One of the most common side effects of chemotherapy treatment is partial or complete hair loss, often closely followed by losing your eyebrows and eyelashes. Many patients tell us that they find losing their eyebrows even more difficult to accept than losing their head hair as it disrupts the balance and harmony of facial features, plus it can be a lot harder to hide the fact that you have no eyebrows.
While beauty blogs and magazines are full of tips and tricks on how to make our eyebrows appear fuller or more defined, this can be a lot harder to achieve if you don't have any eyebrows to guide you.
Save the shape of your own eyebrows before you start chemotherapy treatment
So we wanted to share with you this video from Ann Silberman who is living with stage 4 breast cancer. Ann shows how you can save the shape of your own eyebrows before your chemo begins in order to create your own personalised eyebrow stencil, using a sheet of acetate / plastic and a permanent marker pen.
Once you have traced the shape of your own eyebrows, you can mark some of your distinguishing facial features onto the acetate / plastic and this will help you to find the correct position for your eyebrows when you no longer have any eyebrow hair to guide you.
What about ready made eyebrow stencils?
Ann explains that whilst you can buy ready made eyebrow stencils, it can be difficult to know where to place them on your face if you don't have any eyebrows to guide you. Ann also shares that for some people, the ready made stencils may be too short or too long for your face.
CancerPal sells a range of products to help you look after your eyebrows and eyelashes.
Ann has blogged about her life with breast cancer, from suspicion to diagnosis to treatment and how she's now livin' the Stage IV lifestyle in her blog Breast Cancer? But Doctor... I hate pink.