Getting Better - Looking and Feeling Good

The 'Look Good....Feel Better' strategy was co-developed by the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA) Foundation, the National Cosmetology Association, and the American Cancer Society three years ago. It's an attempt to help patients learn to minimize the side effects of cancer drugs and radiation treatment, which can cause changes in hair, complexion, and nails.

Rolf Lohse has joined in this mission to develop and offer a high-end skin care product line that soothes and even nurtures skin. Called Iqonic Soothe, the line is developed and certified by our dermatologists and bio-chemists in Hamburg, Germany, to be either soothing or chemically neutral for compromised medical conditions.

Julia Rowland, Ph.D, Director of psycho-oncology research, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C. said, “Looking good despite what we may be going through can help one take control again and can be a critical component to the healing process by providing powerful psychological benefits.”

One woman reports that when she first found out she had breast cancer she “wallowed very well by playing video games for nearly a month. I wanted to fall into a hole and disappear. I didn't believe I could have cancer.” When the surgeon sent her home without her hair and breasts it wasn't until she went to a 'Look Good....Feel Better' program that she began to perk up. The program made her feel better by first caring about the issue and then “showing her again how to care for herself.”

Chemotherapy interferes with oil and sweat glands. Keeping skin as moist as possible during treatment with a medically certified product is important to keep it looking young and healthy. Moisture can also prevent cracking and chapping, which can lead to infection in a cancer patient whose immune system is suppressed.

Cancer patients are advised never to pull, tug or scrub the face too hard. Overzealous cleansing can strip away the remaining natural oils. Soap-free face cleansers that gently cleanse makeup and oil without drying skin are preferable.

Moisturizing day and night can slow down the skins loss of moisture by leaving behind a filmy deposit of oil. The oil not only helps retard the moisture evaporation, it also makes the surface of the skin softer and more pliable. This may be especially important for hands and soles of the feet, which may become sore and blistered. Rubber gloves should be used when doing household chores.

Cancer patients are also generally advised to moisturize with products containing sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 because people undergoing chemotherapy may be more sensitive to harmful ultraviolet rays.

Radiation treatment, unlike chemotherapy, affects only the skin that is irradiated or close to the point of irradiation. Its most common effect is a brief, intense sunburn-like reaction that causes blistering, says Alan Lorincz, M.D., professor of dermatology, University of Chicago, Pritzer School of Medicine.

Sometimes, a chronic skin condition may occur in which the treated skin thins and loses elasticity and becomes lighter or darker. This skin needs to be treated especially gently with emollients and sunscreen products with a high sun protection factor. It can be expected to be more susceptible than the rest of the person's skin to chronic irritation and breakdown.

During chemotherapy and radiation treatment skin will, in general, become more sensitive to allergens or irritants. Cancer patients are advised not to share any of their hygiene products with anyone else and not to use old products that have changed in appearance, odor, or texture.

In general, it's not a good time to experiment with new brands of products (unless they are medically certified), unless old products become irritating. Some cancer patients, however, want to experiment with cosmetics to try to camouflage certain facial effects of cancer treatment, such as skin discolorations, blotchiness, dark circles under eyes, or loss of eyebrows and lashes. Experts advise trying out only one product at a time for several days before starting a second new product.

"After taking the necessary precautions, cancer patients will find that cosmetics can be important tools," says Rita Davies, a volunteer cosmetologist with the American Cancer Society.

A certified medically neutral cosmetic can give a lift not only to the face, but to a cancer patients outlook on life. As Rowland says, “I think we underestimate the impact of outward appearances. If we put on a costume we feel differently about ourselves. Similarly, cosmetics are a way to fortify the self during chemotherapy or radiation.”

Of course, any person undergoing medical treatment such as chemotherapy should consult their physicians if they have experienced allergic reactions to cosmetics in the past, or if they notice any unusual reaction after use.