As I sat in private consultation with a new client, she asked for clarification.  Her name was Gabrielle and was a proud cancer survivor.  She focused on every word I said, like a student in class. She said in a matter-of-fact tone, “I take good care of my skin, so why do you describe it as compromised…are you saying it’s unhealthy?”  I responded by describing how her skin felt and also what was visually evident.  I asked several more questions and led Gabrielle to answer her own inquiries.

Time spent at her prior spa was relaxing and months passed with no significant improvements.  Gabrielle said the spa team simply didn’t understand how to treat her skin and how the dryness and discoloration affected her, so for months, the recurring treatment plan of exfoliating the skin using microdermabrasion and steam continued in auto-pilot. Unfortunately, Gabrielle and the esthetician did not understand that she was not a candidate for microdermabrasion and hot steam, and repeated treatments wreaked havoc on her skin.

Gabrielle’s cancer was in remission and her skin was slow to recover.  It was “compromised” as a result of cancer treatments; very dry, almost flaky and clearly dehydrated.  There was no crepiness but the texture was not smooth; almost like sandpaper. Gabrielle’s skin tone developed multiple shades of pigmentation and it looked chalky.  Her skin was considerably darker than many of her favorite photos.  For Gabrielle, the fact that she didn’t understand the cause nor how to improve her skin condition made this even more troubling.  She was released from medical treatments but still had unanswered questions, so she did what many women in this situation do; she sought alternative treatments in a spa environment.

After a life threatening illness, it may be challenging for your skin to recover.  As the largest organ in the body, the skin doesn’t have the ability to simply “bounce back.”  It has to be properly nurtured and this occurs by following doctor’s orders, through diet, exercise, topical ingredients, and supplementation.  If you decide to get integrative care, such as oncology skin care, verify that the facility has the required oncology certifications.  The results of your new skin care program will be evident each time you look in the mirror.