Carole Anne Kildron-Wittman, a beauty industry consultant, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) four years ago. MBC is breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body and cannot be cured. Treatments are focused on extending life and maintaining quality of life, but they can be harsh, physically and emotionally. All breast cancer treatments can cause side effects and physical changes to the body, and patients often say they don’t feel like themselves as a result.
Carole Anne’s medication – plus the fact that she lives in a colder climate in Colorado – causes her to have very dry skin. She has also experienced hair loss, as well as thinning eyebrows and eyelashes, and the hair she’s left with needs extra attention. She shares her beauty tips and tricks with fellow breast cancer patients who may be experiencing physical changes as a result of their treatment.
Tip #1: To address dry skin on the face, Carole Anne uses a 0.3% retinol product with a complex formula. The complex formula has a soother in it, and with just 0.3% retinol, the product is kinder to the skin. Carole Anne says the product has really helped the dryness in her face, as well as the texture and tone of her skin.
Tip #2: To add more volume to her thinning hair, Carole Anne’s hairdresser made her clip-in hair extensions with real hair. Clipping the extensions underneath her real hair – even if the pieces are short and thin – adds instant volume to areas where she has lost the most hair. Pro tip: The extensions can add highlights to your hair without having to compromise the integrity of your hair using dye.
Tip #3: False eyelashes can enhance the eye area, and mascara is not needed. When Carole Anne started losing her eyelashes, she experimented with different types of false eyelashes and methods to apply them, and remove them, quickly and efficiently.
Tip #4: Microblading is one technique to fill in thinning eyebrows. Carole Anne used microblading when she first noticed gaps in her eyebrows but now fills in missing hairs with a pencil.
Breast cancer treatment can affect everyone differently, and these are just a few tips for addressing changes to your body and side effects. Susan G. Komen recommends talking to your doctor if you have questions and to help find the beauty products that are right for you.
