Completely absorbed in testing new makeup products and trying new techniques, sometimes we makeup artists forget to check the posture we are working in. After days, months and sometimes years, then, it is no surprise we find ourselves with painful backaches. So, I have decided to interview the doctor Nicola Pezone, posturologist, about which is the best position to adopt so as to work at best and save my back.
What are the consequences of a wrong posture for a professional makeup artist?
The makeup artist frenzied lifestyle, the frequent change of locations, swift movements and so on, does not usually give time to the makeup artist to think about his/her own health. The majority of makeup artists does not work with a correct posture.
So, let’s go with the questions!
- Doc, what problems are usually afflicted in this professional category?
“The problems which result from a wrong posture may be low back pain, muscle contractures, discomfort in your legs or arms that can occur both as numbness in the limbs or real pain. Obviously, if these bad postures are protracted, you can get more serious long-term problems (protrusions or herniated discs). ”
2.What is the ideal position to makeup a customer? A normal kitchen or desk chair or maybe a director’s chair be better?
“Chairs from around our houses are absolutely not tall enough to apply makeup in the right position.
You can only get the correct position using a specific chair: it must be tall enough to have your back perfectly straight up and the arms not too taut nor too flexed. This allows your back and your arms to avoid stress and exertion.
Also, the customer should have a headrest so as to not stress the cervical area, armrests to relax the shoulders and a footrest to maintain the legs folding at 90°, to sit correctly.”
- When mantaining the same position for a long time, we often feel soreness in the limbs: there is something we can do to relax when we have a break between one work session and another?
“During the pauses, it would be helpful, even for a few minutes, loosen the joints of the shoulders and legs in order to help reduce the feeling of heaviness and fatigue.”
4.How do you recommend recovering after a day standing up abckstage at a film or a fashion show, or after many hours doing makeup for a bride and her whole family?
“In any case, after a whole day working, I recommend rebalancing postural sessions or Gyrotonic®, one of the most modern training systems consisting of modules of exercises based on the concept of multi-directional movement. Systematically and gently it makes the joints and muscles work through rhythmic and undulating exercises in which no part of the body is inactive: the whole system of joints and, with it, all the organs and muscles are involved. ”
Thanks doctor for your precious collaboration!
Translated from an Anna Marchese makeup artist blog post
Photo Credits: Anna Marchese
Comments (4)
wow so helpful.
I can see that you are a really professional make up artist.
xoxo
tina wimpernverlängerung salzburg
Thank you Tina, we have always conceived our products to be helpful for professionals
Such a helpful post.. Will surely give you a shout out on my blog for this.. Being an artist this helped me a lot.. Thanks
We’re happy to be helpful! let us know if you’ll talk about us on your blog!