Program helps cancer patients feel beautiful inside and out

Denise Smith had lost her hair, eyebrows and eyelashes -- the result of treatment for breast cancer.

She had also lost self confidence.

A program called Look Good Feel Better helped her make it through the toughest time in her life.

"I was blessed to go through the program. I learned all kinds of things," said the Cataula, Ga., resident. "It helped me feel like a woman again."

That was in 2006. Smith, 62, is now cancer-free and highly recommends the program for women cancer patients.

"For a woman, losing your hair is a very big thing," she said.

She said sharing her experience with others in the same situation at a workshop also helped.

Locally, the international program is conducted by the American Cancer Society with workshops held monthly at the John B. Amos Cancer Center in Columbus.

Look Good Feel Better was developed in 1989 by the Personal Care Products Council Foundation, a charitable organization supported by the cosmetics industry, in cooperation with the American Cancer Society and the Professional Beauty Association.

The program is available to all women with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy, radiation or other forms of treatment. It is free, non-medical and salon and product neutral.

According to program literature, cancer can rob a woman of her energy, appetite and strength, but it does not have to take away her self-confidence.

Group workshops are held that teach beauty techniques to female cancer patients, helping them combat the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment.

The emotional and physical impact of what happens to a woman's appearance can be overwhelming, said Tiffany Trucks, the American Cancer Society's community manager for Relay of Life in Columbus.

The workshops offer step-by-step makeover learning sessions led by cosmetology professionals using products donated by the cosmetics industry.

Every two-hour, hands-on workshop includes a 12-step makeup lesson, nail-care techniques and professional advice on how to deal with hair loss using wigs, scarves, hats and hairpieces.

Some cancer patients have extremely dry skin or skin that is changing color. They are taught how to deal with that.

Trucks said the women attending not only receive some one-on-one personal attention but also receive a free kit valued at $350 with 13 cosmetic items. They may also receive program materials including a video.

The workshops are taught by professional cosmetologists who must pass a four-hour course to become a certified facilitator.

Rea Harrison has been a facilitator for 25 years and as a coordinator trains others.

She said the work is rewarding, and more facilitators are badly needed.

"You see women coming to a meeting. Their heads are covered. Their heads are hanging low. They are usually wearing no makeup. At the end of the workshop, they leave feeling more self-confident. It is amazing," Harrison said.

Recalling her beginning with Look Good Feel Better, Harrison said she was working in a salon and noticed a couple of her clients disappeared. She discovered it was because chemotherapy had made them lose their hair.

"I was touched by that and decided I did not want them to go through that alone," said Harrison, who works in Columbus at pHyxx Salon.

Harrison said the training of facilitators is not difficult.

"The big thing is getting them over the fear of making a presentation. They are used to talking to people one person at a time," Harrison said.

It is an important service the facilitators provide.

"The women with cancer feel like they have lost control and this program helps give them back the control. We give them tools. We give them the knowledge," Harrison said.

She said the participants in the workshop leave feeling empowered.

"It is rewarding work," Harrison said of being a facilitator.

Anyone interested in Look Good Feel Better as a participant or as a facilitator should call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or 706-324-4593. For more information, visit www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org.

This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 9:53 PM with the headline "Program helps cancer patients feel beautiful inside and out ."