Party Activities... Sordid Scabs and Scars
You will need:
* Cornflour
* Golden syrup
* 2 lipsticks – One red and one that resembles the colour of a scar or scab
* Unflavoured gelatine
* Two paintbrushes or cotton buds
What to do:
1. In a small jug sprinkle one sachet of gelatine onto 4 tablespoons of hot but not boiling water and keep stirring until the gelatine is dissolved. Let the gelatine stand for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before using.
2. In a small bowl blend 1cm of the scar or scab coloured lipstick with a level teaspoon of cornflour. If you are looking to make a scar you will need to add slightly more lipstick to get a smooth lipstick coloured paste. To make a scab you might need to add slightly more cornflour to get a flaky powdery mixture.
3. Apply red lipstick to the area of your skin underneath and around where you want your scar or scab to be. Rub this lipstick in with a paper towel so the skin has a slight pinky appearance.
4. Using a paintbrush or cotton bud smear a thin layer of golden syrup on your skin the shape you want your scabs or scars to be.
5. Cover the syrup with a thick layer of the lipstick and cornflour mixture. If making a scar you can mould the mixture into an appropriate shape and thickness. If making a scab let the mixture sit for 2 minutes and then gently tap off any excess.
6. Using a paintbrush or cotton bud carefully cover the mixture with the cooled gelatine and wait for it to set.
Variations:
1. To create mauled/scratched appearances follow the above instruction and make a large scab. Then get a paper towel and smear the mixture over your arm just before the gelatine has set to get a streaked effect.
2. To create a hairy wart stick whole peppercorns onto your skin using golden syrup. Then carefully colour the peppercorns with non-toxic watercolour paint and cover with gelatine. Remove a few hairs from your hairbrush or a paintbrush and carefully stick in between the peppercorns.
As soon as you cut yourself blood rushes to the site of the injury. You can see this if you scratch the underside of the your arm quite hard. The area you have just scratched turns red – this is the blood rushing to the scratched area. Applying the red lipstick to the area around your fake scab or scar shows that this part of the body has been recently injured.
Your blood contains many different types of cells: red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body, white blood cells that form part of your immune system, and platelets. When you cut yourself platelets form a clot by sticking to the site of the injury and to each other, stopping you bleeding and preventing germs from getting in. This clot dries leaving a reddy brown scab that stays in place until the cells underneath have healed.
Sometimes if your cut was particularly deep or it took a long time to heal then you will be left with a mark when the scab has gone. This brown, pale pink or silvery patch of skin is known as a scar. A scar is made up of thick, tough protein fibres (collagen) that are produced by special cells at the site of the injury to mend and fill the wound. Sometimes the cells get a bit carried away and produce a bit too much collagen leaving a dark, puckered and unsightly scar known as a keloid scar. These are the type of scars that you are moulding with the cornflour and lipstick mixture.
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