Death had attracted her since childhood: interview with a thanatopractician — a man who makes the dead beautiful

Many have heard that the deceased are made up before the funeral and put on special makeup. But few people know that there is a separate profession whose people do this. Who are thanatopractors and why their work is difficult not only morally, but also physically, Oksana Tomilina, an employee of the Pirogov Surgical Center, told reporters.

In her interview with Moskovsky Komsomolets, a specialist of a rare profession told that the work of a thanatopractician is associated with many harmful factors, such as heavy physical exertion, exposure to toxic chemicals, psychological moments. Separately, the master for the preparation of the deceased mentioned communication with clients, whose wishes are, to put it mildly, unusual.

Oksana Tomilina claims that she was drawn to death and burial as a child. At school age, she attended all the farewell ceremonies with relatives and friends, and also loved walking around the local cemetery. She made her first attempt to get a job "by vocation" at the age of 12. The girl came to the funeral supplies store, where a seller's vacancy was opened. Of course, due to her too young age, Oksana did not get a job.

After school, the girl studied to be a designer, but she was not satisfied with the work in her specialty. Oksana worked as a ritual agent for some time, and then became an employee of the Pirogov Medical Surgical Center, where she still works.

A woman cannot call her job easy, since she has to move bodies weighing from 50 to 200 kg every day. In addition, many of the chemicals that she has to deal with constantly by her occupation irritate the mucous membranes and have a negative effect on the lungs.

In the work of thanatopractors, they use a very extensive arsenal of tools, which, in addition to products created by manufacturers specifically for the deceased, includes theatrical makeup and ordinary decorative cosmetics, well known to every woman.

Tomilina said in an interview with journalists. At the same time, the thanatopractician clarified that the number of tools and tools used in making up the deceased does not compare with what the living use. According to the specialist, when you have to go to the client's house, her inventory barely fits in the trunk of the car.

Oksana's usual traveling luggage includes a sports bag with cosmetics, a plastic case with chemicals, a case with tools, special equipment for disinfection of the room, three types of plaster for removing death masks, a protective suit. In addition, Tomilina always takes with her a lot of additional devices and tools: manicure and pedicure kits, hair dyes, perfumes, shampoos and deodorants.

In the case when the body is already touched by decomposition and the skin is damaged, special aerospace is used, which is applied using a portable airbrush, and not with brushes or sponges. In this case, there is a chance to correct many defects, but, alas, the choice of colors and shades of such cosmetics is small.

The thanatopractician notes that working with the dead itself is much easier for her than communicating with their relatives. The latter often amaze the master with very unusual wishes.

Once the relatives of the deceased asked to put half a loaf of bread under the armpit of the deceased. Their request was fulfilled, but Oksana never found out why it was necessary.

Of course, in an interview, the thanatopractician could not help but ask a question about how such work affects ordinary life. Oksana Tomilina assures that her profession did not make her a cynic, but, on the contrary, taught her to feel human grief more subtly and realize the value of life. A female thanatopractor claims that she is absolutely not afraid of death and she is only interested in when and how it will happen to her.

The way a deceased person looks during a funeral ceremony is very important for his family and friends. In the case of celebrities, this is especially true, since paparazzi specifically hunt for shots with famous dead people in order to then sell the pictures to the press.