some cases to get the make up on prescription, however it can often be bought quite cheaply if you know where to look. However, you've mentioned the skin surrounding the scar is quite red and angry, if you still have some healing issues then you definitely need to see a GP as I wouldn't advise applying make up to sore, broken skin.

There are a number of different make up brands that sell camouflage make up and each have their own pro's and con's. Personally I find the easiest to use is a product called dermacolor as it goes on easily and offers excellent coverage. Veil Cover and Dermablend are two other popular brands.

As far as how to cover the scar is concerned it depends on the severity of the pigmentation. You may find that a layer of skin coloured make up will cover the redness without a problem, however in some cases it's necessary to apply a layer of green make up first (all of the ranges mentioned above contain a green concealer). You wold start by using a brush to apply the green colour to the red areas of skin only, you only need a very thin layer just to tone down the redness. You then need to set the make up with a fine dusting of setting powder/talc/translucent face powder. Then, taking a clean brush or sponge you apply the skin colour over the top using a pressing motion rather than a sweeping motion so as not to disturb the layer underneath. Extend this layer out slightly on to the undamaged skin and blend the edges away to nothing. Again, powder to set.

For most people these two layers should be enough, however in some cases you may need a third layer. Don't be tempted to put one thick layer on to cover everything though, you're much better off with multiple thin layers as it will look more natural.

The makeup can often end up looking quite flat though, if so you may need to stipple a sightly pink colour over the top to bring a bit of life back to the colour. Also, look at the surrounding skin. No one has perfect, flat, one coloured skin! You may have some small thread veins, moles etc so it's a good idea to try and "paint on" some of those features to help the make up look more natural.

The most difficult part is choosing the right skin colour though. As I mentioned above my favourite range is dermacolor, mainly because it's easy to apply, but also because they have such a wide range of colours. However it's still unlikely that you'll find a perfect match so you often need to mix a couple of colours together to find the perfect match. If you decide you would like to try it yourself at home I can highly recommend their "tester" palettes which come in range of different colours, such as light, medium and dark skin tones. Each palette contains a small amount of 16 different colours for you to try and they cost about £12. Once you've found the two or three colours you need you can then buy a full sized version of them for around £2 each and a case to store them all in for approx £3. So as you can see, buying them yourself only works out at £6 each time once you've found the shades you need.

I buy my dermacolor from a theatrical make up shop in London but it can also be bought online from http://www.show-bizcentre.com
if you need any more advice please do send me a pm and I'll be happy to help.

lessonlearned

Hi Angel

My but you live up to your name!!!

Anyway a really big thank you for such a helpful post - packed full of info. You are really kind to have taken so much trouble to write such a long and informative reply.

I have printed it off and will certainly follow your guidlines. I am going to see my GP soon (he specialises in skin problems). My plastic surgeon said he would ask to see me again for a review but hasn't so far (op was 15 months ago so I think I might chase him up too).

Anyway, once again, many thanks for your kind help.

Mrs_pbradley936

A friend of mine uses Dermablend you have to order it from a chemist and may get it on prescription if the doctor agrees. The one you want is in a tin about 2 inches across and it is solid. You scrape it out with the back of a spoon. If I can find a link I will put it on here.

Mrs_pbradley936

Ok here is a link http://www.dermablend.co.uk/info.html
It is a good coverage foundation that does not look like a mask.

debstardeb

I am 22 and have really visible leg veins and some under my eyes. I was looking at Angel's post recommending Dermacolor and have scoured the internet looking for the cheapest place to get it.

I have found http://www.backstageshop.co.uk/acatalog/Dermacolour_Classic.html

They have a good colour chart and little palettes with 16 samples for £10.68. I am going to try one so I will let you know how it works and how I rate it for body and face use. If anyone else has any tips for leg vein coverage I'd love to hear them as wearing tights in summer isn't any fun!:j

angel81uk

debstardeb wrote: »

I am 22 and have really visible leg veins and some under my eyes. I was looking at Angel's post recommending Dermacolor and have scoured the internet looking for the cheapest place to get it.

I have found http://www.backstageshop.co.uk/acatalog/Dermacolour_Classic.html

They have a good colour chart and little palettes with 16 samples for £10.68. I am going to try one so I will let you know how it works and how I rate it for body and face use. If anyone else has any tips for leg vein coverage I'd love to hear them as wearing tights in summer isn't any fun!:j

Hi debstardeb, that's a great price for the mini pallete! Dermacolor generally works great for face and body but does require quite a bit of practice to get the right colour and coverage. Most people start out using too much but with practice you should be able to get it looking much more natural. However for things like visible veins I'd guess you're having to cover quite a large area which would take quite a bit of time to apply make up to each time. In your case I'd perhaps suggest the dermacolor body cover which is liquid based rather than a "hard" cream and is especially for covering varicose veins and the like. You're still best to start with the mini palette to find the best colour match though.

If wearing tights is usually enough to cover up the areas you would like to hide you might find you don't need quite such heavy coverage. If that's the case I would recommend mixing a bit of the dermacolor body cover with a little body moisturiser before applying. That way you should still be able to cover the veins but it will be much easier to apply, blend and will look a little more natural with less work involved.