PRESQUE ISLE – Cancer can rob a woman of her energy, appetite, and strength. But it doesn’t have to take away her self-confidence. Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the Personal Care Products Council, and the National Cosmetology Association, Look Good…Feel Better® is a unique program which offers free, one-time beauty consultations with a licensed cosmetologist or aesthetician to women who are currently undergoing cancer treatment.
The beauty professionals provide tips and practical techniques for coping with hair loss and changes in the skin that often result from chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
The American Cancer Society is partnering with The Aroostook Medical Center to offer this program to area cancer patients. A Look Good…Feel Better group session is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. at The Aroostook Medical Center, located at 140 Academy St. in Presque Isle. Each participant will receive a complimentary cosmetic kit donated by the cosmetic industry. They will also learn ways to use wigs, scarves, and other accessories to conceal hair loss. Patients who have participated in Look Good…Feel Better call the program an emotional lifesaver because it returns them to a sense of normalcy and allows them to smile once again at the person in the mirror.
“Being able to look your best makes a world of difference to someone going through treatment for cancer,” said Doug Dieckmann, community executive for the American Cancer Society. “Sometimes simple changes in makeup or an attractive way of tying a head scarf can create a turnaround in a woman’s outlook and bring back her self confidence. It’s like a makeover for the spirit and that’s a beautiful thing.”
The American Cancer Society estimates that over 692,000 U.S. women will develop some form of cancer this year. The good news is that, thanks to advances in medicine, the five-year relative survival rate of all cancers is 66 percent. New cancer treatments are saving more lives, but they are not without side effects. Some women experience total or partial hair loss, changes in the skin tone and texture, and weakened fingernails, and Look Good…Feel Better helps patients deal with these side effects.
To register for the Look Good…Feel Better program, contact Penny Buck at 768-4000. For more information about the program, contact the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345.
Contributed photo
FOUR-YEAR-OLD Addy Smith, daughter of Derik and Ellyn Smith of Presque Isle, received her first “big girl” haircut Jan. 2 at JCPenney’s by stylist and friend, Jean Brawn. Smith donated her hair to Locks of Love, a public, non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Smith was excited to give her ponytails to a “little girl who doesn’t have any hair.” With Addy’s cut, Brawn now cuts the entire family’s hair.
