JERSEYVILLE (March 11, 2008) - The American Cancer Society offers its Look Good�Feel Better� program to residents in Alton and surrounding areas, including Jersey County. Guided by volunteer cosmetologists, female cancer patients who participate in this class will learn how to use make-up and skincare techniques to overcome the appearance-related effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
The two-hour sessions are held at Alton Memorial Hospital and Saint Anthony�s Health Center throughout the year. This is one of many patient service programs that are funded by the American Cancer Society Relay For Life. Please call 618-288-2320 or 800-ACS-2345 to register for the sessions or for more information.
�It was nice to meet and share with other cancer survivors,� says Debra C., a recent Metro East Look Good�Feel Better� participant. �After applying the right make-up, I could feel good again about the way I looked. I had my confidence back and I felt so pampered.�
�Look Good�Feel Better� is as much about improving and maintaining self-image and confidence as it is about appearance,� says Shelley Romanik, Patient Services Representative with the American Cancer Society. �Patients enjoy the opportunity to spend time in a relaxed, non-medical setting with others in the same situation. And the free make-up and instruction from professionals helps them look and feel better.�
On top of the very real physical and emotional concerns of the disease itself, the side effects of cancer treatment can be devastating to a woman�s self-esteem as well. In her mirror she sees someone she doesn�t even recognize�tired and discolored, with thinning hair and no eyelashes. 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.
According to the American Cancer Society, there are dozens of anti-cancer drugs in use today, each with its own set of possible side effects. Possible appearance-related effects of chemotherapy and radiation include hair loss on the scalp, eyebrows or lashes; weight gain or loss; changes in skin pigmentation and texture; skin oiliness, itchiness or peeling; and alterations in nail texture and growth rate.
Look Good�Feel Better� is offered through a partnership of the American Cancer Society; the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association Foundation; and the National Cosmetology Association. Classes and materials are provided free of charge to women in active cancer treatment.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Monken American Cancer Society
618-288-2320 (Option #3)
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