Page A16 September 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A “Quite Possibly America’s Finest Line of Professional Cosmetics” • Cover Cremes • Lip Color • Liquid Tints • Powder • Brushes • Wax www.derma-pro.net 1-800-531-9744 Fax 903-641-0383 E-Mail: sales@derma-pro.net The author continues the topic, “Overcoming Post Embalming Complications & Shortcomings” begun in the June 2022 issue. As professional embalmers, don’t we strive for perfection, but sometimes come up short? Or, we have taken into our care a body that was embalmed by someone else. Who has a more discriminating eye than an embalmer who is following up on someone else’s work? Thirty years on I am still seldom satisfied with my own work. I guess that’s a professional hazard when you are “picky.” One of the more common problems we encounter is that of poorly positioned facial features. Those facial features are what define a person from a visual perspective, and can make or break how well a body appears. Correct features will also set the stage for a great viewing experience for the family. Always remember: how well the body looks can make or break a relationship with a family. If grandma doesn’t look good, you will struggle to do anything right, through the visitation, funeral and beyond. Let’s consider the positioning of the mouth/lips and eyes. One of the first things I stress to my assistants is the proper and careful handling of embalmed bodies, giving special attention to the head when moving those bodies. You can have a great looking mouth and eye closure, only to have it “fouled up” by carelessly allowing the head to drop backwards. We’ve all seen it occur and it’s that experience that serves as a reminder of the additional work and headaches encountered to overcome this situation. We’ll discuss two situations in overcoming poor lip closure. These were both “ship-ins” – one was dehydration, the other was probably careless/poor positioning. The cause isn’t really important – stepping up to the plate to overcome the problem is important. I prefer not to use adhesive products (cyanoacrylates) for lip closure. It seems no matter how careful you are, there is always a clean-up issue, and a struggle to maintain the nice natural radius that the lips should possess. When possible, my preference is using tissue builder or a humectant with a diabetic-size syringe/needle, usually a 29-31 gauge x 2” needle. Using a needle this size allows you to inject tissue-building material directly into the lips, plumping them to the correct size/radius and giving them their natural-appearing closure. By using the longer needle, you are able to access the full width of the lips with fewer entry punctures. These By Wally Hooker, CFSP, MBIE needles are so small there is seldom leakage. I find if you pull the syringe plunger back just a bit before withdrawing the needle, and gently apply pressure to the entry site, you will prevent leakage. Remember not to overdo it: do not give them something they didn’t have in life! The first case (Fig. 1) indicates a parting of lips, most likely as a result of under embalming, and the lips dehydrated. This is an easy fix using a firming tissue builder and a diabetic syringe. The following photo (Fig. 2) shows the progress. If we are presented with lips parting on a well-embalmed and firm body, tissue building may not be an option, as the tissue is too firm to plump. Such is the case in the next photo (Fig. 3). In these cases, I recommend using lip wax. It is smooth, pliable and easy to work with. I use a 3 ml diabetic syringe, and with a utility knife I remove the outside threads used to attach the needle (Fig. 4) then fill the syringe with lip wax (Fig. 5). This makes the placeEmbalming 101 ment of the wax bead very easy and much less of a mess (Fig. 6). Using a heated spatula, you can roughly put the wax into place (Fig. 7). Then, using an angled cosmetic brush with an astringent, you can more precisely work and mold the wax (Fig. 8). The brush will allow you to follow the existing furrow of the lips, blend it, and smooth out. The final result shows no line of demarcation (Fig. 9). I don’t proclaim to have all the answers, nor the experience that many of you possess. I just share things that work for me and hope you find value in some of these tips. As I’ve shared for the 8-plus years I’ve been lecturing: If I can do it, you can do it! It’s a battle out there my friends. Always go the extra mile and don’t give families a bad viewing experience, causing them to no longer choose open-casket services. Be part of the solution not part of the problem! We’ll continue with this topic next month. Be safe! Wallace P. (Wally) Hooker CFSP, MBIE, is the owner, funeral director and embalmer of Family & Friends Funeral Home of Wingate, IN. He and his wife, Janet designed, established and built their funeral home in 2004. Wally is a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science, where he serves on the Advisory Board. He is Past President of the Indiana Funeral Directors Association and board member of North American Division of the British Institute of Embalmers. In addition, he has served as chief deputy coroner/investigator of Fountain County, IN for the last 24 years. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columnsonline at Overcoming Post Embalming Complications & Shortcomings (Part 2) FIG. 1 FIG. 2 FIG. 3 FIG. 4 FIG. 5 FIG. 6 FIG. 7 FIG. 8 FIG. 9 Miller Funeral Service Opens First Crematory in Wilkes County, North Carolina WILKESBORO,NC— Miller Funeral Service is proud to announce the opening of the county’s first and only crematory. Miller Funeral Service has served Wilkes County for over 70 years, and is currently Wilkes Counties only locally owned funeral home. Miller Funeral Service has experienced a dramatic increase in their business in the last decade, and has become the leader in serving cremation clients. Miller’s offers prices, service, and package options to fit most all needs of our families, a large modern facility and a highly trained and diverse staff. Miller Funeral Service plans to also offer cremation service to other funeral homes in the surrounding area. To learn more; contact their crematory manager, Taylor C. Barnes, at; 180 Sparta Rd., North Wilkesboro, NC 28659, tbarnes@millerfuneralservice.com or call 336-838-3104. US Funeral Homes, Cemeteries & Crematories Industry Report Now Offered DUBLIN,IRELAND— The U.S. Funeral Homes, Cemeteries & Crematories Industry report from Marketdata LLC has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. The $20 billion U.S. funeral homes industry is a mature, low-growth and fragmented business comprised of mostly independent services. The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a record 3.4 million deaths and a record 1.9 million cremations, and the industry benefitted from the increase in 2020 and 2021. However, as more consumers opted for cremation, and services shifted from in-person to virtual, the product mix changed, and top-line revenues were constrained. As the price of the average funeral climbs to $7,848, more people are opting for less costly cremations (57% of all services now and rising steadily). This U.S. Funeral Homes, Cemeteries & Crematories Industry study examines the industry’s nature and structure, major trends and issues, factors affecting demand and growth, pricing/profit margins, funeral home operating ratios from the Census Bureau and trade groups, demographics/death rates, and industry receipts from 19852019 actual, 2020-2021 estimated, 2022 and 2025 forecasts. Separate analyses of funeral homes and cemeteries. Effects of the pandemic on growth and operations is included. For more information on the report visit https://www.researchandmarkets. com/r/w78arx. Send Us Your News! We welcome news of the industry. info@NomisPublications.com PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 CALL 1-800-321-7479 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
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