A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event, and many women fighting the disease find their beauty routines must change to accommodate much more than itchy bandanas and dry skin.
“Don’t abandon who you are,” says Lynn Deane, a breast cancer survivor and director of the Bariatric Clinic at Des Peres Hospital. “You’re so filled with fear you don’t want to be so shallow as to think, ‘What’s going to happen to my beauty routine?’ [But] maintaining a sense of ‘this is what I’ve always done’ is so important.”
Before her diagnosis with stage 4 inflammatory and lobular breast cancer in 2002, Deane was a busy mother of three young children and served as president of the Ladue School Board. An avid beauty product-lover, Deane decided early in her cancer treatment to focus on the positive aspects of her evolving appearance. The first thing that changed was her naturally thick hair. “It takes two to three chemo treatments for your hair to fall out,” she says. “My doctor told me to cut my hair very short, but not shave my head because it would hurt my scalp. When your hair is really short, I recommend getting a wig because it’s easier than waiting until your hair is gone. If you had great hair before, have great hair with the wig. It’s important to have a really good wig.”
Deane’s new beauty routine didn’t stop with her hair accessory. Due to intense chemotherapy, her skin completely dried out, a common side effect of treatment. Deane recommends using a quality hydrating moisturizer, especially if you decide to wear makeup during treatment. One brand she particularly likes is Lindi Skin, which focuses on products for skin exposed to chemotherapy and radiation. Next, Deane covered up dark under-eye circles and found a natural-toned bronzer for all-over coverage. “I used Chanel, Lancome and Nars, and they all worked really well for covering up dark circles,” she says. “I was so pale everywhere, and being sick and not having any hair, I went to a lighter color with all shades of makeup. I started wearing eyeliner during cancer and had never worn it before.” The most marked change Deane experienced was more than skin deep. In just less than a year, her battle with breast cancer gave her a new outlook on life and image. “In every way it was better,” she says. “You learn to take better care of your skin and hair. Never do it in a dull way when you can do it in a way that’s more fun. Take pictures of yourself bald: it’s very humbling and it will remind you that you’re stronger than you think. At the time, you think it’s a bad look, but now when I see that one picture of myself in that bandana, I know I was really fighting a good fight and I looked pretty damn good, too.”
Pictured: Lynn Deane with daughter Elizabeth Deane