Hello. I'm Mayumi from BAREN.
BAREN products are now available to try on and purchase at FOR AC inside the University of Tokyo Hospital , and it seems that many people have already flocked to try on BAREN products.
I believe that providing a space where customers can try on items before purchasing is a big step for BAREN.
So this time, we interviewed Yamamoto Kimio, the representative of FOR AC, which provides appearance care for cancer patients.
I would love to hear more about FOR AC and appearance care!
Q. Hello, Yamamoto-san! I would like to ask you briefly about your career history.
Hello.
I am a hairdresser and currently run six beauty salons called HANABUSA in Kanazawa. I also volunteer for vocational training overseas and am involved in various activities both in Japan and overseas. 
In connection with this, we also operate a store called "HANABUSA CO+MEDICAL," which specializes in hair growth and thinning hair care. As we provide private rooms where we can cater to the concerns of each individual customer, we have received several enquiries about hair loss caused by chemotherapy and medical wigs.
At the time, it was outside my area of expertise and I had no knowledge about it, so I ended up declining the offer. Looking back, I think that was the first time I became aware of hair loss caused by chemotherapy and medical wigs.
Q. I turned them down at the time. Can't you usually get hair removal or medical wigs done at a regular beauty salon?
I think the reality is that most hairdressers are reluctant to do this. They don't have any knowledge about hair loss caused by chemotherapy, and medical wigs are expensive, so if they make a mistake with the cut, they may have to pay for it. I think there are more cases where they refuse because of these risks.
We had no choice but to turn them down at the time, but we've always thought that there was no place for people who were struggling with hair loss or how to deal with medical wigs to go.
Q. Did meeting patients like that make you interested in appearance care?
In fact, I first learned about appearance care when I met Dr. Takako Bunta, a doctor in the Department of Breast Surgery at the University of Tokyo Hospital and a leading researcher in "appearance care." Dr. Bunta realized the importance of appearance care in cancer treatment and is trying to spread the word about appearance care. She taught me a lot about cover-up makeup, medical wigs, care hats, nails, and more.
As my knowledge increased, I began to feel more and more that although hairdressers, including myself, are supposed to be hair professionals, we weren't doing anything in this field.
Q. At that time, Appearance Care connected you with customers you had previously turned away.
That's right. I felt that it was our responsibility as beauticians that there were no people or places to monitor and support changes in appearance, so I began to think about how beauty and medicine could be combined.
The professionals who provide treatment are doctors, and the professionals who make medical wigs are medical wig manufacturers, but I think the professionals who suggest hairstyles and designs for medical wigs should be hairdressers. I thought this was a mission that someone had to fulfill, so I started working in the field of appearance care.
Q. Since you started working on appearance care, is there anything you keep in mind?
I think the most important thing in appearance care is to make patients feel at ease.
Patients are very anxious before the start of hair loss due to chemotherapy. Even if the doctor says, "Your hair loss will start soon, so please prepare," they don't know when and how they will change, or how they should actually prepare.
At times like these, I think it would be quite reassuring to have a professional to give you advice like, "Have you been told you need a wig? Once you start chemotherapy, hair loss will begin at this point, so take your time to choose one," or, "It will definitely grow back, so don't worry," or, "Hair loss as a side effect is proof that the chemotherapy is working."
And only when you have that sense of security can you improve your quality of life and feel like enjoying fashion.
Appearance care is not just about buying a medical wig and then that's it, so I hope you'll feel free to come and have your hair adjusted when you need it, or when you just want to change your mood, just like you would at a beauty salon. I hope you'll feel safe and secure knowing that you'll be fine if you come here.
Q: Is there anything you keep in mind when interacting with customers?
I am always conscious of how I should position myself for my customers.
I think what FOR AC's customers need is not "someone who will grieve with them" but "someone who will teach them a solution." To be that kind of presence, we need to face our customers with not only our technical skills but also all the knowledge we can draw upon. It is not important whether we are able to solve the problem in the end, but we try to be there for our customers, trying to lead them to a solution to their worries and problems.
Q. I would like to ask about FOR AC's future prospects.
The first is the franchise expansion of FOR AC.
We define the appearance care provided by FOR AC as "medical care" + "beauty" = "beauty therapy," and we hope to eventually increase the number of stores to 200 so that patients all over the country can receive this "beauty therapy."
We provide courses on appearance care that include not only techniques for medical wig care but also classroom learning on illnesses and other topics, and issue diplomas to hairdressers who take the courses. Currently, we have 10 salon franchises, and we aim to increase our name recognition so that simply seeing the name "FOR AC" will make people understand that we are an "appearance care salon."
The second goal is to increase the number of FOR AC stores inside hospitals, like this one at the University of Tokyo Hospital. If it's inside a hospital, patients can stop by after their appointment, which is the most friendly and accessible option for them. Starting with the University of Tokyo Hospital, we hope to set up FOR AC stores in many hospitals, making appearance care more accessible to patients.
Q.Please tell us why you decided to handle BAREN.
When I saw the brochure, I thought, "This is it!" and contacted them immediately.
Not only is BAREN's design and comfort amazing, but the philosophies of FOR AC and BAREN are similar, so we thought it would be easy to introduce to customers.
FOR AC offers appearance care tailored to the concerns of each patient to meet their desires: "I want to enjoy fashion even during treatment." and "I want to continue living as myself." Since a change in appearance can have a big impact on the mind, we believe that by dressing up, you can regain the happiness of being able to laugh naturally with others.
I heard that BAREN was born out of Mayumi's desire for more comfortable and stylish wigs and hats while undergoing treatment for cervical cancer. That's why she has put so much thought into what kind of products would make people smile even during treatment.
I thought that with BAREN, patients would want to dress up even more during treatment than they did before hair removal.
Q. Thank you! Is there anything you would like to do with BAREN in the future?
I want to conquer the whole country with BAREN! By franchising and increasing the number of stores nationwide, I want to create an environment where you can receive appearance care no matter where you are.
We've already had a great response, so I'm sure the number of customers coming to try on BAREN products will continue to increase, and I hope that we can continue to grow by inviting customers to each other's stores.
