Look Good ... Feel Better
The effects of cancer treatment can be devastating, and for many patients, changes in their appearance are almost as difficult to deal with.
To help women handle these changes, the Look Good ... Feel Better program aims to help them by improving their self-image.
The free national service offers lessons for female cancer patients on makeup, skin and nail care, and ways to deal with hair loss.
"The goal is to teach women how to understand and care for the changes that are going to occur when they're going through treatment," said Erin Vero, senior community cancer control specialist for the American Cancer Society.
The program is open to any woman with cancer underdoing radiation, chemotherapy or other forms of treatment.
During each session, licensed volunteer cosmetologists teach cancer patients techniques tailored to their individual needs.
Women are given complimentary makeup kits and taught to use the products, taking into consideration any changes in their skin and hair caused by treatment.
The one-time classes accommodate from two to about 12 women, Vero said.
Butler County typically has two facilitators at each session to provide one-on-one attention, she said.
Look Good ... Feel Better offers a sense of community that can't be bought at a cosmetics counter, Vero said."Even though it's only two hours, they share a lot of stories and a lot of what they're going through," Vero said.The program was established in 1989 by the Personal Care Products Council, a charitable organization supported by the cosmetic industry, in cooperation with the American Cancer Society and the Professional Beauty Association/National Cosmetology Association.According to facilitators, those who participate walk out transformed, Vero said."The women come in and sometimes they don't want to be there or they don't feel good," she said. "By the time they leave, their spirits are lifted."Upcoming sessions will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 14 at Butler Memorial Hospital, 911 E. Brady St., and from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 11 at UPMC Passavant, 3 St. Francis Way, Cranberry Township.For information, call 800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
