Free services help re-energize patients
A shampoo, a haircut, even a shave can help patients feel better during a difficult time.
MD Anderson recognizes the psychological benefits of looking and feeling good and offers salon services without charge in its Beauty/Barber Shop.
The shop, which features a spa-like atmosphere, is located on Floor 6 of the Main Building. It’s one of many programs offered by the Department of Volunteer Services.
“There’s no greater feeling than to see the emotional transformation that patients experience here,” says Lindora Munoz, staff licensed cosmetologist and shop manager. “Patients may come in sad, but when they leave, they usually have a big smile and say they feel better.”
Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Two certified staff offer a number of services, including shampoos, scalp treatments, haircuts, shaves, head coverings and wigs, and limited bedside assistance.
1. Lindora Munoz, staff cosmetologist, styles patient Karen Leah Doyle’s hair. Doyle, a colon cancer survivor, says the Beauty/Barber Shop experience is so positive that “you forget where you are. You forget that you’re in a hospital.”
2. Staff cosmetologist Justine Joseph works with MD Anderson employee and patient Lucinda Jefferson. In addition to offering shampooing, conditioning and styling, the Beauty/Barber Shop provides full-head shaves for patients.
3. Near large windows that look out on Reliant Stadium and the Texas Medical Center are a selection of complimentary scarves, turbans and wigs. Two certified staff, with the support of volunteers, offer a number of services, including shampoos, scalp treatments, haircuts, shaves, head coverings and wigs, and limited bedside assistance.
4. The shop includes a professional salon design with five styling stations, two shampoo stations and two hair dryers. There also is an area that provides privacy for patients.
5. Staff cosmetologists used this hand-held dryer, curling irons and other tools of the trade to assist 6,071 patients with more than 12,000 specialized hair and head care services in Fiscal Year 2011.
6. Complimentary wigs in a variety of colors and styles are available for patients.
7. Volunteer Mary Stone demonstrates scarf tying at a Look Good … Feel Better event, a collaboration of the American Cancer Society, Personal Care Products Council Foundation and Professional Beauty Association/National Cosmetology Association. The staff cosmetologists also participate in these monthly sessions, in which patients learn makeup application techniques and tips on how to wear head scarves in fashionable new ways. Services like these help them adjust to temporary or permanent changes in their appearance related to their cancer treatment.
