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As an Alopecian, the hardest part of hair loss for me is that I am assumed to be sick, or more specifically, to have cancer.  Not only don’t I have cancer, but beyond my immune system’s assault on my hair follicles, I am absolutely healthy.  Bummer?  Yes, but life goes on and I choose to move on with it.

A couple of years ago, I conducted a two-part survey exploring the emotional impacts of hair loss.  In addition to an Alopecia Survey, I conducted a separate Cancer Hair Loss Survey.  A whopping 461 women have taken the survey and there is much to be learned from them.  I learned that while the cause of our hair loss is different, we largely agree on the most difficult aspect of hair loss - the public perception that we are sick.  Yes, a cancer patient is fighting a disease, but it’s a disease that is otherwise invisible to anyone not peering at us with the aide of an MRI or CT scan.  Cancer patients desperately want to carry on with life as normal.  Hair loss strips women who are undergoing chemotherapy of their anonymity.  It’s like carrying a neon sign that flashes “I have cancer.”

When I look in the mirror, I am reminded that I have alopecia areata, a disease that causes me to lose my hair but does not threaten my life.  When a woman with chemo hair loss looks in the mirror, she’s reminded that she’s fighting for her life!  When others look at her with fear, pity, questions or comments regarding her status as a cancer patient, she’s reminded that she’s fighting for her life!  She doesn’t want reminders.  She wants to stop cancer from defining her, her life, and her family’s life.  Hair loss can get in the way of that, but it doesn’t have to.

Just because we are bald, we don’t have to look sick.  The trick is to redirect the eyes and attention from what we’re lacking to all that we have!!!  Colors, patterns, texture, eye-catching earrings, facial definition with make-up, fun fashion, a fit body, or a vibrant smile all show that we are and always will be more than our hair, more than a disease.

What strategies have you developed for redirecting their eyes from what you’re missing to what you’ve added?

Susan Beausang, 4women.com

A fashion solution for a bad hair day or hair loss are colorful head wraps, turbans and layered scarves, which can be worn indoors or out, from casual to formal looks.

If you think you don’t look good in the latest head wraps or turbans, maybe you haven’t found the right style for your face shape.  Just like choosing a hairstyle, your goal is to accentuate the positive and balance the shape of your face.

Remember this is an accessory - so coordinate your colors.  Spend a couple minutes on your makeup & the process can really brighten your day, even when you feel lousy.

What is Your Face Shape?

A quick trick is to stand in front of a mirror, smooth your hair away from your face and draw an outline of your reflection on the mirror with a soft eyeliner pencil or old lipstick. 1. Notice the overall length and width of your face. 2. Compare the width of your face in three places:

• Across your forehead just above your eyebrows
• Across the top of your cheekbones
• Across your jaw line and chin

An oval face is about 1-1/2 times longer than it is wide and the most balanced shape. Whether or not you have hair loss, you can wear just about any style of head covering. If the length and width of your face are fairly equal, you have a round face and will want to embellish the flat outline of the basic turban or head wrap. Add height by layering with a twisted band or scarf. You can further soften lines with a bow, half bow or silk flower on one side just above your ear. A square face is about the same width across the forehead and the jaw line. Add height with a twisted band as described above. To soften your jaw line, tie the band just behind your ear, with full ends flowing in front of your collarbone. Or tie a large bow above or behind your ear. A heart-shaped  face is widest across the forehead and/or cheekbones, with a small, narrow jaw line or chin. The edge of the wrap can be a little lower on your forehead, with the knot behind your ear and the tie ends hanging long in front or back. For you, scarf ends that are square or rounded will look better than pointed ones, which can exaggerate a pronounced chin. A full bow towards the top of your head will accentuate your eyes.



For all face shapes, first bring the edges of the piece around your natural hair line to cover the tops of your ears, and play with twisting, wrapping and tying the end in knots, bows or half bows (only one loop).

If the turban completely covers or replaces your hair, you can balance the look even more with earrings that are larger than you may normally wear.  Experiment with tying the knot on one side and then the other, with tail ends hanging down. Spread the fabric of the bow for maximum fullness, and position it in different areas around your head.

With the increasing number of women every year that undergo chemotherapy, almost everyone has someone close that has to deal with the side effect of complete hair loss, known as alopecia. As our population ages, many women experience thinning hair from thyroid problems and other medical conditions.

In normal circumstances, simply having a bad hair day is aggravating, but hair loss compounds the devastating effects of greater health challenges.

It is not shallow vanity to want to improve our appearance. As visual creatures, we instinctively want to decorate ourselves to relate to others and display our need for connection. Even through illness, you will be more encouraged be around people if you know your unique beauty still reflects from the inside out. Being around those who love and support you is one of the best natural medicines you can find.

How do you "fluff up" to feel better?

They call it our “crowning glory.” Our hair is the crowning element of our identity - from our femininity, to age, confidence, and style, we communicate a great deal about ourselves by how we wear and style our hair.  Without hair, we feel stripped of our identity, and in the context of cancer, it often feels like we are systematically being stripped of ourselves.  Hair loss can feel like the last straw.  Too many of us feel guilty for caring about our hair when faced with a life-threatening disease like cancer.  I believe we have every right to want to feel good about ourselves, especially when fighting cancer.

Hair loss can be one of the most difficult and feared side effects of chemo.  When a woman finds out she needs chemo, she will often immediately begin anticipating hair loss, its impact on herself and her loved one’s.  Just as with other unwanted events in life, we tend to envision worst-case scenarios in anticipation of our hair loss, possibly making the anticipation more difficult than the hair loss itself.  Feeling helpless in anticipation of a negative or unwanted event may cause feelings of reluctance, fear, and depression.  Just as anticipation of a hurricane or tornado stirs us to take action to protect ourselves from the worst forces of the storm, so can anticipation of a major appearance change such as chemo-induced hair loss stir us to take actions that help us rise above the emotional storm.  A greater sense of control over a changing appearance can ease feelings of fear and depression and motivate us to take control of other aspects of our lives that contribute to a greater quality of life during cancer treatment.

Following are some tips for turning your anticipatory hair loss anxiety into actions that will reduce your anxiety, improve your self-esteem, and increase your sense of control over your appearance. These tips come from anonymous respondents to 4Women.com’s Anticipatory Coping survey, women who have faced what you are facing and picked up helpful coping mechanisms along the way.

1) Watching your hair fall out can be very traumatic.  Cutting your hair short or shaving it can help you feel more in control and avoid difficult emotions triggered by sudden hair loss.

2) Be prepared!  Don’t wait until your hair is gone to figure out what you need.  Have a small sample assortment of head wear options on hand before hair loss occurs.  Once you’ve determined your preferences, you can always purchase multiples of particular items.

3) Chemo-induced hair loss is almost always temporary.  Keep this in mind when choosing a wig that best suits your needs.  Talk to other women who have purchased and worn wigs and research reputable wig salons.  Many women feel more secure having a good wig on hand for public outings.  Match a wig with your own hair color or experiment with a new color and style.

4) Comfort is key.  Tight hats, scarves, or wigs will cause headaches.  Head wear that is not sufficiently snug will have you feeling insecure, wondering if it will stay in place.  When choosing scarves, look for pre-fitted and pre-tied styles so that you don’t need to worry about raising or holding your arms over your head to style, tie or adjust your scarf.

5) Color me happy!  Colors that looked good on you prior to hair loss will still look good on you.  Brighter and bolder colors can help brighten your self-image when you are feeling pale or tired.

6) Accessorize your look from the neck up - be bold and creative.  Whether you’re wearing wigs, hats, scarves, or going bald, accessories like earrings or a necklace can add shine, sparkle, or definition to your face.

7) Keep your noggin warm!  Without hair, you may find you’re more prone to get cold, especially at night.  Soft, comfortable sleep caps can keep you snug and warm during your hair loss nights.

Check out our article, “Anticipatory Coping: Taking Control of Hair Loss,” which appears in the June issue of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, in which we advocate for more efforts to proactively prepare women for hair loss from oncology nurses.

Susan Beausang, 4Women.com

The Beach.  Images of a carefree you, relaxing in the sun, enjoying the sea breeze, splashing in the refreshing oceanic waves.  That’s if you have hair.

Without hair?  Images of a self-conscious you.  That dreaded struggle to pull a tight rubber cap over a bald head, far too much trouble to take off and recap repeatedly through-out the day or having to secure your cap with a tight and uncomfortable neck strap?   Splashing in the waves?  Not an option for a beach beauty in a wig.  Hopeful images of a dead still day…. sea breezes have been known to literally blow your cover.  No head covering for you?  Just lots and LOTS of sunscreen?

With the “swimbeau.”  Images of a confident, comfortable, beach-fashionable you.  Bring on the sun and the waves.  Relax and enjoy the salty breeze.  A flowered head band to complement your relaxed smile.  Or dive head-first off the pool diving board knowing that you will emerge confidently, radiantly, with your swimbeau in place.

Take the rubber, the Speedo, the sweltering head, and the anxiety out of summer.  The swimbeau will give you back everything you love about summer and water, but could not fully enjoy due to your hair loss.  You requested and we designed it, because no woman or girl should have to surrender her sense of style with her hair.

Check out our new Swimbeau video - hair loss never looked so chic!

Susan Beausang, 4Women.com

True beauty is found in your heart, not on your head. That’s the message in Hairloss.com’s new video PSA on chemo hair loss.  There are two other videos in the series, one on Trichotillomania and another on male baldness.

I agree that true beauty comes from within, and yet I’m always troubled by messages that tell me I should rise above my hair loss.  Day-after-day, week-after-week, year-after-year, I live life with daily reminders that the rest of society is looking at my outer shell, not my inner beauty.  I deal with it - what choice do I have?  What choice do any of us have?  Of course, the people who know and love me are the one’s in a position to see my “true beauty,” but I’m not so sure an animated PSA is going to help society-at-large see me as a woman with true beauty, rather than a bald woman.  I appreciate the effort and the intent.  As for the message, I think that the video focusing on male baldness is the one that rings truest for me.  Ironically, it’s the video that best acknowledges that no matter how beautiful we are on the inside, hair changes the way we we feel about ourselves.

Have a look.  What do you think of the videos?  Thumbs up?  Thumbs down?  Mixed feelings?

Susan Beausang, 4Women.com

 If you’ve ever been there, then you know IT’S NOT JUST HAIR!  Hair loss is often one of the most difficult and feared side effects of chemotherapy.  The first question a woman often has upon learning she will need to undergo chemotherapy is “Will I lose my hair?”

When I have to get through days or weeks in helpless anticipation of an event I so wish I could avoid, I find myself imagining all the worst-case scenarios.  My anxiety can snowball out of control.  I know I’m not alone.  Upon learning they will lose their hair to chemotherapy, many women immediately begin anticipating the event and its impact on themselves and others (such as their children).  The resulting anxiety can be paralyzing, but only if we allow it to take over.  Instead, take control and channel that anticipation into action.  Here are just a few tips to help you rise above the drastic assault to your self-esteem posed by chemo-induced hair loss.

1)  Watching your hair fall out can be traumatic.  Cutting your hair short or shaving your head prior to losing the hair can help you feel more in control and avoid difficult emotions triggered by having to watch it fall out.

2)  Have a sample of different head wear options on-hand before hair loss occurs. It’s hard to know what you’ll prefer until you’ve actually lost your hair.  Buy 1 each of a few different head wear items so that you’re prepared.  If needed, you can buy multiples of your favorite/s later.

3)  Chemo-induced hair loss is almost always temporary.  Keep this in mind when choosing a wig that best suits your needs.  Talk to other women who have worn wigs and research reputable wig salons.  Many women feel more secure having a good  wig on hand for some public outings.

4)  Comfort and Convenience are KEY!! Whatever you wear, you’ll potentially be wearing it for hours on end.  Tight hats, scarves or wigs will cause headaches.  Head wear that is not sufficiently snug will have you feeling insecure, wondering if will stay in place.  When choosing scarves, pre-fitted and pre-tied styles are most convenient, especially if you’re recovering from surgery.

5)  Color Me Happy!  If neutral tones are your preference, you may choose to stick with them. Bright and bold colors can help brighten your self-image when you feel you’ve lost definition in your face.

6)  Keep your noggin warm!  Without hair, you may find that you’re more cold than normal, especially at night.  Soft, comfortable sleep caps can keep you snug and warm through-out your hair loss nights.

This is a time to pamper yourself, to give yourself permission to seek out whatever it is that brings you peace, confidence, and joy.  Taking proactive steps to prepare yourself for hair loss can help you rise above this emotional storm and give you a greater sense of control over your changing appearance.  A greater sense of control can ease or lessen feelings of fear and depression and help empower you to take control of other aspects of your that contribute to a greater quality of life during cancer treatment.

Think you’re alone?  Think again.  Here are letters from just a few women who are walking or have walked this same path before you.  If you have any hair loss coping tips for others, please share them with us and make another woman’s journey a little bit easier.

Susan Beausang, 4Women.com