Scar Makeup: How To Cover Up a Scar Using Makeup

Scars can be a badge of honor for some, while others wish they didn't have them. If you want to erase a mark on your body, there are ways to use makeup to do it. 

There is a large variety of scars, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some scars are raised, indented, and flat. They also can be different colors like red, white, or the type of pigmentation from acne scarring. 

Makeup can be a magical tool to cover anything and everything, including scars. HIDE premium products are fantastic at covering imperfections. That’s why we are going to go over how to cover any scar the right way. 

Preparing Your Skin

The first step in covering a scar is properly preparing your skin for makeup. With proper skincare, your face will be more receptive to makeup. You won't have to work as hard to create an even complexion because you’ll already have a smooth, even surface to apply it to. 

No matter what your skin type is, or if you do or don't have a scar, you probably have a layer of dead skin cells on your face. It's a natural part of the renewal process. Your body creates new skin and sheds the old skin. You can help this process along through exfoliation. 

When you have a scar, exfoliating can also be helpful to reduce its appearance and prepare it for makeup. Since your scar has dead skin cells over an already thicker layer of skin, it is important to remove them before applying makeup. Your makeup will look smoother and hold for longer. You can exfoliate using a small amount of cleanser with grit or using an exfoliating serum with lactic acid that will gently remove the dead skin. 

After you exfoliate, apply moisturizer all over your face, including your scar. It will soften your scar and create a receptive surface for makeup. It will also prevent dry patches that will prevent a smooth application. 

You can also apply a primer to smooth out uneven texture caused by scarring. Acne scarring usually leaves indentations in the skin, which primer can help fill. Once your skin is prepped and primed, you are ready for the next step in scar coverage.

Color-Correcting Imperfections

If the color of your scar doesn't match your skin tone, you may benefit from a color-correcting concealer. These types of concealers are totally different from normal concealers. 

The shades of color-correcting concealers aren't natural skin tones. Corrective concealers are orange, green, yellow, pink, purple, and white. Each of these colors cancels out another color to cover a variety of skin discoloration. This makeup technique is based on color theory, and it can really help you cover up stubborn discoloration. 

You have to understand which color addresses your concerns. You want to apply the color on the opposite side of the color wheel as your discoloration. For example, if you are trying to conceal redness, use a green color corrector. If you have purple hues, choose a yellow concealer to neutralize the color. 

You will still have to use a concealer that is the color of your skin tone overtops of the color-corrector. This technique covers the strange color, and when layered with a skin tone colored concealer, you can't see the discoloration underneath. 

HIDE Premium Concealer has enough pigmentation in it to cover many different types of discoloration without the need for a color-correcting concealer. It can even cover tattoos! However, using a color-corrector can be beneficial if you don't have HIDE products or if you feel like you need more coverage. 

Applying Your Makeup

Once you prime your skin, here is how you apply the rest of your makeup and a few things to consider.

Color-Corrector Before or After Foundation

You can apply your color-correcting concealer first and then apply your foundation over top of it. However, you may remove some of the concealer as you apply your foundation. To avoid this, gently dab the foundation over the areas with concealer with a damp makeup sponge. 

The other option is to apply your foundation until you have a semi-even complexion. Then go over the areas with discoloration with color-correcting concealer. 

Apply Concealer

Once you apply both your foundation and color-corrector, you can go in with your concealer. Foundation should always go before concealer. It's designed to be the base, and concealer is meant to be the finishing touch. 

You can apply your concealer over the areas where you have a color corrector and other areas where you may need extra coverage. 

Hide Premium Concealer completely covers any imperfections. It's ultra-lightweight, and you can wear it all day with a flawless finish. It works on all skin types: normal, dry, oily, and combination skin. 

Set Your Makeup

After you apply the rest of your makeup, eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, blush, and bronzer, you can set your makeup with a setting spray. It will help the concealer stay on the scar for all-day wear. 

You can also use a translucent setting powder on your skin if you want a more mattifying complexion. 

HIDE products have a semi-matte finish that is waterproof and transfer-proof, so it won't rub off, whether or not you set it. 

Treating Your Scar

If you are very unhappy with the appearance of your scar, there are things you can do to make it look less noticeable. 

Several topical treatments, like self-drying silicone gel, have been shown to be beneficial in clinical studies. In one study, 30% of people found using silicone gels was satisfactory. They had scars of different types, including superficial scars, hypertrophic scars, and keloids. It lightened and decreased the appearance of their scars. The silicone gel in the study also reduced the texture by 86% and color by 84%. It also reduced the height of raised scars. This gel is easy to find and is simple to apply. It may help your scar along in the healing process, and it can also protect it. 

There are also skin treatments like microdermabrasion that can help reduce the appearance of a scar. It all depends on how much time and money you are willing to spend to reduce the appearance of your scars, but makeup is also an easy solution. 

Ingredients To Avoid

Now that you know what you can put on your scar to help it, let's go over what you should avoid. 

Try to stay away from products that include skin-lightening ingredients in them like hydroquinone or bleach, as these ingredients can be harmful to the skin. If there is too much hydroquinone, or if you are allergic, your skin may become inflamed, leading to puffy red or pink skin.

You won't end up getting rid of your discoloration but could have an even worse scar. It can also slow down the healing process. Always double-check to make sure the products you are putting on your scar are helpful and won't cause you harm.

Cover And Forget It

There are many different types of scars and various ways to conceal them. 

Proper skincare can help your makeup go on smoother over your scar, and a primer will help even out your canvas even more. If you have a lot of discoloration, you can also use a color-correcting concealer to cancel out the unwanted color.

HIDE premium products work great at covering everything, including scars. Our ingredients won't irritate your scar in the healing process, and it works on all skin types.

Your scar will be nonexistent in no time!

 

Sources:

5 Secrets to Covering Scars With Makeup | How Stuff Works

The Efficacy of Silicone Gel for the Treatment of Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids | NCBI

Taking the Pulse of Hydroquinone Therapy: A Plea for Caution | Practical Dermatology