Skin camouflage products and prescriptions
Find out about the products Changing Faces practitioners use as part of the Skin Camouflage Service and how to check if they’re available on prescription.
On this page
People in Wales with a scar, mark or skin condition can seek advice to help minimise or reduce the appearance of their visible difference through a free appointment with our specialist Skin Camouflage Service.
On this page, we provide information for you, as a health and social care professional, about our Skin Camouflage Service. We cover what it is, where it’s available, how it is funded and the positive impact it has for people with a visible difference or disfigurement. We also explain how to request an appointment for your patient.
If you are ready to make a referral, please use our referral form.
What is the Skin Camouflage Service?
Living with a visible difference can be very distressing, especially for those who experience staring, comments or unwanted attention. As a result, many people with a visible difference struggle with social anxiety and low confidence.
Skin camouflage products are highly pigmented creams and powders that can be applied over scars and non-infectious skin conditions to help them blend into the normal skin tone. The products are easy to apply, long-lasting and waterproof. Skin camouflage is suitable for a wide range of marks, scars and conditions but can’t be applied to infected, inflamed or broken skin. It also cannot level out raised scars, fill in indented scars or alter the skin’s texture.
This is a fantastic service and the lady I saw made me feel so comfortable and I came out so happy and much more confident.
Our specialist Skin Camouflage Service is a free service for your patients, enabling them to try skin camouflage as a tool to manage their visible difference. Appointments can be made for anyone over the age of 5, but children and young people under 16 years require a parent or guardian to come along too.
We offer free face-to-face appointments in Wales for Welsh residents only.
Face-to-face appointments
The video below, which was created thanks to a generous grant from the British Association of Dermatologists, explains what happens during a face-to-face Skin Camouflage Service appointment.
Our Skin Camouflage Service clients leave the appointment with a list of recommended products either to request a prescription from their GP or to buy themselves. You can read more about the products that our skin camouflage practitioners use and about prescriptions for skin camouflage products on our dedicated page.
How are your practitioners trained?
Our practitioners complete an intensive training course combining practical skin camouflage techniques alongside important elements like safeguarding, data protection, and client care. They then develop their skills by shadowing an experienced skin camouflage practitioner before delivering consultations on their own.
Where is the service available?
Our specialist Skin Camouflage Service offers free appointments with trained skin camouflage practitioners at our Welsh clinic in Bridgend, for Welsh residents only.
What is the impact of the service?
The British National Formulary (BNF) guidelines state that:
[A visible difference] can be very distressing to patients and may have a marked psychological effect. In skilled hands, or with experience, camouflage [products] can be very effective in [minimising] scars and birthmarks.
Between April 2022 and March 2023, we provided consultations to almost 2,000 clients. During that period:
- 98% of our skin camouflage clients stated they were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the service they received.
- 85% of our skin camouflage clients stated that the service helped them with their appearance-related concerns.
Clients reporting a low level of wellbeing reduced by 15% after their appointment and clients reporting a high level of wellbeing increased by 12%
[Your practitioner] is a credit to your service and team. Please forward on how impressed I was… I left feeling confident and my scars no longer bother me.
How can I refer a patient?
Follow the link below to refer your patient to our Skin Camouflage Service. If you have any questions about the service, including its suitability for your patient, please get in touch with the skin camouflage team by emailing [email protected] or calling 0300 012 0276.