found that using an emollient or barrier cream made up of plant oils, Shea butter, petroleum, fatty acids, and lanolin is a better choice to keep the area of compromised skin hydrated. Here is an example of radiation burn after around 20 rounds of treatment. Remember, every patients skin can react differently.
Another common treatment is radiation therapy. Some of the common side effects of different radiation therapies include: ● Exhaustion. ● Burned skin or hardened skin. ● Hair loss in the area of treatment. ● Trouble swallowing.
● Taste changes. ● Fertility issues. ● Urinary or bladder changes. ● Thyroid changes.
Radiation is a form of burning, and it does exactly what it says: radiates or burns the area where the cancer cells are present to kill them. As an esthetician, you may encounter clients who are dealing with the after-effects of radiation therapy on the skin, which can include blistering, hardening, and burning. It is important to know that there is no known reason as to why one person will experience extreme effects and another may experience nothing. The effects on the skin do not align with the Fitzpatrick scale, a numerical classification that shows the response of different types of skin to UV burning rays which is typically taught in beauty school. Patients are told to keep the skin moist and to constantly apply lotion. Personally, I have Emotional effects of cancer The long road a patient endures from diagnosis throughout treatment is not just a physical metamorphosis but also a mental one. It doesn’t stop there because cancer is expensive even though billions of dollars have been spent on research and finding a cure. Chances are your clients have bills that are piling up and charities are not helping them because for a cancer patient to get money from charities they have to fit a certain profile and compete with thousands of other patients for help. We cannot control who will help them financially, but we can control the help we give to others from our treatment room. If we genuinely want to make a difference to a cancer patient, we can help in many ways. There are many ways to support cancer patients, both financially and emotionally. For example, we can start a giving tree (collecting gift card and money in the name of a person in need) once a year and pick one cancer patient. Or, one could spend time as a volunteer at the cancer center as a chemo buddy and keep company to those that sit alone getting their treatment. There are so many ways to help clients during active treatment, but unfortunately during chemotherapy, a facial is not one of them. I gave myself a simple facial and used professional sensitive based skincare lines safe for cancer patients after I started chemotherapy. I had a horrible reaction: Red, puffy face for a few days. Aloe was all my skin could tolerate. Because there are so many different chemicals in chemotherapy drugs patients can get a reaction from any facial ingredient. As an esthetician, I could not imagine taking a chance on an imuno-compromised client and possibly giving them a reaction. I knew I had to write my own survivor's guide for estheticians. Some classes might tell you it is okay to perform facials on chemotherapy patients, but that does not make it safe. This can be seen by the fact that the procedure will usually be accompanied by a two-page disclaimer if anything goes wrong, The immune system is too compromised to come in for a spa treatment and that would be putting your client’s life at risk during active treatment, unless they are at the later stages of cancer. At that point it is about comfort and making them happy and feel good. At that point, a home facial would be a better idea. As discussed earlier, a mild infection or fever could put
Note. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzpatrick_scale
someone undergoing treatment in the hospital or worse. I could not even use a mild, professional calming moisturizer that was made for cancer patients. I knew after that, the only way to help clients during chemotherapy was after an oncologist provided a release to return or for them to wait until treatment was over to see them again. Unless we understand cancer and the road a cancer patient goes down, we could not truly help them because it is a life-altering experience. So what we can do instead of doing facials on cancer patients to help them get through this time until we can have them back in the salon? Well, based on my personal experience, here are some options: ● Send them regular, biweekly, or monthly texts or email, just to check in and send healing thoughts The patient will not forget the kindness and thoughtfulness, as dealing with cancer can be a lonely and isolating experience. Another option is to send a card. ● Offer a free facial/treatment after their oncologist has cleared them. This might give the patient something to look forward to at the end of their treatment process, which is a long and difficult road. ● Everyone loves treats! Think of sending a special treat or flowers to lift their spirits. You’d be surprised how much impact a simple act like this can have on someone struggling with cancer. ● Take more continuing education hours to learn more about safe all-natural ingredients. ● Make-up tips to help women that have had chemo and radiation treatments feel better about themselves. ● Free eyebrow shaping/drawing. Their eyebrows fall out many times up to one year or more after treatment. ● Start a giving tree each year that goes directly to help one cancer patient and family. You can make an impact on so many by doing any or all these things. Be creative! As I stated before, we are in this business because we enjoy helping other people and making them feel good and confident about themselves. There are many simple, impactful ways to help a client who is going through cancer without interfering with their treatment or adding to their side effects.
EASY AS ABC
Merriam-Webster defines the word esthetician as, “a person licensed to provide cosmetic skincare treatments and services such as facials, hair removal, and makeup application (Merriam- Webster, 2020). As the description explains, we are one of the few professionals working on the epidermis of our clients
(Merriam-Webster, 2020). Unless they have a full body check once a year, most people do not have their full-body looked at by a professional. Whether we perform a facial, neck, shoulder, hand, or foot massage, we are seeing more of their skin than anyone except maybe their significant other who is most
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