I chose my graduation dress long before my graduation. It’s a dark blue dress with stars my grandma made for me. I love it. Unfortunately since then I’ve had some terrible experiences at school with a lack of mental health support from the city and I coped with it in the wrong way. I truly regret doing it and now I feel stupid because I have a senior photo shoot and I really wanted to wear that dress. I’ve tried putting concealer on it but the lines are still kind of visible. I feel so exhausted.
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Gloves? Like long arm gloves?
I don’t know anything about makeup. But this might be a better option. Makeup might rub off on the dress. But once again, I know nothing about makeup.
Hi there! Fellow (former) self harmer here! If it’s still relatively fresh you really shouldn’t use any make up on it. It needs to stay clean and heal. I used Bio-Oil on my marks for years and most of them are almost invisible now. Focus on healing, not covering. Do you have a wrap or shawl you can wear with the dress that you might be able to use to cover the spot with for the photos?
Take a deep breath and remember that both you and the wound will heal with time and proper care. Reach out to a friend or loved one for support and consider speaking with a therapist to help you learn better ways to process life’s hardships as they come.
Sending you all the love in the world! And hey, congratulations on your graduation! That’s something to be proud of. Cheers to the brighter days ahead ❤️☀️
You could wear a cardigan if you’re not a shawl person.
Another option might be to just wear the dress and get the photos edited afterwards.
I hope you have some support – if counselling is an option, I’d highly recommend it.
Been there, done that, got the (long-sleeved) t-shirt so I absolutely feel you. Assuming we’re talking arms, stuff that has been helpful for me has included wearing sheer or lacy tops under dresses, cute cardigans or tops over dresses (something very lacy and open will work really well and not be too hot if it’s a warm day) or incorporating a drapey scarf or shawl into my outfit. If you want to conceal your scars/healing self harm you don’t ultimately need to completely cover up with clothes, just basically provide some camouflage that visually breaks things up a bit so any scars or marks on your skin don’t show up so obviously. I hope you have a great day!
If you have a conversation with your photographer it’s very likely these can be edited out. I had a senior portrait once where the poor girl burned her forehead with a curling iron. It wasn’t hard to edit out (even easier with the AI in Lightroom) and if you’re honest about it they can likely work with you.
Wristlet corsage if appropriate with the dress? sort sort of cuff bracelet? (edited to add)
Opera Gloves, a pashmina shawl, or a fancy cape
Also, please look at make up brands like Cover FX, they are specifically formulated for hyperpigmentation and scar cover ups.
Have you chosen a photographer yet? They may be able to edit the marks out of the photo.
You could also add a wrap to your photos, and make sure it’s draped over your arm.
You may need to go to a makeup artist that specializes in scars. My cousin did this for her daughter’s graduation. It took a couple hours but it didn’t come off for a couple days, so it was worth it. It made her feel more confident.
There are makeup products designed to cover up scars and tattoos. The downside is they can be pricey, a little tricky to work with, and if not blended properly, they can look very obvious. This is how actors and actresses cover their tattoos! But if you have a close friend who can help it will be easier.
If you’re not ready to spend an absolute fortune, stick foundations and concealers will probably work best, set with a powder. Be warned you may get some on your dress, though, as these products can transfer when warm.
I would probably go with a scarf and, as suggested, maybe just have a quiet chat to the photographer (if possible and if you feel comfortable doing so). My friend is a photographer she removes loads of coldsores that stressed brides get pop up on their big day.
An alternative is to check out behind the scars on instagram and revel in the beauty that is super empowering. *Maybe it might help.
Congratulations and enjoy your big night hun. Remember to celebrate all your hard work, don’t let this rob you of having an awesome night because you deserve it! Xx
Look into silicone scar sheets. They’re typically pretty thin, and could help hide the texture, in addition to helping heal. Better days ahead, stranger.
It looks like you’ve gotten a lot of good advice already, but let me just add that “kind of visible” to you may not be noticeable to anyone else.
What about those thin mesh sleeves for covering up tattoos? It’s like pantyhose for the arms.
How about matching opera gloves? Elegant, refined and you can still wear jewelry like bracelets.
https://www.promgirl.com/cdn/shop/files/ch176_burgundy.jpg?v=1702055485
If you can’t find the colour of your dress, black or white go with anything. And lace will cover up most skin imperfections.
https://dy9ihb9itgy3g.cloudfront.net/products/11505/cl8415/cl8415_lightsage_.740.webp
If it’s really hot out, try these lace sleeves with no hand cover. From a distance, you won’t be able to tell much of anything.
A decent photog can fix that in like literally 1 minute.
The kind of makeup you’d need is theatre makeup/ tattoo cover makeup. It is really thick. I bought some long ago for this purpose and it came with a pallet of lots of different colours but honestly it was too hard to get it to blend in. You’d need to spend time practicing. You would also hate for the makeup to rub off onto your dress.
I used to use bio oil back in the day to reduce the colour of scars – you should not use this on unhealed wounds btw. I heard long ago that bio oil wasn’t really the best, you can use a vitamin e oil though, or there are also scar creams/gels that people use for surgery scars that will reduce the appearance.
I would personally find a mesh long sleeve underlayer, maybe the same colour as your dress, that can cover your arms. If the neckline doesn’t work with the dress and you don’t care about the mesh top you can always trim it the neckline to be hidden if it was just for a 1 time wear.
Are you Caucasian? If so, redness on the skin can be erased with a green makeup. The shade is a matcha green. Top with your regular shade. Some blushes or bronzers have the green in the palette.
Good luck. You did great. All praise to your success! Congratulations 🎉
My first thought is to add a mesh or lacy bolero shrug. Also, I’ve had good luck with dermablend and setting powder.
Hi OP. I’m a makeup artist, who particularly loves working to colour correct. It REALLY depends on what your scars look like. I’d need to see a photo to give you good advice. One thing you can do to reduce their look over time is to use silicone scars tape on them. You need to be consistent but this works for many people. For a short term coverage you can DM me a pic if you’d like
Dermablend? They use it for stage/film to cover tattoos.
I will say that, it’s possible the marks are only noticeable to you with the concealer on because you know they’re there. Most people may not notice, because most people don’t pay that close of attention to things. I also don’t think they’ll be very visible in any senior photo shoot, considering the distance most photographs will be taken at. If you’re really worried, you could have a friend take pictures, and see how visible they are on full body photographs?