When Microblading Becomes So Much More Than Just A Beauty Service
For us women, hair is an identifier of sorts. It says something about us even before we open our mouths. So what happens when part of our identity becomes compromised from receiving treatment for breast cancer? Well, a lot actually. And it’s not just about the physical tax on the appearance. It’s so much more than that.
Caryl Baker Visage partnered with Rethink by inviting a group of women from the RYWN to receive a complimentary brow microblading service. Here’s what these women have to share about it:
Lisa
It’s so nice to not feel self conscious about my brows, or worry they will wipe off! But most importantly, I feel like it’s one of the final pieces of putting myself back together again. When faced with cancer, losing your hair is a big part of it. Being a redhead I felt like it was part of my identity. My whole life my nicknames revolved around my hair. I felt like I was losing myself. Losing the eyebrows and eyelashes as well was devastating. When I looked in the mirror, it was like a stranger looking back at me. I looked like a cancer patient. Now I am seven months post-chemo and my hair is slowly growing back, my eyelashes are full once again, but my eyebrows remain sparse.
Marlene
I consider myself blessed for the opportunity to make some peace with my past and the help to propel me forward with the confidence I found pre-cancer. I can honestly say, I never thought I would ever look at myself in the mirror and say “Gee I wish I had bigger eyebrows!” As a South Asian woman, I’ve spent the last 20 years plucking, waxing, threading and shaving the crazy amount of hair that I’ve been given. Being diagnosed with breast cancer at 39 when I was finally feeling confident about my physical appearance and mental health was a complete blow. After chemo, the hair on my head eventually came back to the crazy locks of dark black chemo curls that I’ve learned to love. Unfortunately my eyelashes and eyebrows were not so lucky. It wasn’t until a recent camping trip that I really noticed how my face still resembled my “chemo face”. The lack of eyebrows are a sore reminder of those torturous weeks of chemo, a memory I thought I finally started putting behind me. Cancer has taken so much from me physically and mentally. Some reminders, like the scars from my mastectomy and reconstruction, will stay with me forever. However, there are some things that I can change. I firmly believe that any opportunity to make peace with my past is a blessing.
Cheryl
I couldn’t be happier or feel more refreshed with my new brows. This is something so generous and life-changing for me! When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 the idea of losing my long curly hair was terrifying and just didn’t seem real. Then chemotherapy started and so did the hair loss. I had prepared myself for this by slowly cutting it shorter. Just over half way through chemo the unexpected happened (at least, what I was not prepared for), I lost my eyebrows and eyelashes. I would look at myself in the mirror and no longer recognize the person looking back. This person looked like she was sick! Then I began the awkward stages of growing out my hair. My eyebrows never really grew back the same and I always had to draw them on.
