Breast Cancer and Body Image: Embracing Your New Normal
When your body undergoes significant changes due to surgery, chemotherapy, or other cancer treatments, it’s natural to feel a sense of loss and develop new insecurities about your appearance.
The symptoms of breast cancer and the side effects of treatment can profoundly affect how you look, feel, and perceive yourself. This can impact your body image, confidence, and overall quality of life.
In this article, we’ll explore the effects of breast cancer on body image and suggest practical coping strategies to rebuild confidence and self-esteem.
The Physical Effects of Breast Cancer Treatment
Undergoing breast cancer treatment can change your body in very visible ways, making many feel distressed, self-conscious, and uncomfortable with their new physical appearance.
- Hair loss or thinning can be an upsetting side effect of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
- Weight gain or loss may be a side effect of medication, changing eating habits, or becoming less active during your treatment.
- Lymphoedema is swelling that appears around your arm or chest area due to a build-up of lymph fluid following lymph node removal surgery.
- Scars and discolouration as a result of surgery to remove tumours in the breast.
- Changes in skin colour and texture caused by breast cancer symptoms.
- Missing one or both breasts after a mastectomy, which is a surgical breast removal process.
While some of these changes are temporary, they can still deeply affect a breast cancer patient’s self-esteem and sense of identity.
The Impact of Breast Cancer Treatment on Body Image
Many cancer patients face challenges with their body image due to the physical side effects of treatments and the symptoms of the disease itself.
However, breast cancer patients can be particularly vulnerable to body image issues. One study indicates that nearly 75% of women undergoing breast cancer treatment report having a negative view of their bodies.
Breast Cancer and Femininity
Societal expectations, age, and the severity of the physical changes all play a role in how breast cancer patients feel about their bodies.
For example, physical attributes like hair and breasts are strongly connected to femininity, beauty, and youth in our society. From a young age, women are often taught to place great importance on these features, shaping both their self-perception and how they believe others see them.
For this reason, losing one’s hair or breasts during cancer treatment can be an intensely emotional experience for many women. They may feel as though they have lost not just physical aspects of themselves but also their sense of identity and womanhood.
Negative Body Image: Its Effects on Daily Life
Coping with a negative body image can impact emotional well-being and overall quality of life for breast cancer patients.
Things that were once important parts of their lives may become challenging due to the lack of confidence in their appearance. They may also worry about how others perceive them or feel anxious about potential comments and judgments. As such, these women could:
- Delay going back to work
- Avoid social outings
- Stop physical activities like jogging or swimming
- Give up hobbies they once enjoyed
- Shy away from physical contact or intimacy
When body image struggles deprive breast cancer patients of daily activities, hobbies, and social connections, it can lead to depression, anxiety, and a diminished quality of life.
However, with time, support, and suitable coping strategies, many women find ways to rebuild their confidence and embrace their new bodies following breast cancer treatment.
Body Image After Breast Cancer: Helpful Coping Strategies
If you are struggling with your body image as a result of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, know that you are not alone. Below are several tips that can help you build a more positive body image:
- Practice Self-Acceptance
Practising self-acceptance does not mean ignoring your feelings or forcing yourself to think only happy thoughts all the time. Instead, it’s about cultivating kindness and understanding for yourself and your body.
For example, try to use encouraging or neutral language when you speak to yourself. Rather than criticising your appearance, try saying “My body is working hard to heal, and these physical changes reflect that.”
Additionally, remove your exposure to negative influences, such as unrealistic beauty standards promoted on social media.
Constantly comparing yourself to celebrities or heavily edited images online can reinforce feelings of shame about your appearance. This will make it more difficult to appreciate your body as it is.
- Make New Cosmetic and Styling Choices
If you’re comfortable with them, cosmetic options can help restore your confidence and create a sense of normalcy in your physical appearance. Some examples include:
- Wigs, scarves, or hats
Many women choose wigs that match their original hair or take the opportunity to experiment with a new look. You can also consider wearing scarves or beanie hats to add a stylish flair and also protect your scalp.
- Adaptive clothing
Choose lightweight fabrics and loose-fitting clothing for added comfort. Special bras designed for breast cancer patients also offer extra support and a better fit for your changing body.
- Makeup routines
Look up cancer beauty and make-up tips online. There are many products and techniques to help you modify your makeup routine to accommodate changes like lost eyelashes and eyebrows after treatment.
- Breast prosthetics
Some women who have had a mastectomy and are not yet ready to have breast reconstruction surgery can look into temporary or permanent prostheses.
Typically made of soft materials like silica gel, these artificial breasts can be customised to your size and skin tone, helping to restore a sense of wholeness.
- Stay Physically Active
Exercise and regular physical movement can significantly boost confidence, decrease anxiety levels, and improve your overall well-being.
For breast cancer patients, exercise can even help avoid or reduce the side effects of treatment, such as weakness, fatigue, and weight changes.
- Try low-impact exercises like yoga, walking, and stretching to develop strength and flexibility, and boost energy levels.
- Practice strength-building exercises to help regain lost muscle tone after breast cancer treatment.
- Opt for meditation, deep breathing exercises, and massage therapy to promote relaxation.
By making physical activity a regular part of your routine, you’ll be able to reconnect with your body and appreciate it not just for how it looks, but for all that it can do for you.
- Seek Emotional Support
You don’t have to go through body image struggles alone as a breast cancer patient.
Consider speaking with a therapist or counsellor who can provide a safe space to express your feelings of loss, grief, or insecurity. At International Cancer Specialists (ICS), part of our holistic treatment includes cancer counselling services that offer coping strategies and a supportive environment for patients.
Joining a breast cancer support group will allow you to make connections with others who share the same experiences. Hearing their perspectives and success stories can make you feel more reassured about your own healing journey.
Additionally, couples or family counselling can be beneficial in helping you and your loved ones navigate the physical and emotional challenges of cancer treatment together.
- Set Small Personal Goals
Setting small, manageable goals for yourself can help foster confidence, restore a sense of control, and provide motivation to move forward. These challenges don’t have to be big ones, nor do you have to achieve them on the first try.
- Commit to keeping a journal to record your emotions and experiences during treatment.
- Try looking in the mirror every morning and listing 3 things you appreciate about your appearance.
- Initiate a small social interaction, such as reaching out to a friend to grab coffee or spending a day at the park with your kids.
- Pick up a new skill, or revisit a hobby that once brought you joy but may have been put on hold after your diagnosis.
- Take a photo of yourself once a week to track your progress and see yourself in a new light.
By setting and achieving these small goals, you can gradually discover a more positive body image and improve your quality of life.
Your Path to Healing: Confidence, Compassion, and Care at ICS
Coping with body image changes during and after breast cancer is a deeply personal journey, but you don’t have to face it alone. Through self-acceptance, emotional support, and practical coping strategies, you can rebuild confidence and embrace your new normal with positivity and hope.
At International Cancer Specialists (ICS), we believe that breast cancer care goes beyond just treating the disease—it’s about caring for the whole person. We are dedicated to providing breast cancer patients with compassionate and accessible care in an environment that always prioritises their physical, emotional, and mental wellness.
Whether you’re seeking a second opinion, exploring breast cancer screening options, or looking for a comprehensive treatment plan, our dedicated team is on hand to provide expert care and compassionate support every step of the way.
Contact us today and let us walk with you on your path to healing.
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References
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Depression in Women with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review of Cross-Sectional Studies in Iran. (2018). PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5844601/
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