Look Good, Feel Better, Las Vegas Sun, Sept. 5, 1996

Look Good … Feel Better Lisa Sciortino Thursday, Sept. 5, 1996 | 11:59 a.m. Her eyelashes have fallen out. A few stray hairs are the remnants of her once-full brows. "Cassie" peers out from beneath the bushy bangs of the burgundy-tinted wig that frames her face. She describes the nightmare she experienced when diagnosed with breast cancer in April. "It was a complete shock because we don't have any history of it in our family," the 33-year-old says. Exactly two weeks after beginning chemotherapy, the harsh realities of the disease set in. "The hardest thing was losing my hair," she says. "Even though I was mentally prepared for it, when it happened it just hit me." In the meantime, she's tried to mask her missing lashes with false ones, and pencils in her brows. "I have done very well at putting on my makeup. People always compliment me, tell me how good I look, especially because they know I have cancer." Cassie's been lucky. Oftentimes, beauty is forced to take a back seat with female cancer patients, as chemo and radiation therapies wreak havoc on their hair, skin and nails. So the American Cancer Society, in conjunction with the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association and the National Cosmetology Association, has devised the Look Good ... Feel Better program to give the women a beauty boost. Guided by professional beauticians and stylists, women who are undergoing treatment are invited to take part in a free makeover session. Cancer "takes a lot out of the person," explains Janette Rowland, patient services director at the Las Vegas American Cancer Society office. "They've been diagnosed and then to go through treatments, that's enough, and then physically looking differently" can be overwhelming, she says. The national program was introduced here three years ago and has since gone statewide. The sessions are held each month at the American Cancer Society office, 1325 E. Harmon Ave. On a recent night, Cassie and 10 other women, from age 30 to 70, were seated in front of lighted makeup mirrors around a square table. Salon owner Tony Marco has coiffured for celebrities around the globe and had his work featured on Oscar and Grammy awards telecasts. And he's been working with Look Good ... Feel Better here since its inception. "At the time, a very good friend of mine was struggling with cancer," Marco recalls. She asked him to help her choose a wig. "I know wigs, but it was a struggle" trying to find the right one for her, he says. "When we walked out she said, 'Tony, thank God I've got you,' and I remembered that. It was like an omen." Marco and his crew of four stylists from Marco's Hair Design lead the ladies through a 12-step makeover, starting with a short video that shows other cancer patients grappling with the physical changes. Then they're instructed to dump out the lunch bag full of cosmetics they're given -- name brands donated by the cosmetic associations -- and are helped to decipher what's what. "They're like little girls. They get so excited," Marco says above the loud chatter that's filled the room. "A lot of women have never had a makeover. A lot of women go through their whole life ... and say, 'Hey, it's been 20 years, I want a makeover.' Unfortunately, it's a must for these ladies because you lose your hair and your skin color." But because of their special circumstances, Marco has to approach their beauty needs differently than he would most clients. "I have to emphasize that they've got to be careful what they use." Because "their resistance is so low," he urges them not to share makeup products with others and tells them how to avoid eye infections. He does encourage experimenting with false lashes and concealing makeup to lessen dark circles under the eyes, though. "A lot of women say, 'Oh, it's too much,'" Marco says. They're intimidated by the makeup. "But if it's applied right and you put on the right colors ... that's the secret." Proper cleansing and adequately moisturizing the face are also important, as therapy often dries the skin. Nettie Corcoran, 73, rubs a rough spot on her cheek, the result of the intense chemotherapy she underwent following her colon cancer diagnosis in May. "It will come back," assures Marco, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Believe me." The ladies continue dabbling with their eye shadow, liner, lip color and blush as the stylists bring out wig after wig for them to try on. "We tell them, 'This is your time to be creative,'" Rowland says. "We've had classes where they've all become redheads; we've had classes where they mix and match." The wigs are a vital part of creating a "healthy" look, Marco says. "A wig is always going to make you look younger ... because it's a lot of hair. "When they see themselves with makeup and coloring and a wig instead of no hair, no makeup and pale ... they have a transformation. If they look good, they're gonna feel better, and maybe that will help them inside." The sessions have been therapeutic for Marco as well. "When you travel with big stars, they expect for you to be good, they expect you to perform," he says. "These ladies expect nothing, and when you make them look great, I get the satisfaction." Once they find a flattering style, the wigs will be washed, styled and given to the women free of charge. They also may trade in their old wigs to the American Cancer Society to be recycled for another patient to take home later. That's what Connie Enriquez was doing. She had purchased a long, curly, blond wig that just didn't fit. The 31-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer last month and recently began chemotherapy. But already, her long, dark hair is falling out in clumps. "I have most of my hair still, so I feel OK right now," she says. "Probably when I start losing it more is when I'll start getting depressed." In fact, she attended the makeover session to learn from other patients "what's ahead of me. I learned to feel better about yourself even though you have no hair." The program, however, "is not set up as a support group, where everyone sits around and talks," Rowland contends. "They talk in the process ... and they see the transformation in themselves."