Master of disguise

MY INTEREST in skin camouflage is twofold. Firstly, back in the 80s, I trained as a beauty therapist, which included what was then called ‘remedial camouflage make-up’ – cosmetic make-up to cover birth marks, port wine stains etc. Secondly, I have vitiligo, so am relatively conscious of my skin, especially in the summer when the contrast between pigmented and non-pigmented skin is highlighted.

So I was intrigued to find out more about the skin camouflage service that is offered by Kate Morris from Healthcare Group, supported by the Changing Faces charity.

Kate runs the service from the Boots High Street branch of Healthcare Group and patients are referred to her from their GP. As she demonstrated her skills in camouflaging my vitiligo, we talked about what sparked her interest in paramedical skin camouflage, what it actually is, and how people can get referred.

‘I want to emphasise that what I use is not make-up, they are camouflage products,’ she says. ‘You put it on very differently and it behaves very differently to make-up. They’re very heavily pigmented, they’ve got no water in them. They look very thick in the palette, but you put a tiny, tiny amount on. You fix it with a powder and then, if it’s properly applied, it’s waterproof. You can swim, you can put make-up on over the top if you’re camouflaging something on your face. Because it’s put on so finely, it looks much more natural than ordinary foundation.’

As Kate uses her experience to quickly pick out a colour that matches my skin tone (much darker than I’d have thought she’d use, but that is down to the density of the pigmentation), she tells me how she started.

‘I’d been a practice nurse for 13 years,’ she says. ‘A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to do some training at the cosmetic medicine branch of Healthcare Group, which is called Cosmedical, where we do treatments such as lasering, IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatment for hair removal and thread veins; medical peels. I did that for a few years. The lady that was doing the skin camouflage stopped and we were asked if any of the nurses that are involved in health care would be interested in training to do it. And I thought, because I was already doing treatments that you could argue are related, it would be a good addition to what I do.

‘But it’s opened up a whole new world. The local branch of the charity Changing Faces paid for my training in London – it was a very intensive course at their headquarters. I got my certificate and then started providing the service. Changing Faces locally pays for my time, but it’s free to the client. Some people are referred to me through their GP, some are picked up through Cosmedical because there’s something about their appearance that they want to change. Sometimes clients come in during my normal practice nursing work and I can let them know about the availability of the service. All of our GPs know about it, too.

‘It’s for anybody with any visible difference to their skin that they wish to camouflage for any reason at all. I’m particularly interested in self-harming scars, birthmarks, rosacea, melasma – which is the brown pigmentation – and vitiligo. If anybody’s wondering whether it would be suitable or not for them, I’m very happy to talk to them beforehand, to advise them whether or not it would be suitable.

‘In an ideal world, we wouldn’t worry about what we look like – everybody would be comfortable. But there’s a lot of pressure and it’s a fact of life that when you look different, people do look and stare and ask inappropriate questions. Some people don’t want that to be the first thing that others notice about them. So for people like that, they might choose to use camouflage all the time. Some may use it for special occasions. There are all sorts of reasons why people come to me. I see a whole range of conditions, a whole range of ages, men, women and children: they have all got their own reasons for wanting to camouflage.’

This neatly leads us on to discussing the mental wellbeing of people, and Kate says that everybody who ends up in her room requesting camouflage is affected in some way. Kate explains that together, she and the client select a colour that’s as close as possible to their natural skin colour, and then she shows them how she does it, and teaches them how to apply it.

‘I then get the products prescribed to them by a doctor, so if they’re on a normal state prescription, they just pay a dispensing fee. If they have any problems with applying it, they can come back to me. Often we get a good colour match in the summer, but it changes in the winter, so they can come back six months later.’

Removal of the products is best done using an oily lotion and cotton pads. ‘If it’s on the face, I would advise removing it every day,’ she says. ‘But if, for example, it’s a scar on an arm, it could stay on for two to three days.’

Kate’s kit is very extensive, with more than 160 different colours and skin tones. The cost of the course included the kit, and she is very grateful to Changing Faces.

I watch her work on my hands, fascinated as they look uniformly one colour – a sight I haven’t seen for a long time.

I was able to wash my hands as usual with no transfer of pigmentation to my hand towel. I couldn’t stop looking at them as, to me, having such visible vitiligo is something that I’m so used to.

The colour did wear off after a couple of days, but I was bowled over with how natural they looked.

For anyone conscious of their appearance and who thinks that Kate could help them, I would highly recommend that they contact her.

Jill Clark, chair of Changing Faces Channel Islands, said: ‘Kate does a fantastic job, and we’d encourage people to use our services. If anyone needs any assistance, please approach us for help. That’s what we’re here for.’

• For further information visit www.changingfacesci.org.gg or www.cosmedical.gg/2013/11/skin-camouflage

What is the skin camouflage service?

For someone living with scarring or a skin condition that affects their appearance and confidence, specialist camouflage products offer a way to cope. The service helps individuals to regain self-confidence and independence.

How does the service work?

The trained practitioner selects the best colour match for each person’s skin tone. They then teach clients how to apply the cover creams to improve the appearance of affected areas. These creams can provide effective waterproof cover for a wide number of skin conditions, including:

• Scarring (from burns, accidents, acne etc.)

• Vitiligo

• Rosacea

• Birthmarks

• Leg veins

• Pigmentation problems

• Other skin conditions

How do I get access to the camouflage service?

Changing Faces Channel Islands (CFCI) requires that you visit your GP and be referred to the skin camouflage service. Once your GP has approved that the camouflage service is suitable for you, you can book your appointment at the Healthcare Group Surgery in St Martin’s (tel. 723373). For further information, visit www.cosmedical.gg/2013/11/skin-camouflage

Payment for the service

The service is free. Once you have been referred by your GP, Changing Faces Channel Islands will meet the cost of your appointment to see the camouflage practitioner. Changing Faces Channel Islands is, however, a charity and the skin camouflage service relies on donations from the public. Any donation you can make will help them to continue this service and benefit others.