How to Find Patches That Match Your Skin Tone
Last week, Dominic Apollo, vice president of research at Race Forward , tweeted pictures of the bandage on his arm – images that went viral and shed light on inclusion issues for people of color.
“It took me 45 trips around the sun, but for the first time in my life I know what it’s like to have a patch in my skin tone,” he wrote in the original tweet . “You can’t even see it in the first image. In truth, I am holding back tears. “
Since 1920, plasters have been produced in the usual ” flesh -colored , almost invisible ” pale pink color. And while it seems inconsequential, an adhesive patch that mixes with different skin tones is important and should accurately reflect the spectrum of tones in our population – I often have trouble finding a patch that doesn’t look that obvious on my skin. Star Wars’ John Boyega even intervened in the pink band-aid debate on Twitter, stating that makeup artists often have to dye bandages brown so that some actors can film with them.
“… I want you to know that for me it is more than just providing the perfect bandage for every color,” Apollo tweeted in a subsequent tweet. “This is providing a wider emotion / feeling # of belonging that happened to give me, to all people.”
How to find an adhesive plaster according to your skin tone? Apollo used Tru-Color Bandages, which offer three different skin tones based on the Fitzpatrick scale (which categorizes different complexions according to their resistance to sunlight): olive, brown, and dark brown.
If you are unsure about your skin tone, or your color changes dramatically with the season (like mine), you can also buy a selection of different tones from Target stores, Target.com, or Amazon to find the shade you want. for you.
Toby Meissenheimer, founder of Tru-Color Bandage, originally started the company after seeing that his adopted son, who is black, had no options.
“If you live with the privilege of always having your skin tone presented, you may not realize how revolutionary the search for inclusive bandages can be, so this is an opportunity to see the world from a different perspective,” he said in an email. … “At the end of the day, it’s about a choice that didn’t exist before.”