Cancer Patients Can Still Feel Beautiful

This will be a long writing post with only a few pics. But I just need you ladies to spare me your 5 minutes to read this article. =))

I have always had a passion for fashion-from shoes to makeup, nail polish to handbags, and everything in between! Coupled with that is belief that all women need to feel beautiful, no matter what circumstances they may be facing. Women are powerful beings and WE need to realize it! Sadly, many women are hearing those devastating words 'you have cancer.' Despite a cancer diagnosis, women can still feel beautiful in their own skin. Fashion is a wonderful way to feel strong and confident. 

And today my guest blogger Jackie Clark from Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance will share you the reality of cancer and how women can say 'YES I have cancer'.

  

Every woman wants to feel beautiful. Whole industries have been created to make hair shinier, skin clearer, and eyes more alluring. And in fact, while some may deride this as mere vanity, liking the reflection in the mirror is a great confidence booster. Who doesn't take care to dress and groom their best for a job interview or first date? Sometimes, looking good helps to bolster confidence to allow a woman to face a difficult situation. Conversely, when a woman knows she looks bad, it undermines her confidence and she doesn't deal as effectively. At no time does a woman need her confidence more than when facing a diagnosis of cancer. And at no other time does looking good become so difficult.

Part of what makes looking good so difficult when going through cancer is the effects of the treatment. Take the treatments for mesothelioma for example. Surgery, sometimes quite radical, radiation, and chemotherapy all leave a patient pale, weak, and feeling terrible. While most people understand that chemotherapy makes someone lose their hair, many don't realize that means all the hair on the body, including eyebrows and eyelashes. Already feeling sick and scared, when a woman looks in the mirror and sees someone who looks like a concentration camp victim looking back, it can be difficult to soldier on through the day. 

But through the wonder of cosmetics, a woman can look better. Makeup, especially mineral based makeup, can return the color to a woman's face. First, the foundation, evens out the blotchy skin and brings color to the pallor. A little blush makes the cheeks look healthy again. Perhaps a little bronzer might make her look even healthier.



Picture credits to Julia Ordodi

For many women, chemo means that makeup is no longer optional but necessary. Some women might choose a wig while others find scarves and hats suit better. Some women even find that braving the world while bald is empowering. But rare is the woman that won't benefit from makeup. Eyebrow pencil fills in where chemo has stripped the brow. Eyeliner can create the illusion of eyelashes. So when the patient looks in the mirror, a confident, beautiful woman looks back. Battling cancer is scary, anything that gives a patient more assurance is a valuable thing.

Cancer is a disease whose treatment can take as large a toll on a person as the disease itself. Human beings are a visual species and whether we should or not, we judge what we see and act accordingly. So when a patient is a woman and she dreads to look in the mirror, it just makes the whole ordeal more difficult. But when good cosmetics are available, she can take confidence in her appearance and that translates into confidence to take on her disease. This is not vanity but treatment in and of itself.

Hope you enjoy this little article here. Do share with your friends ya!! :D