Research: Skin Diseases and Infections

During our first meet and greet lesson with Lottie Webb, we were taught al about hygiene and making sure ourselves and our makeup and hair kits are always clean and presentable.

For a homework task, she asked us to go and research different types of skin diseases and infections and also some contra-actions and indications.

Impetigo

Impetigo is quite a common and highly contagious skin infection that caused sores and blisters on the skin. It's not usually serious and quite often it improves with a week of treatment.

There are two types of Impetigo:

1. Non-bullous: this type usually affects the skin around the nose and mouth and can cause sores to develop on the skin that when burst, leave a yellow/brown coloured crust.

2. Bullous: this type usually affects the parts of your body between your neck and waist, this can cause blisters quite often filled with fluid that burst within a few days and leave a yellow coloured crust.

If a client or someone whose makeup you are doing has this infection, you should not do their makeup as it is highly infectious.

Ecthyma

Ecthyma is a skin infection which look like sores on the skin and ulcers form around/underneath them. It is a form of Impetigo as it involves the same bacteria but Ecthyma causes deeper scars in the skin.

If someone you are working on has Ecthyma, it is okay for you to do their makeup as it is not an infectious disease.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a skin condition which produces amounts of thick, flaky skin. The dry flakes of skin come from the large amount of skin cells triggered by inflammatory chemicals produced by white blood cells called Lymphocytes. This condition affects the elbows, knees and scalp. This condition is incurable and is a long term skin condition.

If someone you are working on has this skin condition, it is okay for you to do their makeup if their skin is flaky although if the area is red then you should not apply makeup to their skin.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis or 'red eye' is a condition which causes redness and inflammation in the thin layer of tissue which covers the front of your eye. This condition causes the blood vessels in your eyes membrane to enlarge, this is what causes the eye to appear red all over.

If someone you are doing makeup for has this condition, you should not apply makeup on them as it is highly contagious and would mean you would have to throw your makeup brushes away. To avoid this, make sure not to double dip any products and make sure your brushes are always clean.

Sty

A sty is a red, swollen lump that appears on the eyelid which is caused by a blocked gland.

There are two different types of Sty:

1. Hordeolum: this type is when a sweat or oil gland is blocked in the skin of the eyelid

2. Chalazion: this type is when the meibomian gland (a unique type of oil gland in the eyelid) is blocked

Meibomian glands create an oily liquid onto the eye surface which stops tear's water layers leaving the eye's surfacr too quickly. Because of this, when a meibomian gland is functioning correctly, this can cause the same symptoms of a dry eye, leading to the swollen lump on the eyelid.

If you are working on a client with a Sty, you can still apply makeup to their face but don't apply any makeup to their eye.

Cold Sore

A cold sore is a small blister that forms on the lip and mouth area. This type of infection is caused by the herpes virus and usually lasts around 7-10 days. Somtimes cold sores can be filled with a fluid like pus.

If you are working on a client with a cold sore, you can still apply makeup to their face but avoid the mouth area.

Contra Actions and Indications

Contra Action

A contra action is something that happens to the client during or after the treatment. Some examples of this include; watery eye, swelling, itchiness, hot skin (allergic reaction) and blotchy/irritated skin. If any of these happen while you are doing someone's makeup, take the makeup off straight away and apply a cool flannel to their face.

Contra Indication

A contra indication is something that has happened to the client before you started doing their makeup. It is very important to ask them of any diseases, allergies or reactions before start applying any products to their skin. Some examples of contra indications may include; fever, vomiting, eczema, conjunctivitis, any cuts/bruises or open wounds (mostly just on the face area) and any styes or watery eyes. By you asking the client and them telling you, you can assess whether or not it will be possible to put any products on their skin.