Socio-beautician is an often little-known profession, serving people suffering from serious, acute or chronic illnesses including cancer. Around forty socio-beauticians work in the Pays de la Loire, like Léa, 34 years old.
Léa Pitaud has been a socio-esthetician for 7 years. A profession that she chose out of conviction, specializing following her aesthetic studies.
In the Pays de la Loire, there are around forty of them like her working in various medical and social structures in the region.
Léa speaks once or twice a month at the association My Parenthesis. A place to welcome and support women with cancer located in Basse-Goulaine, in Loire-Atlantique, 15 minutes from Nantes.
The Ma Parenthesis association in Basse-Goulaine offers socio-aesthetic treatments for people with cancer. • © France 3 Pays de la Loire – Thibault Grouhel
His job is to make people forget the illness a little. Léa offers treatment or massage workshops for different parts of the body for both men and women suffering from serious acute or chronic illnesses. At the start of each workshop, everyone introduces themselves. And the first questions arise: what is socio-aesthetics anyway?
“Socio-aesthetics is not a pretty word, but in fact, it designates the social side, because we also adapt the care to the people we receive, according to the different problems. This can be attacks to physical, psychological or social integrity”, explains the young woman.
On the program that day, a facial treatment workshop, or how to learn how to do “self-massage”. Four women are present. All in the process or beginning of the treatment course for their illness. All affected by cancer.
Léa takes out her beauty case with products that are as neutral as possible in terms of smell and ingredients. “The idea is that we spend two hours together, that it be a moment of comfort, of relaxation”.
She answers all questions and provides useful advice. “Before, we said no scrubs during chemo. Now, that has changed. We do scrubs because we realize that it helps regenerate the skin. There are lots of things we can do. 2 minutes, which revives the colors, even the blush. It’s a small detail, but a little blush on the cheeks helps. It doesn’t take long to do, these are fairly simple little tips that allow you to take a good look at you.”
Chrystelle, undergoing chemotherapy, reacts: “Cancer makes you take care of yourself a lot.” Laughter followed, heartily: ‘It’s maybe the only positive thing in this whole mess.’exclaims Léa, warming the atmosphere with her soft voice.
It feels good to have this break of gentleness, understanding, kindness. And really, we feel sincerity.
Annabelle
Participant in the socio-aesthetics workshop
Scrubs are recommended for women and men undergoing chemotherapy. • © France 3 Pays de la Loire – Thibault Grouhel
For me here it is a haven of peace. I’m not just looking for care. I also came to look for the meeting. And here the least we can say is that we are served!
Sylvie
Participant in the socio-aesthetics workshop
“I work in a lot of associations, hospital or social establishments around Nantes and Ancenis but I also do a lot of home work because we are still in an area around Ancenis in particular which is a little less provided in an establishment. And the home still makes it possible to cover a lot of patients. People who have a lot of trouble getting around because they are far from Nantes, from the structures and they have to do a lot of road. But for these sick people this is often not possible. So my home activity is a good way for them to have access to this care during their journey.” explains Léa.
Léa travels with her own vehicle. And according to the patients sent to him the Ancenis HAD, home hospitalization.
Few people know it or are aware of it, but they can, on prescription from their doctor or the specialist who follows them, benefit from home care set up in relay from a hospital, at home with the HAD. The cost is transparent for the patient, 100% covered by the CPAM.
HAD is a private health establishment of collective interest. That of Ancenis is a 1901 law association subject to the same obligations as establishments with accommodation: “continuity of care 24/7 without discrimination, safety and quality of care certified by the High Authority of Health, contract for the proper use of medicines, commitment to the fight against pain, as well as to the prevention of infections associated with care”we can read on the site.
At the HAD, several trades and several salaried and self-employed professionals work together and in full consultation: doctors, nurses coordinating care pathways, physiotherapists, sophrologists, psychologists, socio-estheticians, etc.
“Before or after each of my interventions, I make a point with the entire HAD medical team for the patients I am at home and to whom the HAD sends me. This is an essential point in order to improve their care. We debrief on their state of health and their morale as well. If we need to adapt or suggest other things to relieve their pain.”explains the socio-beautician.
30% of patients at the Ancenis HAD are in palliative care.
“Hello, Léa. Are you okay? Yes, and you?” A little word, an intonation, an intention. Social connection.
Léa has an appointment with Patricia who has been operated on for breast cancer and has been followed for a year. Poor healing of her wound led to her being eligible for home care.
That day, Patricia needs and wants to redo her nail polish and enjoy a scalp massage. “I know people who had chemo and their nails were completely black afterwards because they didn’t take care of their nails. And it stays almost for life. So I want to live a few more years and enjoy my nails.”explains this childminder. “I’ve never worn makeup, but I’ve always taken care of my skin. It’s very important and even more so now. I spend almost a quarter of an hour in the morning, a quarter of an hour in the evening pampering myself, again more”.
The benefits are almost immediate. The morale is good: “Tomorrow I’m going to go to chemo, and maybe the nurses will say, ‘Oh, the color you put on, it looks great!’ And it helps you, even if you’re wired, you’re happy because “We congratulated you.”
For Léa, her job also forces patients to take time, to slow down. “For two hours, we’re just going to take care of ourselves, take some time. What I do doesn’t cure people, but it comes with life. I find that it improves the quality of patients a little, just to have a break from their illness and their treatment. I tell myself that what we do is useful, that it makes sense if it does them good.” finishes the young woman.
duration of the video: 00h05mn00s
While Pink October 2023 is launched with the objective, like every year, to raise awareness among women about breast cancer screening and to raise funds for research, people here are interested this evening in a little-known profession, the profession socio-esthetician, a profession serving people suffering from serious, acute or chronic illnesses including cancer. There are around forty in Pays de la Loire who work in close collaboration with medical and social establishments. or associations. They provide care to relieve ailments. Speakers in order of appearance: -Léa Pitaud, socio-esthetician -Chrystelle, Member of the Ma Parenthese association -Séverine, Member of the Ma Parenthese association -Annabelle, Member of the Ma Parenthese association -Sylvie, Member of the the Ma Parenthesis association -Patricia, HAD beneficiary – home hospitalization -Luc, Patricia’s husband • ©France 3 Pays de la Loire/ Juliette Poirier, Thibault Grouhel, Laurent Bellanger (sound), Sophie Boismain (editing)
See the report by Juliette Poirier, Thibault Grouhel, Laurent Bellanger and Sophie Boismain.
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