Darling Hair, an African synthetic hair brand, has donated wigs and over R15 000 to the Breast Health Foundation.
The brand partnered with the foundation and Helen Joseph Breast Clinic to provide wigs and support to help women feel and look great. They also ran a breast cancer awareness campaign last year.
Darling Hair’s brand manager, Dipolelo Fungile, spoke about the inspiration behind the campaign, which helps to restore confidence in women living with cancer.
She said: "Going through breast cancer is one of the most challenging things in the world, which is why we feel passionate about helping women and making their lives a little easier. It has been an honour to partner with the Breast Health Foundation and Helen Joseph Breast Clinic to restore self-esteem and confidence in women and allow them to live their best lives."
According to the National Cancer Registry (2016), breast cancer is the most common cancer in women of all races, with a lifetime risk of one in 25 in South Africa.
It is also known that cancer and its treatment can weaken the body’s immune system because it affects the blood cells that protect one’s body against disease and germs. Cancer patients often undergo chemotherapy.
Hair loss can occur when chemotherapy drugs travel throughout the body to kill cancer cells, and some of these drugs damage hair follicles, causing hair to fall out.
Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy treatment. Patients affected by the disease often have a significant emotional impact such as damaged body confidence, anxiety and depression.
People are encouraged to do annual medical check-ups and cancer screening for early detection as symptoms are not always present until the cancer has spread.