La Roche Posay offers some extraordinary products that can heal and support your skin needs for both adults and children during these difficult times. Soothing, moisturizing, healing.

Explore this site for the special products they offer and read about the support they provide to cancer centers and cancer patients worldwide.

Chemo and radiation can create skin that itches, flaking, is red, sore and makes you feel miserable

For women in particular, skin issues and skin changes can be a big problem. The effects of ongoing treatment and medicine has a direct impact on our outside “envelope” and can take awhile to correct.

A dermatologist highly recommended the use of Cerave products to me. It’s a product line offering face washes, lotions, and sunscreens—all gentle and effective at keeping your skin healthy and feeling good again. They’re inexpensive and found at most large pharmacy chains or online so easy to locate.

Be kind to your skin and use gentle unscented lotions to help moisturize but also heal and protect your skin.

Protection from the sun is important at all times, but especially with chemo or radiation. During this time, skin sensitivity and higher risk means you need to protect yourself even more. I found Australian Gold mineral sunscreen to be super effective for my face and body and tend to cover up in light clothing or hats. But if you hate the gummy feel of most SPF’s, try these mineral based suggestions as an option. Don’t forget to reapply through the day. 🌞

During the time that you are undergoing chemo, or possibly following, there are certain disruptions to your personal life that can create frustration, discomfort, or really knocks your confidence.

Maintaining a personal life post-cancer is challenging, but not impossible. For the skin changes or sudden menopausal effects, you may need more assistance than usual. I’m adding some links here to products that are helpful and don’t introduce synthetic hormones or other prescriptive ingredients. This is a time when you need to be caring for yourself and consider your personal health in new ways, and some of these products may help you to regain your mojo!

Kiehls is a brand that’s been around for a long time—1851. Using natural botanicals and high quality oil, they have a line of products that are great for skin and hair.

When I lost my hair the 2nd time, I used their replenishing oil which soothed my scalp and rebuilt the hair follicle. Their face oils are light and smell fabulous.

Oil has a more penetrating quality that feeds your skin and can help restore —try blending with some lotion for those really tough days. Put it on your feet and nails to keep them from drying out. One person told me this helped to prevent the total loss of her nails during treatment. At the very least, it will revive your skin and improve your dryness quickly.

This company does a great job of offering some really nice products that are well made and sensitive to various skin types and tones. They have a strong philosophy of contributing to causes that support women’s health and education, hence the “cause” in their name. Worth exploring for makeup that won’t irritate or contain harmful chemicals. You look good and they “do good”.

Scarves, hats, and wigs become good friends for those of us who lose our hair—one or twice—and need to feel better about how we look.

Head Covers was the first site where we bought little soft cotton hats and scarves. They have a nice selection of fit, colors, and I was very happy to have these little caps during the weeks I had to be in the hospital and was chilly!

They are a mother/daughter team who created the business following a breast cancer experience. They’ve really focused on the needs of women during these difficult experiences.

When I lost my hair the first time, I realized it would be many months before anything showed up that resembled hair. I have a wonderful collection of scarves and hats, but sometimes you want to look more like a “regular” person.

Based on referrals from several people, I elected to visit a local wig salon and tried several styles and colors. It was worth it, I felt so much better about myself, and when I need to I can just pop on a fabulous hairstyle. If you are still in the work world, this is an excellent way to regain your confidence and put a positive face forward.

Most insurance companies will help to pay for all or most of the cost.