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Day-to-day care for acne: the place of corrective make-up
- 15min
- May. 2022
- Supported by
Apparent skin lesions can impair quality of life, in particular when they are located to the face, which is of paramount importance to body image and self-esteem.1,2
It is now well established that patients with acne are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, decreased self-esteem, and have suicidal ideation. Of course this is important during adolescence, where psychological distress can cause significant social problems.2 But, older acne patients should not be forgotten, as they report significantly greater overall effects on their quality of life than do younger patients.3
Corrective make-up: also a useful tool to improve clinical outcomes
Beyond their quality of life, patients desire immediate therapeutic and cosmetic results when initiating medical treatment. Unfortunately achieving visible results of treating acne can take time and patients can be frustrated and loose confidence in the ability of the practitioner to provide resolution in their skin condition. This may lead to non-compliance and therefore treatment failures.2
Corrective make-up can provide immediate results and can be helpful to complete the medical treatment.
In addition, studies show a rapid and dramatic improvement in QoL scores when used properly in addition to other therapies. Because improvement in QoL is related to patient satisfaction and compliance with medical treatment, make-up at the onset of treatment in specific cases may help increase patient satisfaction and yield improved clinical results.2
A recent study demonstrated that corrective make-up can restore self-esteem and improve QoL.
Features of corrective make-up
The main objective of corrective make-up is to make the lesions less visible: to do so, specific make-up is needed, containing a high concentration of pigment allowing a small amount of make-up to cover the lesions, and provide a natural look. Corrective make-up contains 25-50% pigment whilst tinted cream contains just 5-8%: this means that it is thicker and it requires a specific technique to apply it.
As this corrective make-up is applied on skins weakened by pathology and treatments, it has to be formulated to provide an optimal tolerance, and should be free of any ingredients that could lead to intolerance reactions. All the studies published on “make-up and quality of life” have demonstrated a net improvement in quality of life without increasing existing acne lesions.
How to select colors
Corrective make-up is available in many shades to meet the needs of all skin tones.2
The selected shade of the corrective foundation should match the skin color to create a flawless finish.
When hesitating between two shades of foundation, patients should always opt for the lighter of the two as it is possible to add a touch of powder to make it slightly darker but the opposite is impossible.
Corrective concealers (yellow and green) can be applied before the foundation and help neutralizing the redness or purple color of the lesions.
The corrective make-up routine
Corrective make-up applied in the morning provides the effective cosmetic camouflaging effect, an immediate improvement in the skin’s appearance by covering the imperfections.
However, applying corrective make-up requires skills that can be taught by dermatologists and professional makeup artists.
Twenty years ago, La Roche-Posay initiated the creation of corrective make-up workshops to help patients accept their appearance and cope better with their skin condition.
Today, 150 corrective make-up workshops exist worldwide, offering education and empowerment as well as practical training sessions for patients.
Appropriate well-tolerated, non-comedogenic, non-allergenic make-up products containing active ingredients against acne have to be selected.
The important benefits of using suitably designed makeup in acne include:
- Imparting an even tone to the complexion, thereby helping the individual feel more satisfied with the skin appearance
- Camouflaging acne blemishes partly or completely
- Increasing the rate of completion of medical treatment of acne
- Significantly improving psychological health parameters and quality of life
Make-up removal in the evening is compulsory and can be done with any cleanser adapted to acne patients, which should cleanse the face without drying, thanks to its specific ingredients combination.
Bibliography
- Peuvrel L., Quéreux G., Brocard A., et al. Evaluation of Quality of Life after a Medical Corrective Make-Up Lesson in Patients with Various Dermatoses. Dermatology 2012;224:374-80.
Link to abstract - Levy L.L., Emer J.J. Emotional benefit of cosmetic camouflage in the treatment of facial skin conditions: personal experience and review. Clin Cosm Investig Dermatol 2012;5:173-82.
Link to free full text - Lasek R.J., Chren M-M. Acne Vulgaris and the Quality of Life of Adult Dermatology Patients. Arch Dermatol. 1998;134:454-8.
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