Selfcare Workshops for Young People with Cancer

Since our last report,  the young people took part in  an all-female activity where ten young ladies learned hair and scalp care techniques and treatments.

They also learned skincare and nail care. 

The hair, skin and nails all suffer as a result of the invasive and intensive treatments that the young people go through.

Finding out you have cancer can be daunting and life-changing, and the added stress that the side effects of treatment can have on your appearance can be demoralising and hard to cope with, especially for young women and teenagers.  

The support of the professionals in the group helped the young people to learn self-care that they can practice at home, and also confidence boosting techniques that help them to embrace their new look and understand their new needs, enabling them to move forward in all aspects of their lives.

Some quotes from some of the young people attending

“Made me look forward to something and want to leave the house with something other to do than appointments. Met new people amazing people including the ladies who helped with this pamper day.”

 “The most important thing for me was not the activity of the day actually, it was meeting other “teens” in my boat which I hadn’t had the opportunity to do before.”

 “It has helped me come out of my comfort zone and meet new people…”

 “It has helped me with my confidence. Talking to other people who have went through the same thing.”

 To everyone who has helped to fund this project, a huge thank you from the young people who you are supporting to live their best life while others search for a cure.

Our “beauty” workshop took on a completely different shape this time as we worked solely on offering The Guys some help with their skin and hair care needs.

Home for this event was the Ricoh Offices in the Broadgate Tower, central London.  A magnificent space with stunning views of the City’s iconic skyline.

The importance of self-care and pampering can often be overlooked in the fight with cancer, and men are often way behind women.  So, this time, we looked to redress the balance and were really excited to get the boys involved with our very generous supporters Look Good Feel Better.

The Experts talked to our guests about various skin care techniques and reminded them of the importance of protecting their skin from harmful UV rays with suitable sun protection, all year round.

The Team demonstrated different grooming techniques and even showed the guys how to use concealers to reduce the appearance of scars if they wanted to.

They turned their attention to hair care and shaving and learned some helpful tips to take home with them, everything from the direction of the blades when shaving to gentle massage the head with the fingertips, which may not make the hair grow faster, but it increases blood circulation to your scalp, which is always good for the hair.

The young people were then able to Ask the Experts all kinds of questions about personal skin and hair care regimes, and to ask about different products and techniques specific to their own needs.

At the end of the workshop, everyone received a Goodie Bag full of the products they had learned about to they can continue their new regime at home.

To everyone who has supported this project, a huge thank you.  You are helping us to support young people fighting cancer to live their best life while others search for a cure.