*WARNING: This post contains photos of surgical wrist scars so please do not continue if this is triggering for you*
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This topic is a little different from the normal beauty posts on here as what prompted me to write this post was because of a horrific accident I was in, about almost 2 years ago now. In a nutshell, I got into an ATV accident in Costa Rica and broke both of my wrists. To not bore you with too many details, it was the day before my sister’s wedding and the bridesmaids and groomsmen went on an ATV excursion and I fell off a hill on the ATV bike.
There was no chance that I was missing my sister’s wedding so I was so grateful that the doctors and nurses got me into surgery that same night for my wrists so I could attend. Now, I still went to my sister’s wedding the next day in 2 arm casts, a fractured nose, a broken tooth, a stitched lip, and gashes on my face and body, so makeup couldn’t exactly save me there, but I completely understand the feeling of wanting to hide or find a way to cover up something that feels so foreign and wrong to you.
While the gashes and cuts on my face and body healed pretty quickly, my wrist surgical scars unfortunately did not. Depending on how deep your scar is, it can take months to years to heal and most of the time it will stay there forever. I know because I still have a scar on my knee from when I gashed it open at the age of 12 and I’m now 30 years old but that’s another story.
I know that scars can be a sensitive topic for many. You can feel insecure or paranoid that someone is staring at your scar or notices it especially if it’s easily visible but I believe your scars are a reminder that you are strong, resilient, and still here for a reason. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to cover them up sometimes though, especially if you have a special occasion and want to achieve a flawless look. With the right makeup techniques, you can feel confident and beautiful in your own skin so below is how I covered my wrist surgical scars and how you can cover yours too!
What You Will Need
To cover your scars you need only 3 products (maybe 4, I’ll explain).
1. A High Coverage Concealer
You need a high-coverage concealer because most new surgical scars can be quite prominent and raised, which means that regular concealers may not provide enough pigment to fully mask them.
Additionally, these scars may have a different tone or discoloration compared to the surrounding skin. They can appear pink, red, or even slightly purple toned, depending on the age and location of the scar.
My Favorite High-Coverage Concealer Used:
2. A Setting Powder
Because surgical. scars often have a slightly textured or raised appearance compared to your surrounding skin, it can cause the concealer to crease, cake, or wear off more quickly, especially in the areas that have a lot of movement or friction throughout the day.
Applying a finely milled setting powder on top helps to “grip” the concealer, locking it in place and preventing any unwanted creasing or smudging.
My Favorite Setting Powder Used:
3. Smudge Proof/ Water-Resistant Setting Spray
Think of a setting spray like a protective shield for all the makeup layers you’ve carefully applied. Without a transfer-proof setting spray, the makeup can easily get disturbed and moved around with one swipe.
A good setting spray creates an invisible barrier that allows your makeup to stay put, even on uneven surfaces. It shields your makeup from hot, humid weather, rain, friction, and active situations.
My Favorite Transfer Proof Setting Spray Used:
4. Color Corrector
I’m adding this one as a maybe because sometimes a full coverage concealer will allow you to skip this step but if you have a very deeply pigmented scar, a color corrector can work wonders.
The color corrector will neutralize the scar color so that you won’t have to layer on too much concealer. I used this in the beginning stages of my scar but stopped using it once my scars got a little lighter.
My Favorite Color Corrector Used:
Step-By-Step Application Technique
1. Prep Skin
Make sure your skin is properly prepped. If it’s an area that is going to be exposed to the sun all day, put on sunscreen. Don’t use a sunscreen that is too glowy or dewy as that can mess up the consistency of the concealer.
You can also apply your favorite blurring primer or moisturizer that gives a blurring effect on your skin for that extra flawless look. I personally just used a moisturizing sunscreen. Below is a picture of what I’m starting with.
2. Apply Concealer
If you are going to color corrector, now would be the time to do it. You apply it before concealer but don’t use too much. Only apply a thin layer on the scar and not the surrounding areas. Then apply your concealer.
Keep in mind to make sure the concealer almost matches your skintone perfectly since we are not trying to brighten the area, we are trying to conceal the area. Start this also with a thin layer at first and then gradually layer more if needed but I wouldn’t go past 2-3 layers because then it will look cakey.
As with the corrector, only apply the concealer where the scar is and don’t go outside the lines too much. Once it is on make sure the outer part is blended so that there are no obvious concealer lines. It should look similar to the below.
3. Set The Concealer
Next is where we set the concealer! The best way I have found to set a concealer when covering scars is to use a powder puff. Take the powder puff and dip it in the setting powder.
Make sure to gently blot the excess off on the back of your hands so that when you apply it, there isn’t any raised texture or cakiness. Gently dab the powder on top of the scar for a blurred and set effect.
4. Set With Transfer-Proof/Water-Proof Setting Spray
This is the most crucial part of covering your scars. If you don’t do this step, no matter how well you set your scar with the concealer and setting powder, it will transfer and fade quickly so don’t skip this!
Take your transfer-proof setting spray and spray it all over the scar area about 6-8 inches away from the scar. Give it about 1 minute to dry and spray it again. Let it fully dry. TA-DA! You now have a perfectly hidden scar
Before
After
Final Thoughts
Remember that while makeup can be an incredible tool for boosting your confidence and covering scars when you want to, your scars are also a testament to your strength and the stories that make you uniquely you!
With the right products and techniques, you can choose when to conceal and when to reveal, knowing that both choices are equally valid and beautiful. At the end of the day, the most important thing is feeling comfortable and confident in your own skin, whether that means rocking your bare-faced beauty or creating a flawless coverage look!
