COVERING A SCAR

A Keloid is an abnormal scar that extends beyond the original area of injury. In people with a genetic predisposition, these overgrown scars can form after surgery, piercing, tattooing, bug bites, and even acne. They are an overproduction of collagen, causing excessive healing.

The fibroblast cells (collagen making cells) of African descendants are bi-nucleated, meaning they produce more collagen. This makes them more susceptible to hypertrophic or Keloid scars.

Clients with richly pigmented skin are more likely to experience Keloids and hyper-pigmentation. I promise to create a downloadable PDF of these conditions and their origins for all you fellow skin geeks.

Skin conditions take on a different appearance within each ethnic group. Every makeup artist should know how to conceal common skin issues. When attempting to cover scar, start by placing a color corrector shade, concealer and foundation on a clean palette.

Stipple the color corrector over the scar with a bi-fiber or a synthetic concealer brush. In this video I’m using a bright orange to cancel out the deep blue tones in our model’s scar. If the scar were red I would have opted for a green color corrector.

Apply a layer of foundation. If the color corrector is a creamy formula, rather than dry and opaque, you’ll have to create several layers to achieve the desired coverage. Powdering between layers will help set everything but will eventually make the area look pasty, so I prefer the technique I demonstrate in this video.

*Keloids are most common in people of African and Chinese ancestry

**People from Malaysia, India, Latin America, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East are often affected

***Keloids that are simply excised usually return.