The American Cancer Society has a remedy for women who undergo chemotherapy and subsequently suffer side effects that make them feel unattractive.
It’s the agency’s “Look Good…Feel Better” program that pairs volunteer licensed cosmetologists and estheticians from the metropolitan area with cancer patients.
About nine beauticians and makeup artists attended a training program Monday at the ACS in the Central West End.
Volunteers learned a 12-step process for applying make-up and making a turban out of a tee shirt.
“I had to do it,” said hairstylist Charlie Cooper, a breast cancer survivor.
“It’s perfect for me because hairstyling is my talent and I also had cancer, so I understand and know what they’re reaching for,” Cooper said.
Hair loss and skin deterioration are two of the most well known side effects affecting the morale of woman after chemotherapy.
Some women’s hair simply gets thinner while others lose significantly more – even total badness (alopecia).
Skin can become dry, thinner, discolored, patchy, darker and more sensitive.
Both conditions often leave women feeling less than beautiful, as it did one women who became the catalyst for this national program initiated by the Cosmetic, Toiletry, Fragrance Association (CTFA) along with ACS and the National Cosmetology Association.
“Look Good…Feel Better” began in 1989 when a physician reportedly asked the former CTFA president how to get a make-over for the who was depressed after going through chemo treatments.
The woman who was so depressed that she reportedly stayed in her hospital room became happy and laughed for the first time in weeks after her makeover.
Her physician credited her makeover with improving her attitude and newfound emotional approach toward her treatments.
“It’s amazing,” said Julie Suedmeyer, ACS Community Manager – Health Initiatives.
“Women honestly just feel better and can’t wait to show off their new look,” Suedmeyer said, adding that it’s one of her favorite programs because,
“Women get at the facility where they get treated – and they know they’re not the only ones.”
62-year-old Ann Hodge who sat as a model Monday at the ACS’s “Feeling Good…Looking Good” training said that a lot her friends who have cancer have passed on because they didn’t know what to do with themselves.
Hodge, a retired cosmetologist and cancer survivor said she is glad to give back to the ACS, which helped her with utilities while she was very ill.
“I’m retired, but I don’t just want to sit around and do nothing,” she said. The program is now offered in every state, Washington DC, and
Puerto Rico. The materials are also available in Spanish. There is also a program called Look Good…Feel Better for teens, which is available in St.
Louis as well.
The program follows a twelve step process starting with cleansing andmoisturizing, then moving on to the concealer and foundation, once the base is laid the women move on to the eyes, cheeks, and finish with the lips.Women who have lost their eyebrows are taught how to put them back on and make them look much better. Those without eye lashes learn how to create the look of having them. The women are blessed with a free kit of fantastic make-up thanks to the efforts of the CTFA and are taught by a licensed cosmetologist, with the support of the NCA. These classes are held at just about every treatment facility in the St. Louis metro area and are managed locally by the American Cancer Society Health Initiatives staff.
A complete list can be found by calling our local office at (314) 286-8100,
or by calling 1.800.227.2345, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, or by logging
onto www.cancer.org and searching for local programs.
