Case Study Presentation: How a 91-year-old woman with care level 4 took lipstick into her own hands – Verifying changes after 4 days of beauty treatment
Miraiproject Co., Ltd.'s 'Kaigo Beauty Lab' held a graduation ceremony and a case study presentation on care beauty on March 28, 2026. This presentation verified that beauty contributes to improving the QOL of the elderly, promoting physical and mental changes and behavioral transformation.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 19:57
- 🔍 Collected: April 9, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 09:08 (261h 37m after Collected)
Miraiproject Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Satoshi Yamagiwa), which operates the 'Kaigo Beauty Lab,' a specialized beauty school for the elderly, held a graduation ceremony on Saturday, March 28, 2026, and conducted a case study presentation on care beauty by its students. This release introduces three symbolic cases selected from a total of 383 presentations across five cities nationwide.
Through this verification, it became clear that beauty goes beyond mere 'grooming' and has physical and mental effects that bring positive changes to people with dementia and those with reduced leg health, contributing to the improvement of QOL (Quality of Life).
In a super-aging society, supporting an 'active way of life' where the elderly not only 'receive care' but also dress themselves and express themselves according to their own will, has become an important theme in modern care. With 383 graduates who have acquired specialized knowledge starting their activities in their respective regions, beauty has the potential to permeate nationwide as a 'mental infrastructure,' accelerating the realization of a society where the elderly can live authentically until the very end.
## Highlights of the Verification Results
* **[Physical Change]** Continuous foot care reduced leg circumference by up to 0.6 cm. Along with improved skin dryness, subjective symptoms such as 'legs feeling lighter' were also confirmed (Case 1).
* **[Behavioral Change]** An elderly person with care level 4 who had difficulty communicating regained initiative, such as choosing nail colors and expressing preferences themselves (Case 1).
* **[Accumulation of Positive Emotions]** Even in situations where memories of treatments were not retained due to dementia, positive remarks such as 'I'm happy' and 'It's a luxurious day' increased with each session (Case 2).
* **[Mental Change]** Negative remarks from a subject who initially rejected beauty treatments drastically decreased from 20 times in the first session to 1 time in the final session (Case 3).
## Case 1: From anxiety and rejection to 'proactive self-expression' (91 years old, care level 4)
**Situation:** Initially, the subject was observant of her surroundings, had a stiff expression, and had communication difficulties. Due to refraining from bathing, she constantly appeared anxious, but underwent significant changes over four days of treatment.
**Approach:** To alleviate anxiety, visual explanations (information supplementation) using a whiteboard were provided, and foot care and hand care were performed from the second visit. Foot care and nail care were performed on the 3rd and 4th visits, and a photo session was held after the treatment on the 4th visit.
**Result:** A smile not shown to caregivers or physical therapists became consistent, and her interest in beauty increased, such as applying lipstick herself. In the final session, she showed initiative by choosing her own nail color.
**Physical Data:** Leg circumference changed from right 21.6 cm to 21.0 cm, and left 21.0 cm to 20.0 cm. Along with improved skin condition, positive remarks leading to motivation for walking were confirmed.
Through this verification, it became clear that beauty goes beyond mere 'grooming' and has physical and mental effects that bring positive changes to people with dementia and those with reduced leg health, contributing to the improvement of QOL (Quality of Life).
In a super-aging society, supporting an 'active way of life' where the elderly not only 'receive care' but also dress themselves and express themselves according to their own will, has become an important theme in modern care. With 383 graduates who have acquired specialized knowledge starting their activities in their respective regions, beauty has the potential to permeate nationwide as a 'mental infrastructure,' accelerating the realization of a society where the elderly can live authentically until the very end.
## Highlights of the Verification Results
* **[Physical Change]** Continuous foot care reduced leg circumference by up to 0.6 cm. Along with improved skin dryness, subjective symptoms such as 'legs feeling lighter' were also confirmed (Case 1).
* **[Behavioral Change]** An elderly person with care level 4 who had difficulty communicating regained initiative, such as choosing nail colors and expressing preferences themselves (Case 1).
* **[Accumulation of Positive Emotions]** Even in situations where memories of treatments were not retained due to dementia, positive remarks such as 'I'm happy' and 'It's a luxurious day' increased with each session (Case 2).
* **[Mental Change]** Negative remarks from a subject who initially rejected beauty treatments drastically decreased from 20 times in the first session to 1 time in the final session (Case 3).
## Case 1: From anxiety and rejection to 'proactive self-expression' (91 years old, care level 4)
**Situation:** Initially, the subject was observant of her surroundings, had a stiff expression, and had communication difficulties. Due to refraining from bathing, she constantly appeared anxious, but underwent significant changes over four days of treatment.
**Approach:** To alleviate anxiety, visual explanations (information supplementation) using a whiteboard were provided, and foot care and hand care were performed from the second visit. Foot care and nail care were performed on the 3rd and 4th visits, and a photo session was held after the treatment on the 4th visit.
**Result:** A smile not shown to caregivers or physical therapists became consistent, and her interest in beauty increased, such as applying lipstick herself. In the final session, she showed initiative by choosing her own nail color.
**Physical Data:** Leg circumference changed from right 21.6 cm to 21.0 cm, and left 21.0 cm to 20.0 cm. Along with improved skin condition, positive remarks leading to motivation for walking were confirmed.