Really Really Me Case Study – Mary E in Cheshire

It has occurred to me on many occasions that when a client is having a battle with their health, the last thing they need to worry about is their hair. On the other hand they don’t want to bother their consultant with questions about their hair when the consultant is talking about their serious medical condition.

Mary came in with her husband having been recommended by several other patients at the hospital where she was having treatment. She was extremely anxious and agitated due to not really knowing enough about her situation and although it was early in her treatment, she had already begun to lose her hair.

I explained to her how chemotherapy affects the hair and how the effect is not the same for everyone. Because women react differently to treatment it doesn’t necessarily follow that your hair will fall out completely for example. My recommendation for all clients is not to be brutal and shave your hair off, but have a cropped ‘urchin’ style instead. As with a lot of women in their 60’s Mary had her hair cut and styled in a certain way and she had a very firm idea as to the colour of her hair as well.

Her husband was very supportive but was reluctant to make any definite decisions on wig choice. However in all honesty, like most people in their situation, they had so much going on in their lives that it was hard to ‘see the wood for the trees’.

I explained a theory regarding wig choice to them that I believe is applicable to most, if not all clients. I asked her if her family and close friends knew she was undergoing treatment and she confirmed this. I then explained to her that other than her family and close friends, nobody else would know she is wearing a wig. That being the case, why was she adamant that she wanted to have as close a match to her normal style and colour?

Whilst I fully understand that this is an extremely difficult time for anybody, it can be used to great advantage when it comes to wig choice. Now could be the time to look at a style that you have always wanted, with a colour to match. I don’t mean to an extreme, but certainly be more adventurous than you normally are.

Mary popped in to see me after choosing a wig on my recommendation and by her own admission it wouldn’t have been her natural choice. She was very happy indeed, she felt more confident, more herself, her friends and family had paid her lots of compliments. The very best thing she told me was her husband kept on having to look at her twice, to make sure it was her!