Appearance care information for people living with cancer

Helping you feel like yourself and live your life

Thanks to earlier detection and advances in treatment, many people continue working while undergoing cancer treatment. People with cancer are living longer with the disease now, contributing to a growing need to address changes in their appearance.

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• Appearance Care
  For your confidence and comfort

  This booklet compiles beauty information to help cope with typical skin concerns accompanying cancer treatment in one booklet. It features simple techniques and useful tips for all ages and genders.
  View the booklet from below.

  PDF

Caring for your appearance and feeling part of society

When I think of addressing the changes in appearance caused by cancer treatment, it always reminds me of a particular patient. When I first met her, she said repeatedly: “I hardly ever wear makeup to work. If I suddenly started wearing makeup and a wig, all my coworkers would wonder what had happened. I’m worried about what they might say.” But now, she tells me, “I like to think the treatment was just an opportunity to have a makeover.” She also talks about the significance of caring for her appearance in continuing to be part of society. “My body may be alive, but I am not alive unless I feel part of society. When we feel connected, that is when we feel alive.”

There are more than 30 different skin conditions that can be a side effect of cancer treatment. I really hope that more people will understand caring for your appearance plays an important role in maintaining your ties with society such as with work and friends.

We want everyone to know makeup can help cover appearance changes. It can help you feel like your true self again and continue living how you want to.

Target skin concerns

How to feel beautiful during chemotherapy

Many people, both cancer patients and their families, worry and even are frightened of the changes in appearance that come with chemotherapy. Children in particular are very sensitive to the changes their mothers experience. I believe makeup is an essential tool to continue feeling like your true self and staying active socially and professionally after the diagnosis.

Chemotherapy can cause hair loss from the head, eyelashes and eyebrows, dark spots, skin dullness, and nail issues, triggering psychological distress. However, you can also see it this way: it gives you a chance to brush up on your eyebrow and eye makeup skills, try the latest makeup looks, and revisit your skincare routine. You probably would not sport a wig, if it were not for the cancer. You are a fighter trying to beat cancer, and that makes you more beautiful than anyone.

One out of every three people in Japan develops cancer. For cancer survivors to continue living their lives and stay active in society, we need proactive involvement from establishments like this center to help them look and feel beautiful.