Woman undergoing radiation or chemotherapy can learn how to circumvent effects on hair, skin and nails at the workshop Look Good, Feel Better.

Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the free, two-hour sessions are held in Salisbury and cities nationwide.

Locally, Peninsula Regional Medical Center sponsors a class every other month, at the Richard A. Henson Cancer Support Services at 560 Riverside Drive.

The next one is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. Call 410-543-7006. There are usually six to 12 women in each class.

Cosmetologists volunteer to teach the workshops and every woman receives a free kit, with make-up and supplies, valued at about $300.

Kits are available in light, medium, dark and extra dark shades. They are donated by the Personal Care Products Council.

Women are taught how to conceal hair loss using wigs, scarves, hats and hairpieces. They also receive a 12-step skin care and makeup lesson, nail care techniques and advice.

“These days, a lot of women undergoing treatment continue to work, and they still want to look good because it makes them feel better,” said Jen Burdette of the American Cancer Society, who oversees programs in Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.

“We show them how to draw in their eyebrows if they are losing them, and how to make it look like they still have eyelashes,” she added.

Some women take the workshop before starting treatment and others wait until treatment begins, or afterward, Burdette said.

Look Good Feel Better is offered in every state plus Puerto Rico and sessions are in English, Spanish and Spanish and English.

Since the program began in 1989, more than 800,000 women have participated. About 15,000 volunteers have been involved. In 2013 in Salisbury, 610 woman participated.

For men, there’s a website and printed materials.

“Patients at various stages of treatment receive personal attention and take-home instruction booklets and complimentary cosmetic kits in shades that match their skin tones. Each year, more than 50,000 individuals participate in small groups of five to 10 that create a sense of support and community,” according to the website www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org.

Self-help materials, including a video or DVD, are also available.