Dermatology and cosmetology through art and history of art

Title : Dermatology and cosmetology through art and history of art

Abstract:

The skin has a special place in pictorial representations from antiquity to the Renaissance. It is a visible organ that is painted and represented according to different styles and techniques available to artists. This pictorial skin, centuries later, will provide valuable information on the lifestyle, skin care and dermatoses of the contemporaries of the time of the paintings studied.

We have studied the relationship between skin and pictorial art from several aspects. To answer the following questions, we have carried out a bibliographical approach and we have exempli?ed each item by a selection of paintings from the main international Fine Arts museums.

The dermatological iconodiagnosis is carried out according to the human graphic representations of the different historical periods where the skin defects were strictly reproduced and allow today to make an a posteriori diagnosis of dermatoses. The analysis of pictorial representations of life scenes provides information on the skin care used according to the periods and cultures: hygiene habits, cosmetic care and products used.

The art of cosmetics is an ancestral practice, dating back at least 10,000 years, closely linked to the history of civilizations, to the desire to maintain one’s skin, to adorn it, to beautify it or to heal it. Thus, the skin that can be read on Greek vases, Roman bas-reliefs, medieval illuminations or even Renaissance paintings, is as much a witness to past civilizations as it is the cartography of an individual’s life, which has left traces on the skin. Over time and the vagaries of life, the skin is ?lled with signs and becomes a living archive of the past.

All this information allows us to apprehend the skin under the prism of anthropology. Art, skin, dermatology and cosmetology are thus interrelated and these three elements are encompassed more generally in the medical humanities.

Audience Takeaway:

• Opening of the mind around the skin organ and the skin rituals through an artistic and historic view.

Biography:

Dr. Corinne Dechelette studied Pharmacy and Cutaneous Biology in Lyon University, France and is double graduated as Pharm.D in 1996 and as Ph.D in 1997. She joined the research group of Dr. Odile Damour, at the Skin Substitutes Laboratory of the French National Research Center (CNRS) and contributed to the development of artificial skin for major burn patients and cosmetic testing. Then, she worked during 25 years at Pierre FABRE Dermo-Cosmetic group as Scientific Advisor of the chairman, Platform Research & Development / Marketing Director, Dermatology Prospective Director and Medical value Director. She is the main inventor of 5 patents relative to cosmetic actives. In 2018, she created the PEAUrigami educational-artistic concept and became in spite of herself, a plastic artist. She is the author of 8 books dedicated to the skin, one of which won a literary prize, and she created a collection of books called "LA PEAU ANALOGIQUE". In 2021, she founded LA PEAU AUTREMENT, a scientific consulting company dedicated to skin and cosmetics. In 2022, she is a graduate in philosophy and is currently studying for a degree in Art History. Dr. Corinne Déchelette is currently secretary of the Société Française des Sciences Humaines sur la Peau (French Society for Human Skin Sciences) (SFSHP) and vice-president of the International Society of Iconodiagnosis (ISI).