Love Your Skin (and Yourself)
In my own quest to find help for my ever-changing skin, I happened upon some very helpful information. Britta Aragon had Hodgkin’s disease at 16 years old, and is the founder of Cinco Vidas, a web site she dedicated to her late father who also suffered from cancer. She gives an inspiring account of her young ordeal, but also tells the heartfelt story of her father’s five battles with cancer, and how it affected her as being the caretaker and not the patient.

Greatness From Experience
Looking through the site it is obvious that Ms. Aragon is dedicated to passing along the information she garnered while going through her experiences and offers a treasure of helpful information on the site. You will find numerous articles that cover post-treatment skin conditions, mental health therapies, nutrition, and the ever-present topic of breast cancer, just to name a few.

One thing that I especially like about the site is that she talks about beauty and makeup. While we are in the middle of the battle for our lives we forget about our looks. But when the worst is behind us and we find ourselves on a more even keel we start thinking about how we look again. If you’re like me, a survivor and middle-aged, I’ll bet you’ve probably found yourself perplexed as to why certain moisturizers and cosmetics irritate your skin now. What do you do?

New Skin Care Line
Ms. Aragon has now developed her own skin care line named CV Skin Labs. She offers products that are pure so that they won’t irritate sensitive skin. Being a cancer survivor herself, and I agree, she knows we need help for the whole person and her site offers that. You can sign up for her free newsletter on the home page, there is a Cinco Vidas blog, and you can also purchase a copy of her book there as well called "When Cancer Hits - The Complete Guide to Taking Care of YOU Through Treatment". I will always listen to someone who has "walked the path" and Britta Aragon has. Be sure to check out Cinco Vidas!

Avoid Toxins in Cosmetics
I’ve been concentrating a lot on nutrition, helping the body from the inside. I have realized, however, that there are many products on the market that we put on our bodies that are harmful to us. Many of them range from sunscreens to makeup face powder, eye shadow, lipsticks, nail polish and nail polish remover. The toxic chemicals they contain can cause a host of illnesses. As a cancer patient, or survivor, you need to give your immune system all of the help it can get and that's one reason why I appreciate Britta Aragon and what she offers. She knows what doesn't work but most importantly - what does!

Cosmetic Tip
If you have an allergic reaction after applying make-up, check your applicators first. Remember to clean all make-up brushes regularly, and use throw-away sponges to apply make-up with. I am allergic to brushes, so I just use a large cotton (real cotton) ball to apply face powder.

Feel-Better Tip
By the way, while we are on the subject of looking better and feeling better, if you are battling depression, just know that is a very common side-effect and part of the cancer journey. A number of things can help like trying to keep a routine up of eating fresh food and snacks, just fifteen minutes of any kind of exercise a day helps (try to do something you enjoy), and seek out a counselor if you believe it would help. I am an advocate of counseling for the health of the mind as it has helped me, and I will post a link at the bottom of this article that will help and guide you.

Looking our best helps, especially if we are dealing with the harsh world of cancer, but feeling good inside is a great bonus and can be the best natural cosmetic there is!