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Buying prosthetics for shows - The most asked question:
How many times can someone re-use a foam latex prosthetic?

Selling a line of foam latex appliances, this is the most common question that gets asked. It is often from schools doing a show like Shrek, Beauty and the Beast or Wizard of Oz and like all school productions, money is tight. 

Foam latex prosthetics are designed to be used one time (referring to the masks, not the cowls). The ultra fine membrane like edge is what allows them to seamlessly blend into the performers skin creating the illusion that it is their actual skin. Once the prosthetic is removed, no matter how careful someone is, that edge is gone. The appliance will never look as convincing again. For theatre, this edge mostly is not so important as distance and lighting can help disguise the slightly thicker edge. For many schools using a new piece each show would be cost prohibitive and like most shows, all the budget gets spent on costumes, sets and rights to use the show. Whether it should be or not, make up is always the last priority.

So.... the question stands... CAN they be reused? Well yes... yes they CAN. We guarantee our pieces for one application. Many people reuse them multiple times with varying degrees of success. So many things can effect the life of the prosthetic. Each actor's skin will have their own relationship with the different prosthetic adhesives on the market. Some skin types LOVE the glue and make it extremely hard to remove, especially if there is a quick change involved like the one in Beauty and the Beast. I never advocate removing a prosthetic quickly. Careless and too fast prosthetic removal can cause some serious injuries to the actor's skin. Should the skin be damaged, it can prevent further applications for some time. This can seriously effect any subsequent performances within a day or so. The faster the removal, the greater the damage to the prosthetics and the actor. The removers used in taking off a prosthetic often contain Isopropyl Myristate. This is kind of like an oily alcohol and will cause the foam latex to swell up to sometimes 2-3 times its size. This remover will need to be given time to evaporate out before it can be reapplied, otherwise it will be too oily and will not adhere to the skin. This usually takes at least 48 hours.

This is where a choice needs to be made. The piece can be washed with soap and water, wrung out and left to dry (causing further damage to the appliance) or just left to dry for a couple of days. If a show had 6 performances how many pieces should they allow for? I would like to say 6 (because that is how many pieces I would use if I was doing the make up) but most productions cannot afford that. I would recommend a MINIMUM of 3 pieces. This means that if a piece was able to be reused 3 times there would be a spare piece in case of emergencies. Nobody should ever have to count on reusing a piece a certain number of times. What happens if one performance the removal goes badly and the prosthetic is unsalvageable? That is why I always tell people to have a spare. They will have to be alternated every other day to allow drying time and if one is damaged beyond use you will not be without.

I want to ensure anyone who purchases our pieces for their show has enough for their performance run to go flawlessly while also understanding how to get the best and most use out of the appliances.

Thanks for looking!