FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (Dec. 21, 2009) - Beginning Monday, Jan. 4, Piedmont Fayette Hospital will begin offering Look Good...Feel Better classes for cancer patients on the first Monday of every month from 10 a.m. to noon in Conference Room A of the 1279 Building of Piedmont Fayette Hospital's campus.
Look Good...Feel Better is a free, non-medical, brand-neutral, national public service program created to help individuals with cancer look good, improve their self-esteem, and manage their treatment and recovery with greater confidence.
"This is an exciting opportunity for cancer patients in Fayette County and surrounding areas," said Jody Abigando, RN, BSN, CCM, breast cancer nurse navigator for Piedmont Fayette Hospital. "Look Good...Feel Better will not only help women cope with the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment by teaching them beauty tips, but will also improve their sense of self worth and help them maintain a positive attitude throughout their treatment and recovery."
Volunteer beauty professionals and licensed cosmetologists lead small groups, usually about 6 to 10 women, through practical, hands-on experience. Women learn about makeup, skin care, nail care, and ways to deal with hair loss such as with wigs, turbans, and scarves. Each woman receives a free makeup kit to use during and after the workshop.
Andrea Graham, a 36 year old breast cancer patient from Savannah had no group session available to her, so instead had a private session with three cosmetologist volunteers who met with her for an hour.
"It was an incredibly positive experience. I appreciate that they took the time prior to treatment, and showed me how to take care of my skin, how to apply makeup and how to do my eyebrows in anticipation of the transition my face and skin would go through," said Graham. "The attention to detail was something which especially stood out to me. The session was not only comforting but gave me confidence as well."
Additional licensed cosmetologists and/or aestheticians are invited to help with the classes. All supplies are provided free to the patients, and community members are encouraged to help with the program by sewing turbans, drain bags and crocheting caps.
Look Good...Feel Better was developed in 1989 by the Personal Care Products Council Foundation and funded in partnership with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and The National Cosmetology Association.
To register for the Look Good...Feel Better class or to learn more about ways to volunteer, please call 770-719-6098.