Look Good ... Feel Better Workshop Helps Women with Cancer Combat Appearance-Related Effects of Treatment

January 26, 2017 | Blogs

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can cause a number of side effects. The ones that affect appearance, namely hair loss and adverse skin reactions, can take a huge emotional toll on women.

Women with cancer who endure unwelcome changes in their looks during treatment can encounter all sorts of personal battles: feelings of depression, waning confidence, and the anguish of becoming unrecognizable to themselves and their family and friends. A free support program that is sponsored by the American Cancer Society and currently being offered at LifeBridge Health hospitals seeks to help women with cancer rediscover and preserve their inner and outer beauty.

The two-hour "Look Good "¦ Feel Better" workshop at Sinai, Carroll and Northwest hospitals provides participants with nifty beauty tips and much more.

"When they leave the class, it's always with a smile on their face. If it's someone who's newly diagnosed, they're sort of overwhelmed by the diagnosis, by the treatment, all of those things. After joining the program and talking to each other, they leave feeling better than when they walked in," said Jenny Hoffman, a social worker at the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute at Sinai Hospital and a coordinator for Sinai's "Look Good "¦ Feel Better" workshop.

"There's no better feeling than helping somebody that's going through this journey," added Dawn Meushaw, facilitator for the Sinai program.

The first workshops of 2017 were held on Jan. 9 and 13 at Carroll and Northwest, respectively. Several more will be offered throughout the year beginning in February.

In addition to problems such as fatigue and appetite changes, radiation therapy can cause hair loss and skin problems including redness, irritation, flakiness and dryness. Side effects occur in the area that's being treated; for example, radiation to your head may result in the loss of not only scalp hair, but also eyebrows and lashes.

While radiation therapy is used to kill cancer cells in certain areas, chemotherapy can affect the entire body because it involves using one or more drugs to kill cells that spread. Side effects associated with chemotherapy include hair and weight loss, bruising, and skin and nail changes. There are some patients who undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy at the same time.

The "Look Good "¦ Feel Better" program helps women combat appearance-related side effects of treatment by having certified beauty professionals demonstrate helpful makeup techniques, like how to draw eyebrows and ways to camouflage problem areas, and offer suggestions for wig care and head coverings. The workshops generally have 6 to 10 participants. The women receive a free makeup kit upon entering the class.

Women undergoing treatment at the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute and the William E. Kahlert Regional Cancer Center are ideal participants, but you don't have to be a LifeBridge Health patient to participate. Program coordinators and volunteers also like to see participants before they start treatment so they can help prepare them for what's ahead.

"Coming to terms with the fact that you might need (false) eyelashes or a wig is a pretty big deal. Getting the education on side effects and how to counter them is one thing, but getting the proper education is most important," said Lisa Bicking, program coordinator at Carroll Hospital's Tevis Center for Wellness, which hosts Carroll's "Look Good "¦ Feel Better" workshops. "You can easily research different things, but then you run the risk of getting bad advice or trying something that doesn't work. The beauty professionals at our sessions really take the time to look at each person individually and help them determine which types of products would be good for them and which products would not be good for them. Side effects are temporary, but in the moment it probably seems they're going to last forever. So learning how to manage side effects helps patients develop the positive attitude needed to fight their disease."

Hoffman says the "Look Good "¦ Feel Better" program also provides participants with information on additional resources and inspires them to show each other encouragement. "We've even had patients exchange phone numbers," she said.

Sinai Hospital will hold "Look Good "¦ Feel Better" workshops in the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute conference room from 2 to 4 p.m. on March 9, May 11, Aug. 10 and Oct. 12. Northwest Hospital's next workshops will be held in the Reister Room from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 14, July 14 and Nov. 10.

Carroll Hospital will hold workshops at the Tevis Center for Wellness from 9 to 11 a.m. on the following dates:

Feb. 13
March 13
April 10
May 8
June 12
July 10
Aug. 14
Sept. 11
Oct. 9
Nov. 13
Dec. 11

Pre-registration is required. You can register for workshops at Sinai and Northwest hospitals either online or by calling 410-601-WELL (9355). You can register for workshops at Carroll Hospital via this link or by calling Care Connect at 410-871-7000. Check the online LifeBridge Health community calendar frequently for an updated event schedule.