Masking and camouflaging agents

Correction of various defects of appearance, including manifestations of a number of dermatoses and their consequences, has always been in the focus of interests of mankind. The centuries-old experience of using various means of decorative cosmetics by many peoples, which changed from era to era, is well known. There are many approaches and points of view regarding decorative cosmetics and correction of various changes on the skin. Until recently, in dermatology, this aspect was considered rather as an additional one, which is in the field of view of estheticians, make-up artists, make-up artists. Traditionally, in order to visually reduce the volume of a certain part of the face, it is recommended to use dark tones, and to increase it - light ones. Achieving the desired masking effect was previously carried out with the help of generally accepted and widely used decorative cosmetics available in regular perfume and cosmetic stores. However, the widespread use of traditional decorative cosmetics for patients with various dermatoses was not recommended by specialists due to the high potential risk of comedogenicity, as well as pronounced irritating and sensitizing effects.

It should be emphasized that in classical dermatology, specialists recommended the use of external preparations with a masking effect. On the one hand, they had a therapeutic effect (anti-inflammatory, sebum-regulating, disinfectant, etc.), and on the other hand, they had masking properties. For example, J. Darrieus (1908) proposed a skin-colored powder that included a mixture of white and red clay (bolum atbua et bolum rubra) as a coloring agent. In England and the USA, in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, "galamine stone" - zinc carbonate, slightly burnt, colored pink - was widely used in external preparations (powders, solutions for washing, pastes). In order to impart a shade to the skin, ichthyol, burnt magnesia, zinc oxide were also added to dermatological forms, and later - ordinary powders and foundation creams.

In modern dermatocosmetology, make-up products are divided into three main groups [Rayner VL, 1988]:

1. Decorative cosmetics.
2. Theatrical makeup products.
3. Dermatological camouflage products

In recent years, techniques that facilitate the introduction of pigment into the skin for a long time have become popular - artificial skin coloring and permanent makeup. It is important to emphasize that the use of permanent skin coloring methods does not reduce the relevance of the widespread use of decorative cosmetics.

Decorative cosmetics are designed to highlight certain facial features, create certain color schemes, and mask minor changes in the skin (oily shine, isolated superficial acne, minor facial erythema, telangiectasia, dyschromia, etc.). For people with cosmetic defects, decorative cosmetics can solve another problem - to emphasize certain areas of the face (eyes, eyebrows, lips) and distract the eye from skin damage.

In recent years, many cosmetic lines intended for skin care of patients with certain dermatoses include various tonal and masking agents. They are produced in the form of a shaken suspension, paste, emulsion (vault in oil" or "oil in water"), mousse. The choice of form depends on the rate of excretion of sebum and the severity of the space defect. As a masking agent, such products most often contain titanium dioxide in a concentration of up to 20%. As is known, this compound is also a mineral screen. Modern products for dermatological makeup can also meet certain medical goals, being a valuable addition to external therapy. Thus, to achieve a matting effect, derivatives of Ryakhmal and various silicones are used, to reduce the severity of inflammation in the acne area - salicylic acid compounds. Emulsion foundations are included in the Sebium (Biol aerma, France), Exfoliac (MERC Medication Familial, France) ranges for oily skin and in the Rosellian range for sensitive skin (Linage dermatological laboratories, France), and a correcting pencil is included in the Normaderm range (Vichy Laboratories, France). There are also lines for people with sensitive skin and various dermatoses, which include not only foundation and correcting products in the form of creams, sticks and powders (Aeroteint, Vichy Laboratories; Aqua D+, Lierac; Couvrancm range, Avene Laboratories, etc.), but also other decorative cosmetics (La Roche-Posay). Some of the above mentioned products include not only pigments that characterize skin tones (white, beige, brown, etc.), but also other dyes, in particular green, which can mask erythema.

The so-called theatrical cosmetics, or theatrical make-up, are products applied to the skin of persons performing on stage, it is also used in filming on television, in videos and movies. The desired masking, modeling and color effect of the make-up is achieved only under certain lighting, typical for a cinematography stage. In terms of its qualities, the make-up is very dense, opaque, contains a large number of organic dyes deposited on insoluble mineral substances (rose, pastel, madder lake, tramaric hives, soot, etc.), mineral oils, fragrances. It is these components that can cause the development of allergic dermatitis, exacerbation of atopic dermatitis, exogenous acne, photosensitivity, severe dehydration of the skin, etc. in persons with a certain profession.

The term "camouflage cosmetics" has been widely used in dermatology since the second half of the last century. The purpose of such cosmetics is to mask pronounced defects on exposed areas of the skin: face, neck, hands. It is intended for people with congenital and acquired pigmentation disorders (vitiligo, albinism, melasma, post-inflammatory hyper- and hypopigmentation, nevi, etc.), acne, scars and cicatricial atrophy, vascular skin diseases (hemangiomas, rosacea) and other conditions.

Special camouflage cosmetics are fundamentally different from traditional decorative cosmetics. They are usually waterproof, opaque, contain more shades to select a color range that best matches your individual skin tone, and are able to stay on the skin surface for a long time. Such products contain up to 40% pigments (titanium dioxide, iron oxides) and other components (talc, magnesium carbonate), which makes them twice as dense as regular foundations. Modern camouflage products include Dermablend corrective cosmetics (Vichy Laboratories), as well as some products from the Querapes (Avene Laboratories) and Unifiance (La Roche-Posay) ranges. In particular, the Dermablend range includes foundations and fixing powder to complete the camouflage. The base contains liquid paraffin, a substance with a low melting point, which ensures good distribution over the skin surface and dispersion of pigments. At the same time, natural waxes, substances with a high melting point, provide the ability to firmly bind all the components of the foundation, which ensures the durability of the makeup. In addition, the foundation coatings have a sun protection factor of 30 due to the mineral screens included in them. The fixing powder has a finely dispersed texture, which is achieved thanks to a special micronization technology. This creates conditions for increasing the area of its contact with the oils and waxes of the foundation coatings, which ensures long-term fixation on the skin surface - up to 16 hours.

Distinctive features of modern decorative and camouflage cosmetics for dermatological patients are their proven systemic safety, hypoallergenicity, non-comedogenicity, compliance with the pH of the water-lipid mantle, ease of use.

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