Jane Elliott BBC News Online Health Staff

Cancer patients get the feel good factor

On offer at the beauty salon are the usual pedicures, manicures, reflexology and massages.

But what makes this salon stand out from most other beauty salons in the country is that the Aurora Centre only caters for cancer patients and it is based in the chemotherapy unit at the Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

The centre offers advice on coping with the side effects of chemotherapy - the hair loss, serious skin and nail problems, and weight loss and gain.

Treatments

All of which leave patients feeling demoralised and depressed.

But if they feel in need of a fillip, then they can also have lessons on make-up, how to stencil in missing eyebrows, how to apply missing eye lashes and how to wear wigs, or tie scarves to cover thinning or missing hair.

Once your appearance alters you alter inside Valerie Lepedat

And because the salon is hospital-based the beauticians are well versed on which treatments and products are able to be used when a patient is having chemotherapy.

According to the Nursing Standard, the scheme was the brain child of two former breast cancer patients at the hospital.

Valerie Lepedat and Denise Dunn, who are now both in remission, met at the hospital while waiting for their mastectomies.

They both suffered physically through their treatment.

Val told BBC News Online how her physical symptoms left her feeling depressed and down.

"I lost my hair with my treatment, but I also lost my facial shape. Because I was on steroids it made me fatter.

"When you lose you hair it pulls you down, you get mouth ulcers and you lose your figure.

"So we talked about it and thought how can we make this better for people who are going to go through this. So Denise and I got together and decided to ask if there was a room we could have where we could help cancer patients."

Volunteers

A room at the hospital was dedicated for the Aurora Centre and �100,000 was dedicated from a local legacy to fund a professional beauty therapist for the next five years.

Volunteers raised even more cash to fund the general running of the salon, which now employs three beauticians.

Val said the salon had been a great hit with patients, including male cancer patients, who found it a boost.

"Once your appearance alters you alter inside.

"This is a great way of helping people inside. It is very relaxing and really boosting for the patients.

You do feel that you are on your own on this, but there are others in the same situation. It really is quite uplifting."

Project Officer Allison Billups said the centre had proved a great success with patients.

"It is based in the chemotherapy unit, but it is a little oasis in there.

"It is just like a top of the range beauty salon and we do encourage carers or relatives to come in with the patients.

"All the treatments are free and we give the patients a little 'goody bag' of samples to take home with them."

Enhance

Dr Nicola O'Connor, Cancer Information Manager for Cancer Research UK said schemes like this helped enhance the life of cancer patients.

"Quality of life is a key issue for cancer patients who are faced with treatments that can trigger very unpleasant side-effects.