THE FULL TREATMENT
The hair loss is the most visible, undeniable change: It is what the cancer patient sees in the mirror each day and what the world notices.
For many, within weeks of starting chemotherapy, hair begins falling out in handfuls. The chemical infusions given to kill cancerous cells also poison hair follicle cells. There are other changes too: Skin can become dry, flaky and even change color.
Though the changes in appearance are temporary, for cancer patients--especially women--they can compound the illness’ emotional devastation.
“What we women go through is so horrible,” said Rosalie McKenzie of Fullerton, who has lost her hair to cancer treatments and wears a short auburn wig.
Candy Friesner, wearing a pink turban to cover her head, also knows what it is like to lose your hair, including eyebrows and lashes, because of the harsh treatments.
“It’s pretty depressing,” agrees Friesner, 47, of Anaheim, who has breast cancer. “But when you start putting on makeup and the wig, you’re ready to do something.”
McKenzie and Friesner were among about a dozen women with cancer who participated recently in a class to help them deal a little better with the way they look during treatment.
“Look Good . . . Feel Better” is a nationwide program sponsored by the American Cancer Society with the help of local cosmetologists and skin-care specialists who volunteer their services. The program is offered on an ongoing basis at a number of Orange County hospitals and medical offices at no charge to cancer patients. Though the program predominately serves women, it is also open to men.
The program was started in 1989 by the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Assn. Foundation, a charitable group supported by the cosmetics industry. It is designed to help cancer patients feel good about their self-image and offers them tips to enhance their appearance--things such as wearing lip color, choosing the right wig for a natural look or wrapping a scarf around the head for a fashionable touch.
“People going through cancer have a tough time dealing with it,” said Joanne O’Heany, coordinator of the American Cancer Society’s information center at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center. “The feeling is if they look good, then they’ll feel better about themselves.”
Dr. Glen Justice, an oncologist and medical director at the Orange County Regional Cancer Center at the Fountain Valley hospital, said such a program is critical in raising esteem and positive feelings about body image.
“It’s a tremendous blow to their self-perception and image, even their sexuality,” Justice said of women undergoing cancer treatment, especially if a woman has had a breast removed. “It’s all very scary; a well-empowered life is all of sudden out of control, and they’re terribly vulnerable.”
O’Heany said women often continue working while undergoing cancer treatment and want to look their best on the outside.
“They want to feel that they look normal, and not a cancer patient,” she said.
During the session attended by Friesner and McKenzie at a cancer center classroom at the Fountain Valley hospital, some women wore wigs, others hats and turbans. Some haven’t yet gone through the shocking experience of their hair falling out; others are waiting for it to grow back--a process that varies by individual.
Each sat at a table with a small stand-up mirror in front of them. Each received an array of name-brand cosmetics--from face cleaner to foundation--donated by cosmetics companies.
Some of the women said they don’t normally wear makeup and didn’t know how to properly apply it.
That is where Costa Mesa cosmetologist Linda Ramos stepped in. She gave the women a 12-step lesson on how to correctly smooth on moisturizer, to apply concealer to hide dark circles under the eyes, line lips to make them look fuller and re-create arched eyebrows.
“Doctors are going to help you on the inside. We’re going to be helping you on the outside so when you walk by that mirror, you’re going to look beautiful,” said Ramos, who with several other volunteer cosmetologists, assisted the women in applying makeup.
With a brown pencil in hand, Annette Gould, 49, of Santa Ana, who has breast cancer, learned how to draw new eyebrows.
“I’m kind of a plain Jane girl” who rarely uses makeup, Gould said.
Wearing a short platinum-blond wig, Gould for the first time lined her lips with a pencil and colored them red. “It makes me feel good about myself,” she said of the change in her appearance.
Because cancer treatments usually dry the skin, Ramos said, only a mild cleanser should be used. Moisturizer for dry skin is also a must, and wearing sunscreen is recommended when outdoors, she added.
“What’s really important is your skin does change,” Ramos said. “Especially during chemotherapy, it will become very dry and flaky.”
Ramos encourages women to experiment with shades of lipstick and eye shadow they don’t normally use, because skin color often changes during treatment.
Monika Moore, a La Habra wig and turban consultant, said choosing the right kind of wig can make all the difference in self-confidence.
“It’ll make you feel good or make you feel bad. If you pick something that’s not you at all, it’s going to make you feel depressed,” Moore said.
During the class, Moore put a stylish honey-blond wig on Friesner, who with a hand-held mirror, looked at herself. A smile came over her face: “It really is a spirit lifter. I can’t believe what you did. You made a major difference.”
Moore recommended buying a wig the same color as one’s natural hair color and having it cut in the desired shape by a stylist before hair loss occurs.
Sandra Whitaker, 51, of Orange, who has breast cancer, agreed that being prepared is less stressful. She waited to get a wig until after her hair fell out--and panicked.
“I was in denial that it wasn’t going to happen,” Whitaker said. “It could have been handled a lot better if I would have prepared myself. . . . Whether you’re prepared emotionally or not, go ahead and get a wig, even if you don’t need it immediately--at least you’ll have it there when you do need it.”
For those who need assistance, a wig bank at the Fountain Valley hospital has about 400 donated wigs to choose from at no cost. Wig donations for men as well as women are always needed for the program, which is designed to serve those who are financially pressed.
Moore also gave the women tips on different ways of wrapping scarves around the head. Placing shoulder pads inside the turban adds fullness to simulate hair, she told them. And wearing bangs--wig hair attached to Velcro strips--under turbans, hats and scarves helps frame the face.
Moore suggested wearing pretty, vibrant-colored scarves under hats--which also protect the scalp--and adding a pair of big earrings. “Color is important. It gives you a glow.”
O’Heany said women who have gone through the program have praised it for giving them a renewed sense of their self. “People come into our office and say, ‘This is the best thing I’ve done for myself. I feel better about going out and facing my friends.’ ”
Diane Martinez, 44, also of Fullerton, has already gone through breast cancer treatment and is awaiting reconstructive surgery. After the session, Martinez agreed: “These kinds of classes help us feel better because you sure feel ugly when you’re going through treatment.”
McKenzie said the two-hour beauty session was uplifting because she was among other women going through similar experiences who were supportive and could still crack a smile. “Anything that reinforces positive thinking is good,” she said. “And this does reinforce that.”
McKenzie tempered her remarks, though: “I’ll feel better in five years--when I’m over it.”
Friesner, who was the class model and managed to laugh and joke about her situation during her make-over, agreed that the program “builds your morale and gives you hope. It cheers you up.
“It makes you feel like you can get out in the world and get going. It makes you not want to lay down and die, to be blunt.”
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The Where, When for Sessions
“Look Good . . . Feel Better” classes, presented by the American Cancer Society, are held Mondays from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, call (714) 261-9446.
Here are upcoming classes in Orange County:
* Monday, Sept. 9 and Dec. 2: Friendly Hills Healthcare Network, 501 S. Idaho St., La Habra.
* May 27, July 29, Sept. 30 and Nov. 25: Talbert Medical Group, 9940 Talbert Ave., Fountain Valley.
* June 10: St. Jude Hospital, 101 E. Valencia Mesa Drive, Fullerton.
* June 17, Aug. 19, Oct. 21 and Dec. 16: Orange County Regional Cancer Center at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, 11250 Warner Ave.
* July 22: Western Medical Center, 1001 N. Tustin Ave., Orange.
* Sept. 16: St. Jude Heritage House Foundation, 433 Bastanchury Road, Fullerton.
* Sept. 23: Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, 1211 La Palma Ave.
Source: American Cancer Society, Orange County Region