Pampering helps confidence

“There’s one good thing about hair loss,” laughs Julia Golds as she points to the black scarf wrapped stylishly around her head.

“It certainly saves you a fortune on hair products and visits to the hairdressers,” the 48-year-old says.

Julia suffers from breast cancer, although judging by her upbeat mood and positive outlook on life, she shows no sign of being a sufferer.

Diagnosed with the illness in July after discovering a lump, she says she takes one day at a time.

The dental health nurse from Kidderminster has spent this particular day at a Look Good Feel Better clinic at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.

Look Good Feel Better is the cosmetic industry’s charity and provides beauty workshops for female cancer patients who have undergone cancer treatment.

A newly refurbished room at the hospital’s Deansley Centre is the venue for the pampering sessions, which run from February to October, and on each occasion cater for up to a dozen females.

Beauty professionals provide the women with free make-up sessions, which are designed to combat the visible side effects of their treatment. Their afternoon of pampering also gives them the opportunity to meet other women going through similar experiences as well as looking and feeling fabulous when they leave the session - and armed with a free bag of beauty products.

Mother-of-two Julia admits she was not a big make-up wearer but says she felt amazing after the beauty consultants worked their makeover magic.

“I usually think about my lips and eyes but my knowledge is limited,” she says

“But this session has been amazing. It’s great to have a professional work on your face, and the products we get to take home are top-notch. It’s fantastic.”

While Julia bravely laughs about her hair loss caused by her chemotherapy, she admits that she has become conscious about how she looks since undergoing treatment. “The appearance of your skin can change with chemotherapy. I’ve noticed mine tends to be rosy but the beauty ladies have shown me that by using certain products we can compensate and tone the colour down as well as making my skin colour even. When I started losing my hair, I was given a wig but I personally prefer wearing a head scarf. There’s so many different coloured scarves and different ways of wearing them,” she said.

Joan Bristow, 56, has also suffered from breast cancer. She was diagnosed in 2005 and, like Julia, underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy and subsequently lost all her hair. Describing her experience in the Look Good Feel Better workshop, she said she felt “uplifted”. She added: “I think this is a great service, and I feel so much better in myself for coming along. It’s given me a great confidence boost.”

Joan, of Bilbrook, Codsall, says she always loved to put her make-up on but admits over the past few years has not wanted to bother as much. “You do become conscious about how you look because of the effects of the treatment. It’s been a real treat to have the professionals show me how to look good,” she added.

And both Joan and Julia agree the chance to have a good chinwag with women who have been through similar experiences is also beneficial.

It’s beauty consultants from the likes of Beatties in Wolverhampton and Debenhams in Walsall who have made the pampering days possible for women like Julia and Joan. “I think it’s a fantastic service for women,” said Carol Hughes, who works at Debenhams in Walsall. Linda Hewkin, Macmillan support and information centre manager for the hospital trust, said the workshops were a huge benefit to patients. “They certainly lift their spirits,” she said.

And in the words of Joan and Julia: “It’s fantastic”.