When Rosalyn Francis began losing her hair during cancer treatment, she tried to stay strong.
But watching her hair fall out was different.
“Wisdom is in the crown of a woman,” said Francis, a Virginia Beach resident, veteran and three-time cancer survivor. “Not having any hair makes you feel unworthy. It makes you feel like you’re not beautiful.”
Francis has survived lymphoma twice as well as breast cancer. Cancer runs in her family, she said, though she believes the stress of military service may also have contributed.
Starting in 2018, as treatment progressed and her hair diminished, she relied on scarves and hats. Eventually, she began searching for a wig that would help her feel like herself again.
She visited a handful of wig shops across Hampton Roads and asked about military discounts or support for women veterans. She was not turned away or denied service.
But she said no one told her that the VA Health Care System works with approved vendors who provide medical wigs for eligible veterans.
Eventually, through word of mouth, she found Natasha Guynn, owner of Kamora Sky Wigs in Hampton and one of those VA-approved vendors.
“If I had not done the research myself, guess what, I would not have known that there was a person who caters to military females and who are veterans,” Francis said. “The VA should just make people aware that there are resources out there.”
Medical wigs, also called cranial prostheses, can be prescribed to veterans experiencing hair loss from conditions such as cancer treatment or alopecia through the VA Health Care System.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, women are now the fastest growing group within the veteran population, with more than 2 million women veterans nationwide.
Among women veterans diagnosed with cancer, breast cancer is the most common, accounting for 30% of cases.
Chemotherapy-induced hair loss is ranked as one of the most distressing side effects of cancer treatment. with studies estimating it affects roughly 65% of patients and can lead to anxiety, depression, lower self-esteem and negative body image.
For Francis, working with Guynn to find the right wig helped restore some of that confidence.
“She made me feel like a woman again,” Francis said. “When you look good, you feel good.”
A benefit already exists
The VA Health Care System covers wigs when they are deemed medically necessary.
John Rogers, the public affairs officer at the VA in Hampton, said veterans must be enrolled in VA health care and discuss hair loss with their primary care provider.
If appropriate, a dermatology consultation is ordered. The Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service then authorizes the device and arranges services through approved vendors.
“When veterans experience hair loss or discuss their concerns with a provider, the provider and veteran work together to determine if a cranial prosthesis is medically appropriate. Eligibility is based on enrollment in VA health care and documented medical need, and the device is prescribed only when it supports the veteran’s treatment plan,” said Rogers in a statement sent to WHRO.
In 2025, Hampton VA worked with six local vendors and provided 64 cranial prostheses to veterans.
More than a cosmetic service
Guynn, the wig shop owner, has worked in the wig industry for more than 26 years and became a VA-approved vendor in 2022. She said she has served more than 200 veterans.
Unlike many store-bought wigs, which are often made in one standard size, custom cranial prostheses are fitted to each individual.
Each consultation includes detailed measurements of the head from ear to ear, from nape to forehead and around the perimeter. The wigs are hand-stitched and customized by size, texture, color and style.
“A lot of women want to look like how they used to look,” Guynn said. “My goal is to bring them back to that person.”
Guynn said it often “puts a smile on their face” when veterans first see themselves in the mirror wearing a wig that resembles their former hairstyle.
Among her clients, some female veterans find the shop on their own like Francis did, while others are referred through the VA system.
Guynn has also worked with cancer patients through the American Cancer Society’s “Look Good Feel Better” program, volunteering at local hospitals to help women adjust wigs and styling during treatment.
“The goal here and the importance here is to assist and to help as many veterans, as many women, as many people as I can,” Guynn said.
Earlier this year, Virginia lawmakers considered legislation that would have required large-group health insurance plans to cover scalp cooling systems used during chemotherapy to help preserve hair, but the proposal failed to move forward.
