About
This is Look Good Feel Better
The appearance related side effects that often result from cancer treatment, including changes to one’s complexion, skin and nail damage, hair loss, and body changes can have a devastating effect on self-confidence and self-esteem.
For more than 35 years, the Look Good Feel Better program has helped people in cancer treatment understand and address these appearance changes through our signature in-person and LIVE Virtual workshops.
Our program is offered for free to all who wish to participate, thanks to the generous and sustained support of our corporate partners and supporters.
Our Mission
It is our aim to improve their self-image and appearance through complimentary group and virtual beauty sessions that create a sense of support, confidence, courage, and community.
About the Program
Look Good Feel Better is a non-medical, brand-neutral public service program that teaches beauty techniques to people with cancer to help them manage the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. The program includes lessons on skin and nail care, cosmetics, wigs and turbans, accessories and styling, helping people with cancer to find some normalcy in a life that is by no means normal.
Thousands of volunteer beauty professionals support Look Good Feel Better. All are trained and certified by the Look Good Feel Better Foundation and the Professional Beauty Association at local, statewide, and national workshops. Other volunteer health care professionals and individuals also give their time to the program.
The program is open to all people with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or other forms of treatment.
How We Work
Look Good Feel Better benefits from the leadership of our exceptional Directors who bring many years of experience working with and for people on their cancer journeys.
The Look Good Feel Better program is made possible through a collaboration of the Look Good Feel Better Foundation, the charitable arm of the trade group representing the cosmetics and beauty industry; and the Professional Beauty Association, the largest organization of salon professionals with members representing salons/spas, distributors, manufacturers and beauty professionals. Look Good Feel Better is a registered trademark of the Look Good Feel Better Foundation.
Look Good Feel Better Foundation
The Look Good Feel Better Foundation is a charitable organization of the Personal Care Products Council, the national representative of the personal care products industry, which provides services to support the industry’s interests. The Look Good Feel Better Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports the Look Good Feel Better program. The Foundation provides the program oversight, makeup, materials, and financial support to implement Look Good Feel Better’s many services.
Louanne Roark
Executive Director
Look Good Feel Better Foundation
Professional Beauty Association
The Professional Beauty Association’s (PBA) purpose is to advance the professional beauty industry by providing its members with business tools, government advocacy, education, networking, events and more to ensure business and career success with integrity. It is the largest organization of salon professionals, with members representing salons and spas, distributors, manufacturers, and as of 2010, licensed professionals. PBA encourages Look Good Feel Better participation among beauty professionals and recruits its members to volunteer with the program.
History of Look Good Feel Better
Look Good Feel Better was developed in 1989 by the Look Good Feel Better Foundation (formerly the Personal Care Products Council Foundation) – a charitable organization established by the Personal Care Products Council (formerly the cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association). But its story began with one patient.
In 1987, a physician asked former Personal Care Products Council President Ed Kavanaugh how he could organize a “makeover” for a woman in cancer treatment who was experiencing dramatic appearance side effects. The woman was so depressed and self-conscious she would not venture outside her hospital room. Kavanaugh made some calls and was able to provide cosmetics and a cosmetologist – and the makeover transformed not only the woman’s look, but also her outlook. She felt happier, less burdened and laughed for the first time in weeks.
With such a profound result, the Personal Care Products Council recognized the opportunity for its industry to help more women maintain their confidence and self-esteem. Kavanaugh presented the idea to the Personal Care Products Council membership – the nation’s cosmetic industry leaders – who immediately offered funding and cosmetics. Finally, the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) signed on as the third collaborator, encouraging its member cosmetologists to volunteer their services. The program – dubbed Look Good Feel Better – launched with two groups workshops at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Center in Washington, D.C., in 1989.
Today, Look Good Feel Better group programs are available in select areas nationwide, using products donated by Personal Care Products Council member companies. Virtual, Teen and Spanish programs, and other online resources are also offered – as well as numerous independent licensed international Look Good Feel Better affiliate programs across the globe.
