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To Heal or Not to Heal – Blemish Removal

To Heal or Not to Heal - Blemish RemovalHave you ever erased someone’s moles only to get a “oh…um….ok” response? I have.

We might think we’re doing someone a favour by removing imperfections from their features but when does is go too far? What are the rules about removing blemishes?

The first thing I would consider is whether I know the person personally or not. Sometimes I ask if they’d like me to remove a mole. Sometimes they say yes, sometimes not. If I know that something bothers them, I sometimes remove it and then show them to see what they think. I might even email a proof over and let them see a before/after.

Of course, I always remove pimples, lipstick from the teeth, etc. No one has EVER asked me to keep their zits intact I think it’s a given that those are to be removed since they’re not permanent.

If I don’t know them, I don’t usually remove permanent features like birthmarks, moles, sun spots or skin tags. When I first started in my business, there was a teacher at a school I did and she had a cluster of many moles on one side of her face. She wasn’t too impressed that I removed them. Sure, she looked better, but it probably made her feel a bit dumb as if people weren’t going to notice that they’d been shopped. Now, I leave mole removal to the dermatologist!

Although I don’t remove permanent features,  I do sometimes add a bit of digital makeup to soften their appearance or paint a low opacity brush over the top if it’s so prominent that it detracts from the subject.

What are your rules about healing?

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Elizabeth Halford
Elizabeth Halford

is a photographer and advertising creative producer in Orlando, FL. She wrote her first article for dPS in 2010. Her most popular one racked up over 100k shares!

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