Kaiser Permanente’s Look Inside KP blog recently featured Lipstick Angels and our work bringing compassionate beauty and wellness care to patients undergoing treatment at Kaiser Permanente San Leandro.
Thanks to a generous donation, Kaiser Permanente San Leandro became the first Kaiser Permanente hospital to offer Lipstick Angels services, providing patients with complimentary beauty and wellness treatments during their time in the infusion center.
The article shares the story of patients like Graciela Rojas, who received a hand-cream treatment and head massage while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. After her service, Graciela shared, “Now I’m relaxed. What I’m living with is very stressful.”
This is the heart of Lipstick Angels’ mission: to bring moments of comfort, dignity, and care to people navigating some of the most difficult days of their lives.
Founded in 2012 by professional makeup artist Renata Helfman-Baron, Lipstick Angels was inspired by the care Renata gave to her grandmother during cancer treatment. What began as a deeply personal act of love has grown into a national nonprofit offering beauty, skincare, wellness, and self-care services to patients in hospitals and cancer centers.
At Kaiser Permanente San Leandro, Lipstick Angels services are offered once a week at no cost to patients. Treatments are available for both women and men and may include skincare, hand treatments, gentle massage, aromatherapy, eyebrow fill, lip color, and self-care education patients can continue at home.
As Deepa Reddy, MD, a Kaiser Permanente San Leandro oncologist, shared in the article, Lipstick Angels provides “another element” of warmth and humanity during treatment — offering patients comfort and a meaningful distraction during long infusion appointments.
For patients like Catrina Bevilacqua, who received a facial, eyebrow fill, lip color, and a goody bag with products used during her service, the experience was deeply uplifting.
“They lifted my spirits,” she shared. “I hope they keep the service up for us. It’s really nice.”
We are grateful to Kaiser Permanente San Leandro, the generous donor who helped make this program possible, and every patient who allows Lipstick Angels to be part of their care experience.
