HAIR LOSS
Losing your hair during cancer treatments is not just painful emotionally, but is also painful physically.  The scalp becomes very hot and sore when the hair is falling out.  This feeling is similar to that of severe sunburn.  A good suggestion for cooling and soothing the scalp is to put a fragrance-free moisturizer, such as Preventage Daily Defense Crème in the refrigerator.  The cold moisturizer feels wonderful.  Also Triple Action Eye Gel works well.  The small size is great to carry in a purse.

Wigs are a great way to camouflage hair loss, but they can be itchy and uncomfortable.  Wig caps are available for use underneath a wig.  (Wig caps are a small nylon stocking.)  Because they are small, they can be very tight and can cause headaches. 

Scarves and turbans can also be used.  If you are using a scarf to hide a bald head, make sure the scarf is not silk or a slippery fabric.  These scarves can slip right off the head.  A large square scarf is best.  Check with your local library for a book on tying scarves to learn how to tie them around the head.  Cancer centers usually have small reference libraries in them.  They sometimes have books and videos that can teach you how to tie scarves.

SKIN CHANGES
When on cancer therapy, the skin usually becomes quite photosensitive to the sun.  The skin can also become extremely dry and dehydrated.   Use a fragrance-free moisturizer and a good sun screen.  Avoid using any products that contain fragrances, because they can be irritating.  As chemotherapy can cause premature menopause, Changing Skin Treatment can be a great product.  The skin can also become pale when on cancer treatments.  You might need to adjust your foundation color and formula.  Keep in mind that if the skin becomes paler, other cosmetic products, such as blushes and lipsticks, may need to be changed too.

EYELASHES AND EYEBROWS
You might experience partial or total loss of your eyelashes and/or eyebrows.  Using Only Natural or Automatic Fineline Eyebrow Pencil can help create a natural look.  Sometimes if you gently brush on Brow Sealer overtop of the eyebrow created with the makeup, the effect will become even more natural-looking.  Be careful not to use too much Brow Sealer though.   Eyebrow stencils or forms can work great with Only Natural to create a perfect eyebrow every time.  Place the stencil in the correct position, and using the small eyeshadow brush, gently sweep Only Natural over the cut-out portion of the stencil.  This also works great with eyebrows, too.

Eyelashes can be more challenging.  If you are uncomfortable with applying artificial lashes, then this is usually the best option.  Sometimes the eyelash adhesive can be irritating.  If this is the case, you can create a look of eyelashes by doing the following.  Using Luxiva Eye Ink, apply very small dots along the upper eyelid where the eyelashes used to be.  Let the dots dry, and then use a very soft eyeliner color (Silver Taupe of Grey Smoke work well), to lightly connect the dots.  The dots help to create the look of eyelashes, whereas using eyeliner alone looks just like a line.  This can take a little practice to make a natural soft look.  You can try this effect for lower lashes also.  Sometimes soft eyeliner with no dots looks a little better for lower liner.

RADIATION THERAPY
Radiation therapy leaves the radiated area of the skin very photosensitive.  This is a side effect that can last forever.  It is important that you us a sun block of at least SPF 25.  Breast cancer patients that have lymph node involvement usually have radiation on the lymph nodes in the neck area.  If this is the case, we suggest that you use your sunscreen on your neck as well.