DOCS SAVED MY LIFE BUT MAGGIE'S KEEPS ME SMILING; PAMPERING BOOST HELPS WOMEN FACE UP TO THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.

Byline: Lindsay Clydesdale

BEING told you have cancer is devasting enough but what follows can often be even tougher to deal with.

Operations, scans, chemo and radiotherapy treatments all take their toll on people already struggling with a huge emotional trauma.

The knock-on effects of fighting cancer can mean physical changes like loss of hair which, for many women, is very distressing.

But a charity which offers free skin care and make-up workshops to women undergoing cancer treatment is giving them back their sense of self and boosting their l confidence. Look Good... Feel Better (LGFB) helps women in a positive and practical way by holding classes through a network of 56 hospitals and cancer support centres nationwide.

The charity has just celebrated its 15th anniversary with a round of events sponsored by Boots who are founder members of LGFB.

A charity spokeswoman said: "The workshops help women manage the visible side-effects of about the Feel Better programme go to lgfb.co.uk or call 01372 747 500. cancer treatments by focusing on the fact that not all 'medication' is prescribed by doctors.

After the shock of being diagnosed, many women are devastated by the side-effects of their treatments."

LGFB actively works to help restore patients' self-esteem.

As well as advice on caring for their skin and make-up application, every woman receives products including lotions, cosmetics and perfume.

Bella Cunningham is regional coordinator for workshops in the Glasgow area. Since she began 13 years ago, Bella has expanded the workshops and increased their frequency to weekly.

One of the classes is held in the Maggie's Centre at Glasgow'sWestern Infirmary. Although the women don't know each other before they attend, Bella is expert in creating a relaxed, warm and fun atmosphere and by the end of the afternoon the women are chatting and laughing like old friends.

And they're united in their praise.

Brenda Mawhinney, 65, from Drumchapel, Glasgow, lost her husband to bowel cancer last year and was struggling with her grief when she was diagnosed with lung cancer in April. "This has been marvellous," she said. "It made me feel much better and I'd recommend others to come along. It does you the world of good."

Elizabeth Trainer from Knightswood, is still having chemotherapy but came arrived with some great news - scans showed her tumours were shrinking "I've had an absolutely brilliant day today," said Elizabeth, 51. "When you get cancer, it's a bit like the film Sliding Doors.You have the normal world and the cancer world. But here, you don't have to explain."

FOR more information about the Look Good... Feel Better programme go to www.lgfb.co.uk or call 01372 747 500.

SHEILA LOGAN

SHEILA, 50, from Renfrew, was diagnosed in June with breast cancer and had a lump and lymph nodes removed.

She said: "I turned 50 last October and was called for my first mammogram in April this year and it found the cancer. I hadn't felt a lump or anything so without the mammogram it might have gone undiscovered.

"I've had three of my 12 chemotherapy sessions and I lost my hair on the first one. After that there will be six weeks of radiotherapy then five years of hormone therapy.

"I've been kind of up and down but with every chemo session you feel you're getting nearer to the end.

"I really feel like we've been pampered today. It's fantastic. We always feel lighter when we walk out of the Maggie's Centre.

"I've got two teenage kids and they've been great, but sometimes it's difficult for other people to understand. It's quite isolating when you're told you've got cancer. But everyone here has been through the same. It's a great place."

MOLLY STILL

MOLLY, 46, from Mosspark was diagnosed with Hodgkins in July. The news was a double blow as her sister Fiona was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins last December.

She said: "It's a bit of a shock when you first get diagnosed. I needed to find out more so I came in here. One of the staff saw me and when I explained to her, she gave me a great big cuddle.

"In July they cut out part of a lump in my neck. Ten days later I was told it was malignant and I'd be getting chemotherapy.

The chemo is horrible but I love getting it because I know it's doing its job. It's a necessary evil. The lump in my neck is down to the size of a marble - it was the size of a golf ball before.

"This place has been a life-saver. I'd got into slob mode, I hadn't been in a skirt or worn lipstick in months. So today's a great boost and it's nice to meet all the other folk who are going through the same thing."

LINDA MACPHERSON

LINDA, 49, from Thornliebank, Glasgow, had a radical nephrectomy on her right kidney in March.

"When I was told I had cancer in my kidney, I had a week and a half to get used to the news before I had the operation," she said. "Now I'm doing a lot more exercise like swimming, walking, things that are making me push myself. Before I used to be a couch potato but I've lost three dress sizes since I had the operation.

"Today has been fantastic, it was well worth coming along. I can't thank the doctors and everybody else enough because at the end of the day, they saved my life and Maggie's has helped keep my spirits up.

"It's given me a place to come and it's a sanctuary because here they do understand.

"You can't expect your family to understand but these people do. No matter what kind of cancer it is, they are a shoulder for you."

BELLA'S TRICKS OF THE TRADE

SOME treatments can leave you with dry, red skin but a green correcting cream, applied before foundation, will even out your skin tone.

Tired eyes can be helped with concealer - use a shade that's brighter than the rest of your face.

Dab it on in a circle round the eye then brush-blend it in as close as possible.

If you've lost your eyelashes, there's a great product by Talika called Lipocils Eyelash Conditioning Gel available from SpaceNK which has branches at Princes Square, Glasgow, and George Street, Edinburgh. This is similar to a mascara and applied every day it encourages lashes to grow longer and thicker.

Another trick for giving the illusion of eyelashes is to apply eyeliner above the lashes to add definition. Eyebrows are important for framing the face.

Use eyeshadow rather than a brow pencil and with a small, hard make-up brush, always brush upwards.

CAPTION(S):

BEAUTY WITHIN: Look Good... Feel Better regional co-ordinator Bella Cunningham BRILLIANT BOOST: Molly's glam slam FANTASTIC: Linda's verdict