Find yourself with a smile

Abstract

Background: Cancer permanently marks body, leaving scars, mutilations and creating functional alterations. These wounds can persist a long time and leave signs both from physical and psychological . Body changes consequent to surgery and cancer treatments require a process of adaptation and, after many years they condition the sense of general health, personal care, social contacts and sexuality. These changes make patients loose self‐esteem and reduce quality of life. Patients feel a sense of loss of physical integrity, they feel strangers in their body. Materials and methods: Since May 2013 our Department has joined the project “La Forza e il Sorriso” (Strenght and Smile), organizing workshops of beauty for women in cancer treatments. The aim is to give psychological support to patients in cancer treatment and in follow up. During project, we teach techniques to manage the effects of treatments. Through this project we want to help patients to rediscover important rituals such as cohoperation, confidences and alliance between “friends”, rediscovering the pleasure of embrace, makeup or simply meet and go out from home, home where often patients stay closed because of fear and shame. 5/6 women to each laboratory; they are followed by three beauty consultants volunteers, specially trained; during two and half hour session they help the participants to take care of their image and to cope with the secondary effects of cancer therapies. Psychologist is always present during these sessions. Women know about beauty laboratory through information materials and website. At the end of each session, every woman receives a beauty‐bag donated by the association, to practice at home. At the end of each session we ask patients to complete an anonymous satisfaction questionnaire. Results: 18 workshops were conducted, involving 72 women. Average age 55 years (range 24‐69). 73% breast cancer. 81% in treatment, 19% in follow‐up, 26.5% metastatic. Women have expressed great enthusiasm for taking part to the initiative. Questionnaires showed that: 70% felt valued and beautiful, 55% more cheerful and serene, 45% inspirating and positive, 30% renewed; no woman reported to feel herself like before. Conclusion: Chemotherapy and its consequences will never stop to create fear, but certainly the women who were accompanied to the care of their appearance, are outputs from the meetings with a look and a new posture, different, more aware of their own femininity and with a positive attitude.