Face Casting Evaluation

The first practical task for this module was to cast  the face of the model  who would in time wear a prosthetic facial piece which would be sculpted to fit correctly to their face shape. This included preparing the skin, cutting pieces of mod rock, mixing alginate, and applying both to the face. It was a quick process as the alginate used was three minute alginate meaning the product set quickly. It was important to keep the nasal passage clear to avoid the individual being casted from inhaling the product. Once the mod rock had set and gone hard, the cast was removed from the model and the nostril holes were filled. Plaster was then poured into the cast to create the positive and the mod rock was broken off.

The face casting exercise had been practiced a number of times before completing it for this module, therefore I had knowledge of the process and the risks to consider. This meant that when carrying out the task on this occasion it was done fast with no complications. The mod rock was cut and alginate and water were measured prior to the casting. This showed good organisational skills. Whilst the model had the products on her face I spoke to her to assure her everything was going well and at a fast speed. This was important to do as it may be an overwhelming experience. This showed good communication skills. The cast was taken off the face within ten minutes and the rest of the task was executed demonstrating the ability to follow instructions. When the plaster had hardened, the mod rock was broken off which left the positive. This resembled the models face perfectly.

Before adding the alginate to the face, Vaseline was smeared on patches of skin with a lot of hair such as eyebrows, sideburns and eyelashes. The model had false eyelash extensions on which I added Vaseline to however there was no guarantee that they would not peel off with the cast. Unfortunately, a block of lashes from both eyes came off. This did not effect the final outcome however left the model with less eyelashes than to begin with. I offered the model some money to get her lashes redone. If I was to carry out the exercise again I would do everything the same as it went extremely well however, I would advise my model a few weeks in advance not to spend money on getting eye lash extensions as they are more than likely to get pulled off.