Technique
Before starting, make sure you have everything at hand that you will need for the removal; more than likely your performer has been wearing the prosthetic for a long time and is more than ready for the appliance or appliances to come off. The trick is to work efficiently and carefully, particularly around the eyes. The last thing you want is to acci dentally get remover where it should not be.
1. Dip a fairly firm-bristled brush into the remover (Telesis® Super Solv® or Ben Nye® Bond Off!® work well with most adhesives) and gently begin to insert the brush bristles between the edge of the applia nce and the skin, moving the brush softly to increase the size of the opening.
2. As the remover dissol ves the ad hesive, gently sta11 to lift
the appliance as yo u go, continuing to apply more of the remover, either with the brush, or with a Q-tip® or other ty pe of appli cator.
3. Try to avoid letting the appliance flop over onto itsel f, adhesive to adhesive, because it will be difficult to separate and could rip or tea r. If the appliance is large, another pair of hands might be useful to hold it out of your way as you work.
4. When the appliance has been removed, place it on its form until you are able to clean it properly for storage.
5. With Q-tips,® cloth, or cotton pads, use isopropyl myristate
or more of the adhesive remover to gently wipe off remaining adhesive residue form the skin. The skin can be quite sensitive to irritation. especially if the performer has been in prosthetics regularly. Simply repeat step 5 until the skin is no longer sticky.
SKIN CARE
I've said before that it's never about the makeup; it's always about the perfor mance. That includes post performance. If my actor is worried that his skin is getting more and more irritated and becomes consciously aware of discomfort, in and out of the makeup, I am not doing my job well enough. Making sure I've done everything I can to leave my subject's skin dean and feeling good will