Completely off topic but can someone tell me

[nitewind]

First of all, I am not a vain person. I've been thru so much with the cancer treatments and all and I'm still doing herceptin till December. I look like I've aged twenty years in the last year and a half. I'm so depressed that I can't look in the mirror ( I see my grandmother looking back at me)! My face has gotten so many lines and creases and wrinkles, I know there's not much I can do there ( I need a miracle). But, I've always had very nice blonde hair and now it's a mousey brown and about a inch and a half long. What I want to know is do you think it would hurt to do my hair back to blonde? Or should I wait till all treatment is over? Honestly, if you could have seen me two years ago, I look like a totally different person, I don't recognize myself. This is very tough on my self esteem. I'm so very grateful for the treatments that are saving my life and I hate to sound vain, but this is really getting to me. I feel pathetic asking because so many are going thru such worse things. I just don't know who else to ask. What do you think?
Hugs

[Barbara H.]

I think you should do whatever you have to do to help your self esteem. Hair coloring is much safer today.
Best wishes.
Barbara H.

[Becky]

I colored my hair about 4 months after my last Taxol. It was still "art gallery owner" short. It was almost completely grey even though before bc it was a mix of brown and grey. I dyed it light natural brown and I haven't looked back since.

I also felt chemo/herceptin puts more lines on the face. I used a good moisturizer now and ROC deep wrinkle formula at night. I really do think it helps. I also am a makeup freak. Sheila can tell you this as she was my roommate at San Antonio last year (I have every color of eyeshadow and eyeliner created). I swear by it and I don't care. I am not an all natural girl except for what I put in my body. But the outside's fair game. Get the hair dyed. Moisturize and get a make over (they will help you with the skin care too - ROC has retinol in it and its really supposed to help with the wrinkles). You deserve to be pampered this way. If you can get the best friend/sister/daughter to make over with you, it can be a real party.

Love, Becky (whose hair isn't really this color)

[Andrea Barnett Budin]

Susan,

Go for it! It is essential to your self-image, which is essential to your attitude, your joy level and SPIRIT. The worse I look, the lousier I feel...

I am just like Becky. I had black hair, as my Father. Then I had silver white and black. Black dye looks hideously fake, so I went for an eggplanty rich brown. I've since added some blond highlights. (I even had a few yrs of RED, for fun.) After being bald for the second time, I was in need of cheering myself up!

Makeup is necessary to create the ME I wish to be. Blush, mascara, shadow and lip gloss are the bare essentials. For me, foundation is required. I'm fussy about having an even tone. And I like to add liner, to dramatize my eyes.

Since second round of chemo I have lost my hair line (like a balding older man, receding and gross), I have NO eyebrows and few of my once thick lashes. I work it. I work w/what I have. Found out how to create eyebrows. Use mascara base to amplify what's there. People say I look great (I wonder do they mean for a 4th stage bc person?)... I feel great. I like who I see in the mirror, once I get going -- w/props. Aunt Annie used to call it Powder and paint. Whatever. Like smoke and mirrors, I create an illusion.

But you must start with proper skin care! Or no makeup is going to make you look healthy and glowy. I gently exfoliate away the dead, dry skin cells daily. I rinse thoroughly, making a flood around the sink. (I Waterpik and Sonocare my teeth daily. My dentist gives me a PLATINUM star when I go for my ev 4 mnth cleaning.) I use a toner to help replenish my PH level after cleansing, and further remove dead, dry cells that leave your skin looking dull. And then I moisturize! Day and night.

I use Curel on my body, starting at my feet and working my way up to my throat, including hands of course -- morning and night. So my smile is shiny white. And my skin is dewy vs flaky and wrinkly! I use a 5X magnification mirror to see w/o my glasses and I do see some creases, but people often tell me I have good skin.

I do all this when I am exhausted, when I don't feel like it, when I'm sick, no matter what. It is part of what I deem essential to my hygiene and my mental health.

Treat yourself well, Susan. Pamper yourself. I am a shower girl, but some like to soak in a hot tub w/aromatic scents. Now, more than ever, you deserve to be fussed over. The results are worth the trouble. I am 63 and feel 33. Well, some days I feel like I'm 105, but those days are fewer than the good ones.

Now I admit that the Godzilla that greets me first thing is a pathetic mess who needs some serious attention. So I get to work, right off. People tell me, You always look good. I think, Well, I always try... I give it my best shot. Do that with every thing in your life. YOU DESERVE TO SHINE!
Andi http://cdn-cf.aol.com/se/smi/0201e05fca/06

[Grace]

I colored my hair the first time I had enough hair to color--about an inch, maybe less! Do it, and feel good about yourself.

[Debra]

Yes color your hair. Also ditto info on the moisturizers. I too had dry, wrinkly and creasing skin but have since eliminated that with lots of moisturizer which I have always been big on. I also really like the bare minerals makeup---very natural with great coverage! Other then my extra 17 pounds I feel like I am looking a little more back to my pre-cancer face. I went back to golden blonde again after my hair grew in a mousy brown. Do it! You will feel better and as some others mentioned, have a makeup--make over! Having your self-esteem back is part of getting back to a new normal so don't think it is trivial.

[MagnoliaforJenny]

This was truly one of Jenny's biggest complaints. I helped her out with skin care and cosmetics and she said it made an AMAZING difference in her outlook. She looks in the mirror and feels better. She was never one for make up much, but boy she loves it now :D

Do whatever it takes to look your best, every day!! It makes you feel better.

[rinaina]

I can totally relate to how you are feeling. I colored my hair as soon as there was enough to color and my oncologist and nurse both said to go for it. My skin has changed and I feel I have aged through my year and a half since being diagnosed. I had to laugh when you said you see your grandmother looking back at you when you look in the mirror, not because it is funny, but because everyone tells me I look more and more like my grandmother and I never use to get that before cancer. She was a great lady and I am happy to resemble someone of her stature however, it's not what you want to hear right now when you feel you have lost how you use to look. Color your hair and go for a make up consultation and do whatever else it takes to perk you up. You deserve it.

[Merridith]

Hi Nitewind:

Prematurely aging skin seems to be a very common side effect of chemo. Your body doesn't produce it's normal oils anymore. You have to replace it.

Dry, wrinkly skin happened to me and every other woman that I know that has taken chemo. I figured I aged me 10 years in 3 months.

The problem doesn't seem to reverse either. I am now 3 years out from chemo.

One solution I found was to put VERY heavy cream on my face - the stuff I use is by Roc Dermatologic for very dry & atopic skin. You can get it off of Ebay cheaper than the chemists.

Another option is foot cream. It is heavier than hand cream. You need to let it soak in.

Normal face cream (even expensive stuff) doesn't come close to cutting it.

You will notice the difference within 24 hours. Your skin will feel more 'normal' and the wrinkles will be less apparent. (I use it everywhere).

Regards,
Merridith

[Mgarr]

My hair was always blonde and it came back like yours. Dull, mousey brown so as soon as I had enough I went to the health food store bought different colors & hennas to see what colors I would like. I had fun and it wasn't terribly expensive.

I'm sure you'll look mavelous darling!

Mar

[nitewind]

Ladies, I love all of you! I didn't realize that it happens to everyone from the chemo. I'm going to go with the hair coloring and Roc moisturizer and when I get a little money saved up, I'll try the makeup too. Thank you so much, you've really made me feel a lot better.
Big Hugs

[Donna]

All the moisturizing in the world isn't gonna help if you don't get rid of those dead skin cells first! I use Dr. Denise's glycolic acid pads, but alpha hydroxy acid works too. THEN use the best moisturizer you can find - I have a bank of them. During chemo I continued my exfoliation and used really good moisturizers and my skin stayed very healthy - I never noticed a difference. I could tell it was working because my lips and eyes were soooooo dry - so I had to use tons of lip softeners and eye drops, but my skin still glowed.

Nothing wrong at all with wanting to feel and look healthy!

Love to you all,

Donna

[Andrea Barnett Budin]

As I think I mentioned, EXFOLIATING is essential, as Donna says. However, glycolic acid is very drying. I use SHISEIDO creamy cleansing foam mousse. (It comes in a tube... When I get to what seems to be the very bottom, I cut the tube in half and put the halves in a ziploc and scoop out what I need -- for weeks to come.)

I mix this with LANCOME Exfoliating Confort cream, adding just a little to the cleanser on my face and BUFFING it all around with my fingertips. It gets rid of the dull dead skin cells and polishes the skin to a nice glow. And it helps to plane down the crevices!! Additionally, this daily facial massage is very important to stimulating circulation and natural processes of replenishment. I do this every single day -- rinsing with warm water really really well!

I do the same *economical* tube saving method w/this exfoliator that you can *control* (using more or less depending on how much help you feel your skin needs) so I get many more miles...

I use Shiseido Balancing Toner to further sluff off the dull dead cells and shine! Then, I moisturize. Giving myself another 2 minute facial massage. Let your face reflect your inner glow! Breathe. Go to your center. Connect... And live OPEN to the possibilities...

Oh, also -- drug store makeup is fine. You want to go for soft earthy tones to delineate and highlight your best features -- eyes and cheekbones.

Many salespeople behind department store counters can help guide you. There are free makeovers you can sign up for. They hope you'll fall in love w/a product and become a customer. It isn't mandatory, however. And I find as I talk and explain my chemo situation, people are extraordinarily delighted to be helpful! I can make fast friends, chatting away as I would to someone I know. Being myself. And, they often give free samples too...
You can emulate what you learn w/drugstore fare quite nicely, I've found.
Andi http://cdn-cf.aol.com/se/smi/0201e05fca/06

[madubois63]

I'll take this opportunity to recommend the Look Good Feel Better program. It is a free seminar for those of us going through cancer. They teach you skin, hair and nail care for during and after chemo. You get to go home with a big box of FREE makeup and it's all really good stuff...Mary Kay, Avon, Clinique...They usually have a sunscreen and a moisturizer in the box along with eye shadows, lipstick everything else you'd need... I highly recommend for everyone to go. I've been a makeup fanatic since I was a teen, and I learned a lot from the program. They'll teach you how to fake eye brows and tie scarves. They have wigs too. I've gone twice - the first time I had bc and then after the relapse.

[hutchibk]

HOLD UP Susan!! I am a hairstylist... please don't go to the store and use box color to color your own hair to blonde. You could very well get an unintended color. Going a bit darker with "box color" is much safer than box blondes when you have been on chemo. If you want blonde, please go to a salon and tell them that you have had a year of harsh chemo chemicals. Your hair will retain anything that has been in your blood stream, sometimes for months and sometimes for years...and many meds and pharmaceuticals can react unpleasantly with color or perm chemicals for the hair. Your safest way to go blonde is to let a stylist do it, and know going in that it may not come out the exact color that you used to have or the exact blonde that you have in mind, even if when a professional is doing it.

[dee]

It ISN"T. Witness the responses. Don't be afraid to share comments - they're ALL "on comment..." Our experiences may seem different, but in a broad way, we share much of the same.

dee

[sassy]

I was a coco-butter baby during treatment. My skin was very dry all over so I slathered up from head (my bald head shined!) to toe in coco-butter twice a day. I ended up with the best facial complexion I've ever had. (I don't have it anymore--gone back to my usual occasional blemish.) People commented on my complexion all the time. Its inexpensive too!

[Mgarr]

Sorry, Brenda's advice is wise!

I should have made myself a little clearer. I did not go back to blonde after chemo. The things that I used on my hair were hennas, (I used Surya henna) with no ammonia or peroxides. It added some temporary color & shine.

When I had enough hair I couldn't wait to go have it colored & cut -- I love having my hair done & I change it on regular basis.

[Andrea Barnett Budin]

Brenda is so right. When my hair grew back -- both times -- it was like FRIED HAIR. Brillo. Weak. Delicate. Easily breakable. I shampooed gently ev 3 days and used 5 min conditioner then and leave in ev day. My hairdresser was afraid to do anything but the gentlest of color.

To this day, the hair around my face (where my hairline decided not to make an appearance, after the 2nd round of chemo -- like male pattern baldness, how insulting!) that hair is especially vulnerable and I give it extra good care, as it demands. I style my hair to camouflauge my deficiencies. You'd never know...

Andi

[jones7676]

I think you should do whatever you need to so that you feel beautiful and wonderful....you deserve it!

[nitewind]

Thanks again for all the replies. Brenda, a special thanks to you, I already bought the box of hair frosting but hadn't tried it yet, glad I checked in here first. I guess I'll just wait it out for a while. My financial situation is the greatest, so I'll try to start saving up and have it done right. I do appreciate all the help and it all seems so trivial right now after reading Maryanns latest post. I swear, that lady has been an inspiration to me since the beginning of my journey.
Maybe I'll give the cocoa butter a try as suggested, something I know that I can afford (lol).
Again thanks for caring enough to reply.
Big hugs

[Senorina]

I understand. When I started chemo last year, I had very long hair....almost waist-length. I have had long hair my entire life. One year later and I'm still not use to my short curly hair. The color came back about the same, and I am grateful that my hair is baby soft now. I probably could handle the curls much better if my hair was longer.

When I got sick, I switched to mostly organic, which included organic shampoo and will do that forever. I understand how frustrating it is, because hair growth is just not fast enough for us. Be patient. Your hair will eventually grow and look beautiful, just as it did before.

[Lolly]

Yes, Yes, Yes! Go for the makeover, it will do wonders for you. There's a program in my community called "Look Good, Feel Better". It's offered to the cancer community free of charge, you get a free make-up makeover and tips on hair, etc, and go home with a goody bag full of beauty care products. Check with your clinic, there may be a similar program available in your area.

<3 Lolly

[hutchibk]

Susan - please do check with "Look Good, Feel Better" in your area as has been suggested by Lolly and others. Often hairstylists volunteer with the American Cancer Society and the LGFB program, and you may find one through them for free or very cheap.

[Sheila]

Nitewind...
I wish I had enough hair to color!!! But as it is returning, instead of a dark black which it was naturally, I now have the mousey gray/black/brown/who knows what else....it is no longer straight..but has an attitude....it was easier with no hair...I'm not even to the art gallery owner stage yet, Becky!!!! I look in the mirror and see my Dad...whom I love dearly, just never imagined I would see him when I looked at myself...my Mom, of course, but my Dad???He is a handsome guy, but sorry, he's a man!
I could fill my car with face creams and lotions I have bought...not to mention makeup....I finally decided to go to the mall and get Bare Escentuals....I really like it....just wish they made hair color....thats it, I am in search of a new color wig...if I have to look like this, I might as well have fun.....will I become a sassy redhead, or find out once and for all if blondes do have more fun???

[hutchibk]

Sheila - I love the mineral makeup too! After a lifetime and thousands of $$ looking for a makeup to love, I have FINALLY found one.

[Mary Jo]

Hi Susan,

Don't apologize for going "off topic" NOTHING is off topic as our cancer experience goes. It affects every aspect of our lives. So, thank you for bringing this topic up as I know EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US HAVE FELT WHAT YOU FEEL. After reading your post I said to my husband "oh it's so nice to hear someone verbalize what I felt so many times." I, too, felt that I looked so old for quite some time. I'm feeling better about myself now. I think I look better 2+ years out but maybe I'm just use to looking at my new self. Whatever, the reason, I agree with everyone else that you have to do for you WHATEVER it is that will make you feel good.

Anyway, not much else to offer from what everyone else said..............................but I did want to thank you for sharing your innermost feelings with us. We've all been their, felt it and it's nice to "talk" about it and hear what other's have done. Hey, maybe I'll become a hot mama after reading all these suggestions. LOL!

Hugs to you Susan - you are a TRUE beauty,

Mary Jo

[PinkGirl]

Sheila,
I had trouble wearing make-up when I was bald. I didn't know
where to stop blending :)

[hutchibk]

Cute, Pink... LOL.

[DonnaD]

Susan

Isn't it wonderful to know others have been down the same road! I was a dark blonde and my hair came in a mousy brown with lots of gray. First thing I did when it was long enough was to get it highlighted. It really did help. But the highlighting went with the first trim. I just got it down again. It is growing very slowly on Herceptin and I have fine eyebrows and eyelashes.

Can't wait to see Sheila as a red head !
Donna

[hutchibk]

I like to call our new default color "rat fur brown" ...

[Sheila]

Brenda
Mousy Brown would do it, since we all have a little rodent in us...(Hope Tip isn't offended)

Donna
I am awaiting a call tomorrow...I have hit the lottery, I am getting a port! Gee, and I remember when I got excited over a great new pair of shoes...! Wow, red hair and a port...what is next!

[hutchibk]

Red hair and a port - sounds like you are ready to meet a sailor! LOL

[Sheila]

Does the Riverwalk In San ANtonio count?

[hutchibk]

It could! We'll have to set you up with a River Taxi captain. That might qualify as a sailor, no?

[Margerie]

LOL at you all. And especially art-gallery Becky. I got diagnosed right after we moved into our new home. At the end of chemo, a neighbor had a block party. I was wearing my scarf- figuring everyone knew the deal by then. Another neighbor came up to me and apologized for not coming over to visit yet because she had a traumatic few months, a "breast cancer" scare that turned out to be nothing. I told her I was living breast cancer at the moment and she gasped and said she thought I was just "artsy" with my short (no!) hair and scarf! That got a good laugh from me.

My new hair was tennis ball fuzz that turned into salt and pepper and looked so thin with all the grey. I bought a no ammonia strawberry blond hair color- and it colored really nice- my avatar pic actually. It looked so much better to have a brighter color for awhile. My natural color did come back- but I am working the gorilla frizzies now. Help Brenda!! (head bands are my friend)

Nitewind,

You can help your skin from the inside- make sure you are drinking lots of water and if R.B. peeks at this thread- the recommendation would be to get your omega-3's- good for you and your skin!!

[Bev]

Cut away the first 2 inches of fly away gray that came in. Afterwords had 3 colors put on professionally, it was pretty and artsy and expensive but I needed it. I've been touching up on my own but it may be time to revisit the shop again. My color is close to normal now. I have crazy curls after 2 years and get lots of compliments. My curls are starting to relax at my roots. I'm going to miss them when they're gone. I just takes time. BB

[weezie1053]

I had to laugh at Butch's comments about the hair color. My stylist, who had been coloring my hair for years, could not believe how the chemicals affected my hair color the first time we colored even though she went for the same affect as "pre-chemo." I came out a red head my first go around. It took me about three visits before we got it back to a natural look. I also saw my Mary Kay lady at the onset of my chemo, and I got a new makeup which did help me feel so much better during the loss of hair and the weight gain. I have five not-so-shy brothers and sisters who told me I looked like our mother at our first holiday gathering. Needless to say, my Mom was a wonderful person, but she also was a happy "butterball." I hate the steroids, but I am healthy this year!

Louise

[Sheila]

Louise
After 5 months of Steroids right now...I look like the butterball turkey! Even my drumsticks are plumping!!! Just not the breast!

[kimber]

OH MY GOD!!! Brenda - I almost peed my pants! "Rat fur brown". Thanks, I needed that laugh today!!!

Oh and yes, I look 10 years older than my now 45 years. The chemo really aged my skin. No question.

Love to you all! - kim

[PinkGirl]

Well Brenda, you are the hair expert, so I guess it's rat fur brown.
Hope Tiptoe isn't reading this. Maybe I naturally have that colour of hair - my hair came back the same colour as it always has been.

Seriously, the chemo aged me big time. Some people don't recognize
me. Then they say..."oh, you look so good." I say, "that's because I'm
fat".

The chemo aged me (wrinkles), dried out my skin, put tons of weight on me,
wrecked my eyesight........maybe that's why people don't recognize me - it's the glasses not the 30 pounds :)

Amazing how interested everyone is in the "off topic" thread ! :)

[hutchibk]

I really like my face moisturizer, and have used it since I started chemo. It actually seems to have reversed some of the finer lines and wrinkles. My cosmetic surgeon suggested it to me... Neutrogena Visibly Firm with active copper peptides. The one thing I can't really complain about with all of the chemo I have had is new wrinkles and dry aging skin. Or maybe I am just in denial...

[mts]

Although I felt great, I got tired of people telling me I looked tired...

I know this may be extreme for many, but it worked for me. I went out and got a brow lift, fat injections in my lips and around the "smile" areas on the sides of my mouth. The procedure was so natural looking, that no one could tell. I'm 44, and I look like I am in my early forties...
I moisturize with Dr Denesse SPF Daily cream with a hint of tint to it and at night I use any over the counter serum... L'Oreal products are the spin-off company of Lancome...
Don't forget that if you are in menopause/chemopause (which happens so suddenly for many of us) your skin no longer gets the estrogen that kept it supple and resilient. SPF is likely more important than anything else... incremental sun exposure just going to and from your car on a daily basis really adds up. So at least get a good moisturizing SPF !

Once you find your routine, you will begin to see and feel a difference.

Maria

[nitewind]

It's so great that we can help each other out on matters like this. We're all going thru some pretty wicked stuff but we're still women! I appreciate all the advice and I've taken so many notes on this thread that I think I have plenty to make a start with. I really can't tell you how much all of your input has meant to me, I was beginning to feel so stupid for worrying about this and you've all made me realize that I'm not alone. Thank you again.
And P.S.
Let's keeping storming heaven with prayers for our Maryann.
Hugs

[fauxgypsy]

Susan,
The Look good,Feel better program is a great idea. They will provide you with makeup and tips on how to use it. They have a very good mix of makeup. I rarely use makeup but I got a really good mix in the kit they gave me. When you call them they will ask what your skin tone is and have a kit ready for you. I've been really lucky, except for the breakouts I get occasionally. Someone asked me the other day why I was wearing my hair so short, with the weather getting cold. I told her I was just happy to have hair. I finally started spiking it yesterday, it is growing in so funny, I don't know what to do with it. Still, it is warmer than no hair.

Leslie

[Soccermom]

Hey Ladies,
Just have to chime in here.. I was a counter manager for Elizabeth Arden when I was in treatment. Lucky me!! I had to try and sell cosmetics to women whilst barfing in the trashcan behind the counter (no, not really) but I was bald allover!! I became quite adept at penciling in those eyebrows and matching my makeup to my scarf (I refused to wear a wig). I did quite well as the local cancer center was just down the street and I got all the patients after their treatments (made the other counters *green* with envy...(not really) LOL
Seriously though...there is a great book called "Dont Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without me" by Paula Bagoun. Its a "tell all" book about cosmetics and the industry.
I hate to see my friends here spend money on stuff that is mostly hype and can be purchased reasonably!

Much love to you,Marcia

PS Elizabeth Ardens 8 hour cream (the original red gel) IS about the best healer,moisturizer in the WORLD!

[Nina]

Just had my first TCH treatment today and one of my questions that I did not get answered was about peptide and retinol use. I have been using some anti-wrinkle products for several years and my skin is great. No one believes that I am 57 years old. I was afraid I would have to stop while on chemo, but this thread has convinced me that i can continue with my tried and true products without fear. Thank you all! Also, down the road, I will have to convince my hairdresser to try a non-amonia haircolor. That is all she uses, but there are some interesting hair colors out there that are more natural. We shall see. I did make her day when I let her cut my hair short for the first time in 20 years shortly before my first surgery. She was SO excited!!! I had been sporting just about the same haircut since high school. She cut it and thinned it and it was a blessing to have much less hair to take care of when I was recovering from ALND. I LOVE having all of you wonderful women as a resource for all of my questions.

[Joe]

Here in San Diego there are several Spas that hold open house for cancer patients once a month.

Here is a good Google Seach (http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=spa+cancer+patients&btnG=Google+Search&rlz=1W1SKPB_en&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=spa+cancer+patients&gs_rfai=&fp=d90e7c340cb31971)

I would check with your local support groups, Komen, and clinics to see if that is available in your area.

Regards
Joe

[Darlene Denise]

Was going to add my 2 cents on skin care and I see Andi beat me to some of it. Secret weapon, SHISEDO! I have used it for about 15 years religiously and have added some and changed some products during chemo treatments. Often someone in the chemo room will lean over and say we all talk about how good your skin always looks! Even my 65 year old onc says, you don't look 50 even with all this poison I've been giving you the last couple of years. I tell him it's my secret Japanese formula, Shisedo and it costs about as much as chemo!!

First get your funds together, it's not cheap to buy the several products at one time. They really last a long time and are so worth it. Be sure to visit a counter only when the Shiesdo rep is available. It is a very prescriptive line and you need someone who really knows what you need. Don't let the Arden or Lancome lady come over and just ask what you want.

Get the facial brush. Best $20 bucks spent. I have had mine for years and it still looks and works like new. It works great with the Creamy cleansing foam (put a pea size in you palm, add a little H20, use the brush to whip it ito lot's of foam and circulate it all over your face with the brush.) The brush is extra soft and has little rubber nubs in the middle which increase circulation and the brush helps ex foliate. Plus this helps save on the amount of creamy cleansing foam you need. You will waste too much if you try it with a cloth or even your fingers.

You will find the products you need in the Bio Performance line and some in the Benefiance line. These are best for very dry skin. If you can swing it, the Future line is wonderful. One last tip, buy the expensive pack of facial cotton. It is made with silk and it holds your toner perfectly and doesn't soak it up like the cheap cotton pads so that more of it goes on your face. I sometimes peal them in half for two thin sheets to get more product on my face and stretch the silk/cotton pads. I works great with Benefiance Softener with oil. This one is good with really dry skin. I love their foundations. They all have treatments in them. I like the Sun Protection Very Waterproof Liquid SPF 43. I buy the dark shade and a light one in my skin tone I mix them through out the year for a perfect match.

Well, I'm not a hairdresser like Brenda, but my husband is and he has a salon, so thoughts on the hair thing. Be gentle with that little bit of hair. It will probably continue to change texture and growth pattern as it grows out, so you're never sure how you will be cutting a styling your hair. Odds are it will not look anything like before. Real short hair like yours as a light blond will look sparse and if you go with a properly toned light brown or dark blond it will look thicker. Plus darker color deposits more pigment into the hair making seem a little fuller. The depth from a darker tone will also look more shiny/healthy. Maybe have a few special effects highlights put around your face for that blond you are looking for. If it's real short, juts a few on the tips could be nice. Use a nice sulfate free shampoo like Hydrating Pureology.

Wish we could all get together and play skin care and beauty salon with each other. Of course, martinis and jamies would be a nice way to go!

Oh, yeah, looks like my newer treatment of Navelbine and Hercepin is working on my liver! You guys might have to put up with a while longer now!!

Sending well wishes for smooth skin, great hairs, and good days...Darlene