It would be nice if there was some kind of class we without hair could take on how to do our makeup. Yes, there’s the Look Good Feel Better program but it doesn’t address specific needs. How do I do my eye make up when my lids are always puffy, eyes run and I have zero lashes and brows? Eyeliner is a game changer here. Most kinds of liner won’t work at all. The Ulta brand chubby eyeliner works perfectly. It’s a creamy powdery blend then goes on easy and stays put and doesn’t tug the already inflamed eye lid skin. The Look Good Feel Better program provided us with a beautiful, but not “clean” eye liner/shadow stick from Estee Lauder that has the correct consistency but has been discontinued. See the issue? No one gets a cancer patient like a cancer patient. Not even some of the programs designed to help us. I am feeling better and want to look good but I feel like I am part of an untapped market. Has anyone seen a product line geared towards chemotherapy patients?
There’s a whole other side to the makeup dilemma. Going to the Big Box Beauty stores is a little tough when you look like Uncle Fester in a dress. Sales associates shy away from helping me. Is it that they don’t know what could work, do they feel as though there’s nothing to sell someone like me or are they uncomfortable? Doesn’t matter, fix me now and I’ll be loyal to the store and associate. For now, I wander aimlessly, trying all sorts of stuff on the back of my hand, which tends to look like a baboons butt by the time I walk out…empty handed.
Chemotherapy robs us of skin tone, we become quite pale and pasty looking. It also robs us of our hair-head, face and everywhere. That combination makes me look a little ghostly sometimes. My hair is coming in but gone is my crazy auburn mane. Instead, I’m silver. I don’t mind. It may change, it may not. However, again, this changes my appearance quite a bit and light neutral tones don’t look good right now. Darker and vibrant hues work well, for now. It’s an education fueled by trial and error.
The way cancer changes the way we look sets us up to be targets as well. Companies and MLM individuals have sought me out countless times. No, I am not interested in burial insurance and I am certainly not interested in buying Monat nor Rodan and Fields from women soliciting my money that had nothing to do with what I asked on a message board. If I don'tknow ya, I ain't buying from ya! I prefer Arbonne and Beauty Counter anyway.
Wig stores can be sketchy too. A good wig is expensive. There is a difference in how they look compared to what you can buy online for under 25 bucks. However, they do NOT need to be in the over 650 dollar range. For real. My insurance paid for the first $500 and we were responsible for the difference. I am thankful for that. I am not thankful for the insanity of finding a participating shop that wasn’t sketchy. I'm begining to realize that there is no data base of affordable wigs for those without insurance. Doesn't seem right, does it?
The first one wanted us to pay up front and they’d help submit to the insurance. The problem was, they were a participating provider. Insurance company said not to use them because of that. So we found another one that worked the way it was supposed to. Well, not so fast, sunshine. We got a bill 4 months later for ‘co insurance.’ I can’t even explain it. WTF is this coinsurance bullshit? After 4 hours of arguing with the insurance company, they wrote it off and we owed nothing. Not so fast, cowboy. See how annoying this is? Got a bill from the wig company for that exactly “co insurance’ amount. I swear, big bunch of effing predators! Jack up the prices on these wigs and there’s nothing under 500 at a wig shop. They know they’ve got us. We want desperately to look human after losing our hair so we fall in love with a cute cut and style and open the wallet and leave with a head of hair. Don’t get me wrong, I love my “good” wig but my free pink one is the most comfortable thing ever!
There has to be a better way of helping chemotherapy induced alopecia folks like me.
Fortunately, it’s warm out and my hair is steadily growing in. I am sprouting the shortest little baby eyelashes now too! I am excited! I’ve taken to wearing vibrant lipstick now. It gives me a little oomph and it’s fun, Will I be sprouting fuschia hair again? Will it be pink, blond or something else? For now, I really adore these baby grey hairs coming it. I’ve earned each and every single one of them. The beauty of this journey is that I have an opportunity to really start over with my appearance and can have as much fun with it as I want. I am embracing who I have become…
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