Recommendations for the use of corrective makeup after dermatological procedures

INTRODUCTION: The number of dermatological or cosmetic procedures carried out has continuously increased over the last decades. Almost all may cause transient local skin reactions such as erythema, blistering, crusts, scaling, hypo‐ or hyperpigmentation, or hemorrhagic lesions. One issue of dermatological procedures is the downtime, during which patients need to hide their skin, due to these local reactions. AIM: To provide dermatologists with easy‐to‐follow recommendations for the right timing of use of corrective makeup for patients who have undergone or who plan to undergo dermatological procedures, according to the invasiveness of the dermatological procedure chosen. METHODOLOGY: A group of experts in dermatological procedures met in 2019 and at the beginning of 2020 to discuss the different procedures, their local reactions and downtime, and the opportunities to use specific corrective makeup in order to hide these transient reactions. RESULTS: As a result of the discussions, the experts proposed a tabulated algorithm of use based on a classification of the different dermatological procedures according to their invasiveness and recommended timing of the first post‐procedure corrective makeup application. CONCLUSION: Corrective makeup may be considered as a complement to certain dermatological procedures in order to minimize downtime. However, its use is conditioned by the correct understanding of skin barrier alteration and recovery time. The proposed algorithm of use of corrective makeup after procedures may help the practitioner to indicate his patient the right moment for applying corrective makeup in order to avoid local tolerance issues and post‐procedure complications.