As this was my first attendance at one of the SCN study day's I wasn't really sure what to expect so, full of curiosity, I motored up to York.
Arriving at the hotel I soon met some of the other delegates on the programme (strangely enough in the bar!?) and there was instantly lots of chatter mostly surrounding the topic of skin camouflage! (Although it wasn't all about "shop" I can assure you!).
There was a really good mix of attendees from all walks of the skin camouflage and medical spectrums i.e. a Maxillo Facial Nurse, Skin Camouflage Make up Artists from Veil and Charles Fox, Private Skin Camouflage Practitioners, a Plastic Surgeon who specialised in burns scarring, a Burns Nurse and members of the SCN amongst others!
The day started with coffee and registration and the attendees met the very knowledgeable Make up Artists from Veil and Charles Fox. The make up artist from Veil very kindly supplied us with lots of samples of the new shades that Veil have available and the girls from Charles Fox supplied us with info about their products and services
Eventually everyone was made comfortable in one of the beautifully decorated main conference rooms where, after Carol Ann Pitfield's (SCN's Chairman) sparkling welcome, we had a brilliant presentation by Sarah Pape. Sarah is a Plastic Surgeon specialising in burns scarring, she works from the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, and so is hugely knowledgeable (and talented) in this area of work. Her talk was both enlightening and absorbing and she kept us entertained with her subject matter: "Limitations of Surgery within Burns scarring". Her talk highlighted what could be practically done for burns victims from a medical viewpoint. Sarah came across as a truly warm and exceptionally caring person both professionally and personally.
During the course of the day we had "breakout" sessions from the main presentation room where we were set into groups to discuss various topics including how to apply skin camouflage products on burns/scarring, skin grafts etc. Each of the attendees also had a chance to offer up their various experiences for the benefit of others which, personally speaking, was exceptionally informative. Everyone also chipped in with innovative tips for product application and what "mainstream" cosmetics would work with skin camouflage which was, from a practical viewpoint, priceless.
The afternoons main speaker was Sue Nicholson who is a Lead Specialist Nurse dealing with Adult burns in an outreach capacity; she too works from the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne. Her subject matter was "Burns scarring - the lasting memory". Sue, like Sarah, came across as a deeply caring professional and her presentation highlighted the emotional and practical side of what burns victims have to deal with on a daily basis.
All in all, I think everyone who attended the day gleaned a huge amount of "inside info" and a deeper insight of the work that the SCN and the medical professions provide. Also, it served to highlight the undeniable continuing need for competent and professionally trained/qualified skin camouflage practitioners and the support of the medical world in this important area of work.
It was a brilliant opportunity to talk to and to gain experience from others in the skin camouflage field as well as those in the medical field. And to obtain refreshingly different viewpoints from those who were maybe not directly involved with skin camouflage per se.
The day ended with the annual AGM for members.
I certainly hope to attend the next SCN Study Day and catch up with all the "new" colleagues I never knew I had! Working as a private practitioner it's always worthwhile to keep abreast of new (and old!) concepts/practices and study days are perfect in this respect.
I would say that there is always something new to learn in the field of skin camouflage and ultimately the patient/client cannot fail to benefit from an up to date, fully qualified and passionately involved practitioner!