Still me: Body image and cancer

Body image is how you see yourself, how you think and feel about your own body. It can also be about how you believe other people see you.

Body image is important because it can be closely linked to your confidence, self-esteem and identity.  It can impact how you feel about yourself and your relationships with others. 
It’s normal to spend lots of time thinking about how your body looks, especially as a teenager or young adult. It’s also completely natural to worry about your appearance sometimes.

It can be tough if cancer or treatment changes how your body looks or feels. And especially if you’re diagnosed at a time when you’re still exploring who you are and how you want the world to see you.

Changes to your appearance during cancer can happen as a result of the cancer itself, or can be linked to side effects of chemotherapy or other cancer treatments.

Not everyone with cancer will go through these changes – it depends on the type of cancer you have and the type of treatment you’re having. Lots of these changes are temporary, and you can always speak to your care team about what to expect and ways to manage any changes.

Hair loss

Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other cancer treatments can cause some or all of your hair to fall out or get thinner.

This can affect the hair on your head, but also your eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair. It will usually start growing back a few weeks after your treatment finishes.

Find out more about hair loss and cancer treatment.

Weight changes

You might find that you lose weight during cancer. This can be a symptom of the cancer itself. But it can also be linked to side effects from treatment, such as losing your appetite, changes to your taste, mouth problems, difficulty swallowing, or constipation or diarrhoea.

You might also find that you gain weight. This can be a result of steroid medication, or other types of cancer treatment.

Skin or nail changes

Some cancer treatments can affect the appearance or condition of your skin or nails. This can include your skin becoming dry, sore, itchy, or more sensitive to sunlight. You might find that your nails grow more slowly or break more easily.  You might also notice changes to the texture of your nails.

If you develop a rash, let your care team know straight away. This could be a sign of infection, and it’s important to get the right treatment as quickly as possible.

Scarring and changes due to surgery 

If you need surgery as part of your cancer treatment, you may have scarring or other visible changes to your body afterwards. This could include needing to have a central line put in. Your surgeon and care team will always try to reduce the amount of scarring as much as possible.

There are lots of products that can help with scarring and encourage them to fade over time. They usually become less noticeable over time.

Losing a part of your body (amputation)  

You might need to have a limb, or a part of your body  removed in order to treat your cancer. This is sometimes called amputation. 

This can be an especially big change to come to terms with. Remember your care team are here to support you through it, practically and emotionally – and that it doesn’t define who you are.

Read more about Abbie’s experience of amputation and how she wants to inspire others. 

Other ways cancer can change your body

As you go through cancer and treatment, it’s likely that you’ll also experience changes to how your body works, or how you feel physically. This might include things like fatigue, brain fog or any impact on your fertility. 

These changes might not be visible to other people, but they can still have a big impact on you. Head to our page on your body during cancer treatment to find out more about managing these changes.

When you’re going through cancer, there can be times when your body hardly seems like your body anymore. It’s normal to have complicated and difficult feelings about the ways that cancer or treatment changes your body.

You might feel:

•    less confident in your appearance, or even unattractive  
•    more self-conscious, shy, or anxious about people looking at you
•    angry that your body doesn’t work or look like it used to
•    a sense of loss or grief for the way you looked before 
•    like you’re a different person now – or you might not feel that different to how you felt before cancer

Everyone’s experience is different, and everyone’s experience is valid. But try to remember that, even if your body does change, you’re still you. And there are always people you can talk to about how you’re feeling.
 

There are lots of things you can try to help you cope with changes to how you look during cancer.

Know what to expect

It can be helpful to know about possible body changes before they happen, so you can prepare yourself.

Your care team should talk you through possible side effects before you start treatment, and  remember you can ask them questions at any time.

Be around the right people 

Try to spend time with people who you trust and who are kind to you. Hopefully they’ll make you feel good about yourself and make space for you to express your feelings openly and honestly.

Social media

It’s worth thinking about who you follow online and how they make you feel. You might want to unfollow any accounts that don’t make you feel good about yourself and your body image. 

There are lots of positive accounts on social media that can be really helpful for any young person going through a tough time.