Cabin crew with scars, birthmarks and skin conditions: what airlines check, the cover up rules and the medical view on eczema, psoriasis and vitiligo
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#1 Qatar from Alexandria, two years, and I have a small burn scar on my forearm and mild eczema on my hands, so I read every requirements thread with a specific fear before I applied. There is one thread about a face scar. Here is the fuller picture from my experience, the crew I have asked, and the airline medical department's answers.
What the airlines check
At the assessment: visible marks in the uniform, which means face, neck, hands and forearms in short sleeves, and lower legs in the skirt uniform. The tattoo rule is the model: if a mark is visible and would be noticed by a passenger, the airline wants to know. Scars and birthmarks are not tattoos and are treated differently, but they are looked at.
Scars
A scar that is healed, not raised dramatically, and not on the face in a way that dominates it is a non issue at every airline I have asked about. The Gulf carriers, which are the strictest on appearance, accept forearm and hand scars routinely; mine was noted at the medical and never mentioned again. A large facial scar is a conversation with the recruiter and the medical, and the outcome depends on the airline and the scar. Surgical scars are universal and nobody cares.
Birthmarks
A birthmark on the hands or forearms is fine. On the face, the Gulf and Asian carriers may ask about cover up with makeup within the grooming standard, and the European and US carriers mostly do not care. Port wine stains on the face are the hardest case and the honest answer is that some airlines will and some will not.
Eczema
The medical asks. Mild eczema on the hands is common among crew because of the hand washing and the dry air, and it is managed with the moisturiser and, if needed, a prescribed cream. It is not disqualifying. Severe eczema that cracks and bleeds is a hygiene and a comfort issue on the aircraft and the medical will want to see it controlled. Bring the dermatologist's letter.
Psoriasis
Similar: mild and controlled is fine, visible plaques on the hands and face are a conversation, and the medical wants to see a treatment plan. Several crew I know have it on the elbows and knees, where the uniform covers it, and it has never been raised.
Vitiligo
Not a medical issue and not disqualifying anywhere I know of. Visible vitiligo on the face and hands has been accepted at the Gulf carriers in recent years, and there are crew with it at Emirates and Qatar. The grooming standard allows makeup to even the tone if the crew member wants; it does not require it.
Acne
Active severe acne is looked at by the Gulf and Asian carriers at the assessment and the honest advice is to treat it before the event. Scarring from acne is a non issue.
The general rule
The airlines want a crew member who looks well groomed in the uniform. A mark that is part of you and is neat is part of the groomed person. A skin condition that is controlled is a controlled condition. The fear is worse than the check. Mine was, and I have never had a passenger or a purser mention either.
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#2 Emirates upper deck, and I have a colleague with vitiligo on her hands and forearms and she is one of the best business crew on the fleet. Nobody has ever raised it. The Gulf relaxed on this quietly and it is true.
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#3 Emirates, and my hand eczema is the same as Farah's and the medical said moisturiser and a cream and see you next year. The fear was the whole problem. The check was thirty seconds.
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#4 Korean Air, and I will be honest for the Asian carriers: facial marks are looked at more here and the cover up within the makeup standard is expected. Hands and forearms are as Farah says. Skin conditions controlled are fine.
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#5 easyJet, and the European answer is that nobody cares about scars and birthmarks at all and the medical only asks about conditions. My colleague has a large facial birthmark and has never been asked about it in six years.
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#6 Trainer, and the psoriasis case in my last course was on the elbows, controlled, with a letter, and it was a two minute conversation at the medical. The letter is the thing. Bring it.
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#7 Applying to TUI with a forearm surgical scar and this is the reassurance I needed. Surgical scars universal, nobody cares. Noted with relief.
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#8 Athens, applying, with mild psoriasis on the scalp, and Farah's post is the first time anyone has said the words out loud. Dermatologist letter before the event. Thank you.