WITH COSMETIC THERAPY

KAREN L. CHANDLER

or women suffering from hair loss or the aftereffects of breast reconstruction surgery, cosmetics are not just meant for a black-tie event or a fun weekend getaway.

Alopecia affects almost seven million people in the United States. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation explains that alopecia is a common autoimmune disease that causes the loss of hair, most frequently on the scalp.

There is no cure today for alopecia and treatments vary, leaving desperate sufferers attempting to mask their hair loss by shaving the areas completely or applying scalp powders, and using fake eyelashes and stick on eyebrows.

Statistics reported by Pfizer note that the connection between hair and identity is more powerful in women than in men. They report that about 40 percent of women with alopecia complain of marital problems while 60 percent have had employment troubles due to their condition. And women who lose their hair due to chemotherapy, heredity, Covid, or medications experience similar suffering.

Carol Cheshire, a licensed esthetician with certifications in permanent makeup and extensive training in scalp repigmentation, explains that networking with other professionals in her field led her to understand the need to help anyone suffering from hair loss.

Cheshire, owner of Always Pretty Salon & Day Spa in Coopersburg, Lehigh County, tells of a client who never let her husband see her without the scalp powder she applied to disguise the upsetting loss of the hair on her head.

“It’s to that extent that they don’t want their mate to know. It’s a feeling of shame and embarrassment.”

After scalp repigmentation, clients look in the salon mirror and cry, Cheshire said. “It’s a feeling of relief, abandonment of shame, and then a feeling of liberation. It’s priceless.”

Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) creates the illusion of a full head of hair by making the scalp a similar color to the hair by tattooing hundreds of dots in the scalp that simulate miniscule hair follicles. A safe and non-invasive treatment with minimal discomfort, SMP costs much less than a hair transplant and is complete in several sessions.

Permanent Eyebrows and Eyeliner can help mask the loss of facial hair due to Alopecia or chemotherapy as a professional can create natural looking permanent brows and eyeliner for eyelids lacking hair. Permanent makeup can help sufferers both regain a feeling of normalcy and a release from constant makeup application.

A similar feeling of shame resonates among women who undergo breast reconstruction after unilateral or bilateral mastectomies. Cheshire explains that these women are frequently left with only a white mound marked by a scar like a featureless, blank canvas; the areola and nipple removed during the surgery.

Areola repigmentation simulates a real nipple and areola by a professional artistically tattooing the area, achieving a 3D effect through various pigments and shading.

For these women, “it’s more like feeling like a complete woman,” Cheshire said. “With the areola and nipple I can tattoo, it gives a realistic illusion of the real thing. It makes them feel complete, happy, and confident to see themselves in the mirror.”

While medical specialties and mental health professionals are key for people suffering from the effects of hair loss and breast reconstruction, a path to a new “normal” may be found with cosmetic therapies.