“The creams we use can conceal various things,
including laryngectomy and tracheotomy scars
– provided they’ve already started to heal. The
camouflage creams won’t change the texture of
a scar but will help to conceal it by blending the
colour with the natural skin tone. This makes
the scar much less noticeable.” But it’s not just
for scar tissue. Helen adds that “Radiotherapy
for cancer treatment can often leave broken
veins and damaged skin – and we can help to
mask those problems completely.”
Of course the most important part is finding
the colour that suits your skin tone – and that’s
a lot harder than it sounds. It needs to blend
in perfectly with the nuances of your skin for
a flawless finish – but it also has to contain the
right masking colours for your scar. Helen has
a huge range of colours to choose from, often
mixing small quantities of different colours to
arrive at the distinct colour that suits every
individual patient. However, it is kept simple so
as to avoid complicating the application process
for the patient.
Further consultations may sometimes be
required. For example, some patients will
require a subtly different colour to match in
with their summer tan. But, as Helen says, a
small amount of ‘concealer’ goes a long way.
Each application can last up to a couple of days
– it’s even impervious to running water – you
need to use a cleanser to remove it and it’s safe
to use when swimming. That means there’s little
danger of it coming off on your clothes.
So how do people go about finding a skin
camouflage practitioner? “In the first instance
you should go to www.skin-camouflage.net they will refer you to a specialist; the service is
offered by some hospitals as well. You should
ask for a referral to a Camouflage Clinic from
your G.P. You may also be able to find a private
beauty therapist who offers a skin camouflage
service.
Of course, if you have any questions about any
aspect of skin camouflage, just let us know and
we’ll do our best to find out for you. ?
24 THE VOICE | Summer 2010
One of the big changes that comes with
being a lary or a trachi – something that’s
not very often talked about – is the issue of
whether you can still get the same kind of
enjoyment from life that you used to
Beyond the rush of joy that comes with getting
through the op ready to re-engage with life,
there’s the sense that things have changed.
Of course it signals a dramatic change in
circumstances – and adjusting to a new way of
life takes time. But it can also mean having to
let go of some of our old pleasures. For some,
it’s smoking, or drinking, for others it will be
a favourite sporting activity – in all cases it’s
something that might not seem like much until
it’s taken away.
Learning to let go
Many throat cancers are caused by smoking or
drinking, either on their own, or in combination.
Generally as a patient, you’ll be asked to refrain
from smoking and/or drinking as soon as you’re
informed that surgery is required. Get it right
and you’ll find that not smoking and/or not
drinking (or only drinking in moderation) comes
a little easier in your recovery phase.
But it’s still a major lifestyle change – and as
any ex-smoker will tell you – it takes a lot of
guts and determination. Perhaps the hardest
part about it is that we all tend to cling onto
things that are comforting and familiar in the
wake of a major operation. It helps us feel like
we’re getting back on track and that normality
is returning.
Even though it’s a habit many of us may have
been trying to break for many years, smoking is
still something that people can find pleasurable.
So, once it’s taken away, it takes one of our daily
indulgences with it. It’s not even as if we can
moderate our behaviour. By this stage, there
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