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The Phantom's mask is stylish...
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...All the better to hide his birthmark.
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No, he didn't get singed by all those candles!
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Linda Kirkpatrick writes: "On the DVD for the 2004 version of 'Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera,' the make-up artist says she patterned the Phantom's make-up after an actual skin condition or defect someone is born with, but she did not name the skin condition. What is it?"
After managing the skinema.com site for nearly 10 years, I am surprised to learn the famous Phantom has been hiding a birthmark all this time, rather than a scar. He never did shed that mask during appointments. Close inspection of actor Gerard Butler's prosthetic makeup reveals a red, swollen area of the right face, affecting the eyelid. This is an attempt to re-create Sturge-Weber syndrome. Named after long gone dermatologists presumably unrelated to Sir Andrew Lloyd, the condition includes port wine stain birthmarks, abnormal deeper blood vessels, and often eye problems. It usually affects the top half of one facial side. Along with the significant psychological impact, the other potential problem in some cases can be convulsions. Along with albinism, scarring, and baldness, we can now add SWS to the list of skin issues that Hollywood unfairly uses to identify evil.
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