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Color analysis is a method for identifying which colors suit your natural features, skin, eyes, and hair, based on hue (warm vs. cool), value (light vs. dark), and chroma (bright vs. muted). It’s often organized into 12 seasonal types: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, each with three subtypes, making twelve in total (Complete Seasonal Guides – the Concept Wardrobe, n.d.).

I had a professional color analysis and found I’m a Soft Summer. My best colors are cool, muted, and medium in depth. Bright, warm tones can overwhelm me, while soft, blended shades bring out my natural coloring beautifully. Below is a color card showing these shades

Soul of Color (2025)

Prices for such professional color analysis vary, but typically it can cost between €150 and €350 (Facetune, 2025). It’s a considerable investment, so I wondered: what if ChatGPT could offer the same insight for free? To test this, I:

1. Selected several photos of myself in natural light without makeup.
2. Used a hex code tool, sampling different areas of my skin, hair, and eyes. Since tones can vary across parts (e.g., cheeks vs. forehead), I collected a range of hex codes to reflect my full natural coloring.
3. Uploaded the photos and shared the hex codes with ChatGPT for a personalized color analysis.

Here’s what happened: according to ChatGPT I would be a Soft Autumn, which is incorrect. While Soft Autumn and Soft Summer are from different seasonal families, they share many characteristics. Soft Autumn and Soft Summer share soft, muted colors, gentle, dusty shades without anything too bright or harsh. They’re medium in value and suit people with soft, low-contrast features, like ash brown hair, grey-blue or hazel eyes, and neutral skin. The key difference is undertone, Summer is cool, Autumn is warm, and that’s where ChatGPT went wrong. (Complete Seasonal Guides – the Concept Wardrobe, n.d.).

(Soul of Color, 2025)

Digital color readings like hex codes show surface skin tone, which can look warmer due to lighting or natural pigmentation. Undertones lie beneath the surface and aren’t always visible in photos, which is why professional color analysts rely on visual comparison rather than digital sampling, and why ChatGPT couldn’t accurately detect my undertone.

That said, it came impressively close, narrowing me down to one of the two “Soft” seasons. Can ChatGPT do a color analysis? Sort of. It handles surface tones well, distinguishing muted from bright and light from dark. But when it comes to the undertone, it’s still guessing. My advice: use it for fun, but if you really want to know your true season, seeing a professional is worth it.

References:

Soul of Color. (2025, 6 July). Soft Summer vs Soft Autumn. Soul Of Color. https://www.soulofcolor.com/post/soft-summer-vs-soft-autumn

Complete Seasonal Guides – the concept wardrobe. (n.d.). https://theconceptwardrobe.com/colour-analysis-comprehensive-guides/complete-seasonal-guides

Facetune. (2025, 29 July). How much is a color analysis: Color analysis price. Facetune. https://www.facetuneapp.com/blog/how-much-is-a-color-analysis?srsltid=AfmBOoqRo36Ik1PKArqW5lcVgPXm30Y–yLbpZBNXgl0lzfIQdTckeEe

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When we think of cancer treatment, we picture chemotherapy, surgeries, fatigue, and pain. But cancer affects more than just the body, it also impacts mental wellbeing. Many patients experience anxiety, distress, and emotional exhaustion during treatment. Nearly 40% of people undergoing cancer treatment report poor mental health (Shalata et al., 2024). Long hospital days, side effects, and uncertainty make the experience feel uncomfortable and isolating.

To help ease this mental burden, Hull University Teaching Hospitals in the UK launched a program called The Calm Zone. Patients undergoing chemotherapy or recovery are offered VR headsets, so that they can explore calming landscapes, like beaches and forests, and escape from the clinical setting. Patients reported feeling more relaxed and emotionally supported during these sessions (Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, 2025).

Scientific evidence backs this up. Chiu et al (2023) found that patients who used VR before surgery felt less anxious than those who received standard care. VR in cancer care can also ease pain and help patients feel less anxious, depressed and fatigued (Zeng et al., 2019).

I think this is an important step forward. Not just because it’s innovative, but because it helps patients feel seen as people, not just as medical cases.

However, there also are caveats. VR is not suitable for all patients. Pawełczyk et al. (2025) found that after using immersive VR, participants experienced more symptoms of cybersickness, especially eye strain, general discomfort, and headaches. Additionally, several patients who used VR asked for lighter headsets and more interactive content, highlighting the need for personalization and ergonomic design (Gerlach et al., 2024).

And then there’s also the question of access. High costs, limited IT infrastructure, lack of staff training, and challenges integrating VR into hospital workflows hinder its wider use in healthcare (Shiner et al., 2024).

Even with all these challenges, I think VR still looks promising for cancer care. It helps patients deal with the emotional and psychological sides of treatment. As the technology becomes easier to use and hospitals learn how to fit it in, VR could become a useful part of more complete, patient-focused care.

References

Chiu, P. L., Li, H., Yap, K. Y., Lam, K. C., Yip, P. R., & Wong, C. L. (2023). Virtual Reality–Based intervention to reduce preoperative anxiety in adults undergoing elective surgery. JAMA Network Open, 6(10), e2340588. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.40588

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. (2025, May 28). Relaxation to aid recovery. HEY NHS. https://www.hey.nhs.uk/news/2025/05/28/relaxation-to-aid-recovery/

Shalata, W., Gothelf, I., Bernstine, T., Michlin, R., Tourkey, L., Shalata, S., & Yakobson, A. (2024). Mental Health Challenges in Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Depression and Anxiety. Cancers, 16(16), 2827. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16162827

Shiner, C. T., Croker, G., McGhee, J., & Faux, S. G. (2024). Perspectives on the use of Virtual Reality within a public hospital setting: surveying knowledge, attitudes, and perceived utility among health care professionals. BMC Digital Health, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s44247-024-00076-x

Gerlach, C., Haas, L., Greinacher, A., Lantelme, J., Guenther, M., Thiesbonenkamp-Maag, J., Alt-Epping, B., & Wrzus, C. (2024). My virtual escape from patient life: a feasibility study on the experiences and benefits of individualized virtual reality for inpatients in palliative cancer care. BMC Palliative Care, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-024-01577-2

Pawełczyk, W., Olejarz, D., Gaweł, Z., Merta, M., Nowakowska, A., Nowak, M., Rutkowska, A., Batalik, L., & Rutkowski, S. (2025). Understanding Cybersickness and Presence in Seated VR: a foundation for exploring therapeutic applications of immersive virtual environments. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(8), 2718. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14082718

Zeng, Y., Zhang, J., Cheng, A. S. K., Cheng, H., & Wefel, J. S. (2019). Meta-Analysis of the efficacy of virtual Reality–Based interventions in Cancer-Related symptom Management. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735419871108