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Makeup to cover recent facial incision/scar?
About a week and a half ago I had surgery on my forehead to remove basal cell skin cancer. My incision is pretty large and is still healing...stitches to hopefully come out tomorrow. I've been wearing a bandage since then.
Pending my doctor giving me the clear to wear makeup over it, I need some suggestions for covering it up. My normal makeup routine includes MAC Mineralize Satinfinish liquid foundation (low to medium coverage), Smashbox Camera Ready Full coverage concealer, bronzer, finishing power, etc...
If the incision/scar was tiny I could care less...but it's pretty big (about 1/4 of my forehead) and is in the shape of an upside down field goal post (thankfully a plastic surgeon did it).
My hair is another issue since I'm missing some right at my part. 
Thanks!
Re: Makeup to cover recent facial incision/scar?
I am so sorry. I had to get a dime size removed from behind my ear on my scalp. I wish you a fast and scarless recovery.
MIL is an aesthetician who used to own a spa raves about Dermablend, you can find it at some Dept stores and online. She says it's the best make up to cover scars, tattoos, etc. Once you have done your foundation with that then you can do your make up as usual.
http://www.dermablend.com/index.aspx
Thanks for the well wishes, TX-Bride...and I hope you're doing well too!
Thanks also for the Dermablend suggestion. It looks like they sell it at Ulta and there is one near me, so I'll definitely check it out.
I'm sorry! It's definitely more of a mental hurdle to get over than anything. I had basal cell cancer removed from my cheek a few years ago. The removed an area of skin about the size of a quarter and then made the incision longer (more football shaped) and sewed it up so its a straight line running right down where my laugh line is. You can still see it but its faded to the point where its not the first thing people see when they look at me. Its a very thin white line most of the time. When its really cold outside sometimes it will get a little purple. i just wanted to share that with you so you know it does fade! I felt like frankenstein at first but its much better now.
I followed all my doctor's directions to a T because I wanted to get the best result. I left my bandage on the entire time they told me to. Once I had the stitches removed I thought I would start wearing makup to cover it right way. I ended up deciding not too. I wanted to let it breath and heal more first. I used mederma and vitamin E on it to help it fade. Also I found if you massage the scar several times a day it helps the scar tissue distribute a little more even and flatten out. It might not work for everyone but it worked for me. My scar is completely flat, no part of it is raised. I just use regular makeup now. I'd rather have a little bit of a scar show through than wear really thick makeup to try to cover it up. Like I said its a white line and i have very fair skin so its really not noticable. I am hoping i never have to deal with this again! Its very emotionally draining. I don't want to be vain but its my face ya know!
How scary! I'm glad you had it removed. I have facial scars from a dog bite when I was 10, but they're rarely noticed by anyone now, so I agree with following your doctor's instructions to a T. I had to rub cocoa butter on mine twice a day and then apply sunscreen every morning. My wounds were just taped together until they began to heal, so it's a little different.
As far as pigmented makeup to cover your scar, I recommend Make Up For Ever's Full Cover concealer. It's VERY pigmented and has a drier texture, so it can be mixed easily with a little bit of moisturizer/foundation or just blend a tiny little dot onto the area you're worried about. It *really* covers and stays like nobody's business.
I wish you well in your healing process and hope you don't have to go through anything like this again.
Thanks for your nice thoughts! It's so nice to hear a story from someone else that has been through this. That's great news that your scar is just a white line now...I hope the same happens to me. All in due time.
I appreciate the mederma and vitamin E recommendation...I've used mederma before for another scar. If I recall correctly I think you have to be really diligent about applying it so many times a day?
I hope neither one of us has to deal with it again! I couldn't agree more about the mental hurdle too. I was all worked up before the surgery and that ended up being pretty easy. It was weird being fully awake in the OR, but thankfully no pain. I iced like crazy and had virtually no bruising.
I felt vain asking this question, but yes, it's pretty scary to look at now without the bandage. Hopefully I get the stitches out tomorrow and I can let it breath for a few days...I was more worried about covering it up with makeup since I start a new job in about a week. Fun times!
Thanks so much for your well wishes! I appreciate the recommendation and it looks like a shopping trip to Ulta and Sephora is going to happen this weekend! That's really important that the makeup stays put...hopefully using the makeup to cover it will be temporary and it heals nicely. So far it's looking pretty good! How surgeons do this, I have no idea!
Depending on your general style, I'd consider bangs and/or hats this winter and letting the scar breathe a bit. I had a nasty face plant into a concrete stair when I was in my early 20's- multiple stitches across my forehead. The surgeon who stitched me up told me to avoid makeup over the incision until the scar faded to white (let the new connection finish healing) to avoid any irritation that might cause me to put my hands up there absentmindedly and scratch or rub at it and possibly break the split open again. He also recommended hats while outdoors for a year to prevent any possibility of sunburn- but I'm extremely pale and burn easily. I took his advice like gospel and maybe it's the reason my scar is unnoticeable now- maybe it's not... but it certainly didn't hurt. I fell in love with cute hats that winter though and still enjoy them today. (I can't wait for it to get cold again so I can start wearing hats again!)
Barring hats and bangs (my preferred method) Dermablend is absolutely amazing. We used it in theater and I keep some on hand as a concealer. Covers amazingly, stays put, pretty gentle on skin, and they've got a very solid range of colors- it's hard to find a color fair enough for me without going to a company that specializes in fair skin but they have me covered.
Friends for 15 years. Married 8. TTC since January 2009
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Tomorrow morning's appointment may very well lead me to call my hair stylist for an emergency appointment...I haven't had bangs in probably 15 years! But there's no time like the present for a change I guess. I think I'll also have to wear hats outdoors for a while (or the rest of my life), which is fine...that's why they have sunless tanner and bronzer!
Good to hear about Dermablend's range of colors!
Ouch, I can't even imagine! I have about 50-60 tiny stitches. That's incredible about how your scar has healed. Thanks for the encouraging words!
Thanks! Your siggy pic is gorgeous!
I had a mole removed by a plastic surgeon on my face earlier this year. I used Kinerase Scar Healing Therapy on it after my stitches were removed and you really can barely see anything anymore. I highly recommend it! I second previous posters suggestions to really massage the area, it does seem to help break up the scar tissue. I applied my Scar Therapy twice a day for eight weeks as it states in the directions, and I honestly couldn't be happier with the results.
FWIW, my plastic surgeon told me that all scars are going to get red and not pretty looking when they first start to heal and it's totally normal, just know that it won't last forever! Good luck!