(3) Cosmetic Considerations and Applications

What is complexion?

Color and texture of the skin
-colors vary as a result of the differences in pigment within and under the two primary layers of skin

What are some skin pigmentation conditions?

-Albinism: depigmentation, off white straw colored
-Vitaligo: white spots
-Carotene: yellowish pigment of the skin

What is melanin?

Brownish pigment of the skin, human rainbow

What is hemoglobin?

Reddish pigment of the skin

What are the classifications of complexion?

-Yellowish
-Brownish
-Reddish
Varations between each classification as
-Light
-Medium
-Dark
-Darker

What factors affect normal complexion?

-Age
-Climate
-health
-Genetics

What factors affect abnormal complexion?

-Blood discolorations
-Pigmentary discolorations
-Moisture changes

HOw will age affect the skin?

Dulls and grays it, becomes courser as texture changes occur during aging

How will climate affect skin?

An abundance or lack of sunsihne affects melanin concentration within the skin

How will health affect skin?

The degree of redness is affected by the quantity of blood in the superficial capillaries (physical condition)

How do genetics affect skni?

Ethnic and racial conditions affect our skins coloring

What are blood discolorations?

The escape of blood into the intercellular spaces due to trauma or hypostasis

What are pigmentary discolorations?

-Jaundice (yellowish to green)
-Addison’s Disease (bronze)
-Decomposition (green)
-Formaldehyde gray
-Fluid Burn (pink)
-PM stain, contusions, bruising (purp to red)

What are some moisture changes that will affect coloring?

-Emacation (sallow, yellowish or light brown)
-Dehydration (light to medium browns, yellowing/browning)
-Desiccation (darker browns)

What is the importance of pictures?

Crucial for showing changes that occurred from illness, trauma, moisture and color changes
-Recent photos in various angles are invaluable for feature setting and major restoration
-Professional portraits aren’t reliable

What are some pre embalming cosmetic considerations?

-Shaving
-Hair
-Infected pores
-Feature setting
-Severe or deep discolorations of face and hands

How should you go about shaving?

-disposable razors
-Shave cream followed by massage cream or lanolin spray
-Dodges alternative to shave cream
-1/2 metaflow, ½ restorative, allow to soak

What should you do for the hair?

-Trim
-Clean up hairline
-Trim nose, ears, sideburns, mustaches and beards
-Groom the eyebrows
-get a professional or family member if you don’t know how to

How should you treat infected pores?

-Reduce carefully with a tissue
-Do NOT use gloved hands

How should you go about feature setting?

-Mouth: weatherline, dentures, mouth former, filler materials
-Eyes: Line of closure indicated by 2/3 superior palpebrae and 1/3 inferior palpebrae. Abut lids, dont overlap

How should you treat severe/deep discolorations of the face and hands?

-Put massage cream around the affected area to prevent bleaching in undesired places
-Hypodermically inject phenol into bruises and/or black eyes
-Injection should be with a very small diameter hypodermic needle
-Injections should be very superficial
-Injections are most effective when done prior to embalming

How should you treat the face during embalming?

Consideration must be given, and embalming techniques and fluid mixtures employed, that will clear the face of discoloration

How should the hands be treated during embalming?

-Lower than table level
-Manipulate around each digit
-Manipulate the nailbeds
-Remember to position correctly post embalming

What is the timeline of application post embalming?

1: Camouglage
2: Foundation cosmetics
3: Powder
4: Blush
5: Lip color
6: eye color
7: Brows

What should be known about mortuary cosmetics?

-Often more expensive
-ordered and shipped via vendors
-Typically have a red pigment base (critical when attempting to correct jaundice discolorations of yellow and/or green)

Over the counter cosmetics

-Often less expensive
-Easy to obtain
-Typically contains a yellow pigment base (NEVER used on a jaundice case)

When should camouflage be applied?

Before foundation with fingers, stipple brush or sponge (blend and feather the edges to keep camouflage invisible)

WHat is camouflage for?

Covering discolorations on the hands and face
-Most discoloration can be easily corrected by using yellow and/or flesh tone opaque cosmetic

How should certain discolorations be camouflaged?

-Blue/purplish bruising: Green camouflage
-Yellow/greenish bruising: purple camouflage
-Jaundice: Counterstain with red based pigments

How should you go about foundation?

-A good, liquid foundation with moisturizers is the best choice on the normal case
-Cream foundations can look thick and waxy and therefore less natural
-Base that will blend with and carry your highlights, shadows and rouges
-Begin at the center and work towards the hairline and neck (at the neck avoids demarcation)

How to avoid line of demarcation with foundation?

-Apply cosmetic to the neck
-Blend at the hairline into the hair. Clean cosmetic from the hair itself or camouflage with a mascara brush that matches the hair color

How should you apply powders?

-Set foundation with translucent powder and/or camouflage cosmetics
-Matte powders remove sheen by absorbing any oils or moisture (can also dehydrate)
-Do not apply heavily, a simple dusting with an atomizer and/or large powder brush is all you need
-Clean powder from lashes, brows and hairline and dont get it on clothing or casket interior

What should you take into mind when applying blush?

-Powder blushes are usually easier to control and apply than are creams
-Creams can have a more natural look
-Red, white and brown pigments are implemented for recreating warm color, highlight and shadow areas
-Consider age

Highlight

A surface lying at a right angle to the source of illumination which reflext the maximum amount of light

Shadow

Surfaces which do not lie at right angles to the source of illumination, or they are obscured by other surfaces and reflext little or no light

What are the purposes of highlight and shadow?

-Replaces normal contrasts erased by funeral lighting
-Offers corrective shaping of the face
-Offers emphasis and de emphasis of features

What are the warm color areas of the face?

lips, cheeks, ears, chin, nose, forehead

What are the warm color areas of the hands?

-Knuckles
-Fingernails
-Cuticles

How should lip color be applied?

-Best application is from a mixture of colors, being sure to implement brown ratehr than using a single color (if the color looks off, add brown)
-Apply with a lip brush and apply in strokes to accentuate the vertical lines of the lips
-Matte for men
-Gloss for ladies
_Liner is only used for corrective or designer application

How should eye color be applied?

-Eye color is typically a designer cosmetic used on women- should be discussed beforehand
-Neutral and earth tones of eye shadow can be used for highlighting and shadowing since there is a large variety of shadows avaliable
-Mascara is a great tool to use on brows and hairlines to add color and/or remove powders

How should children be cosmetized?

-Unless its trauma, not necessary or desirable to apply heavy cosmetics
-Light blush to cheeks and other warm areas
-Stain rather than stick on mouth
-keep in mind cosmetics will likely be wiped off wehn held
-Liquid tint could be used if color is needed without coverage

How should men be cosmetized?

-A liquid tint is the best choice for men when the body condition allows it
-tints contain alcohol and can be dehydrating
-Avoid additional powder as some tints already contain powder, which can dehydrate further
-Blush on warm color aeras should not be forgotten along with a little lip color
-Brunette is a great tint for men as it is more brown than red

What is the key to cosmetic application?

Making a person look as though they have no cosmetics. Natural appearance is desirable in most instances. less is more.

Correct cosmetics are often in the form of…

highlight and/or shadow application.
-When an area of the face is highlighted (lightened), it appears to be brought forward or emphasized
-When an area of the face is shadowed (darkened), it appears to recede or de-emphasize

What are some corrective techniques?

-Lips can be made thinner or thicker
-Nose length and width can be altered
-Eyes can be made to look closer or further apart
-Chin can be made to look less prominent
-Forehead, cheeks and headshape can be altered

What are some difficulties to consider when cosmetizing black folks?

-Discoloration/blaeching during embalming becomes an issue that will require coverage to establish an even skin tone
-Most prominent in the nares, nose and buccal cheeks, hands and integumentary lips

HIghlight and shadow should be…

practiced on everyone for the most natural appearance

What should you do with freckles?

-Use translucent cosmetics
-If you use opque, recreate

How should you treat the hands?

-tissue build when emaciated
-Groom the hands and nails and cosmetize

What are the values of cosmetics?

-Allows families to have private time to view the deceased
-Offers the psychological value of feeling in control in an uncontrollable situation