A morgue worker has explained how morticians dress people’s faces, including how they seal people's mouths and eyes. Watch her explain below:
TikTok user The Mortuary Witch (@mortuarytech) regularly shares videos about the grisly details of her job to her 231,000 followers.
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In one of her recent posts, which racked up more than 246,000 likes, she explained how people like her tend to embalm people’s mouths and eyes, detailing not only the process, but also the specialist equipment that's used.
She said: “I’m going to show you how we seal the mouth using this mouth guard that can be cut to size and shape.
“We then place it in the mouth and seal it by ‘sewing’.
“We use a thin cotton and a curved surgical needle to go through under the chin, then through the nasal passage (nose), back down the chin and thread back through.
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“Then sealed at the cheeks and knotted in the mouth.”
Moving on to how eyes are embalmed, she held up a small plastic cap and said: “Now for the eyes.
"Using a plastic eye cap similar to a contact [lens] we place under the eyelid.”
The Mortuary Witch then explained there are a few other finishing touches before the job is finished, including blocking up any open passages and coating the skin with a mix of substances.
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She continued: “Now for the icky part. We do block the mouth and nose and anal passage with wool and sealant.
“We don’t do this for babies or young children.
“And to finish we always use this mix of balm and hydro for skin to take away the ‘waxy look’.
“And that’s the face dressing complete.”
In the comments section, someone asked if morticians only seal the eyes and mouth if the family has chosen an open casket or want to hold viewings.
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The Mortuary Witch replied: “Yes it’s not something we do if the family weren’t wanting viewings be at hospital or funeral directors.
"We never do any work unless instructed.”
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@mortuarytech