treating cancer patients


reboot, recharge, refresh


Olivia Slack discovers the myths surrounding treating clients with cancer, and explains how adapted treatments can help them through a difficult time and give your clients the confidence boost they need.


A salon or Spa break is the ideal retreat for someone with or recovering from cancer. It’s essentially a short holiday, with health and well-being as its core focus, and yet it seems to be a taboo subject amongst many professionals in the beauty and Spa industry, causing a number of therapists to be wary of taking bookings from clients with cancer.


Whether it’s due to a lack of training, or the myths surrounding treating cancer patients, a lot of therapists just don’t know how to approach the topic when they’re faced with it. Some clients have even been turned away from Spas, simply because they ticked the ‘cancer’ box. At an already difficult time, this can be extremely upsetting and distressing for someone to deal with, so it’s important that great effort is made to understand the topic better.


Marie-Louise Coster, Owner of All About Mi Salon and Training School, says: “It is estimated that 165,000 women in the UK are newly diagnosed with cancer each year – figures from Look Good Feel Better UK – this does not account for the women who will get the devastating news that their cancer has returned for a second, or perhaps even a third time. Such high figures mean that, as therapists, the chances of us having a client who is undergoing treatment or currently in the process of being diagnosed is becoming more and more common.”


Your clients’ confusion and upset can be avoided by ensuring fellow therapists and yourself have a solid understanding of the subject, so that when a client approaches your salon or Spa, you understand the dos and don’ts and can offer your professional advice.


The struggle is something that the Vocational Training Charitable Trust’s (VTCT) Regional Business Development Manager Francesca Manzi was faced with when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Francesca was given a Spa voucher after her diagnosis, and so was looking forward to a manicure or facial to cheer herself up.


Have your client consult their doctor to discuss any treatment risks.


Image: © iStock.com/KayarzynaBialasiewicz


“Unfortunately, I was told they would not carry out my treatment until I had been clear for a year. Apparently, this happens a lot, and often women do not declare their condition, which is more dangerous,” she says.


myth busting… So why exactly is it such a taboo subject?


There has always been an uncertainty as to whether or not it is safe to massage a client with cancer. Some believe that a massage can move cancer cells around the body, causing them to circulate more rapidly. However, there is no scientific proof to support this.


Of course, there are a number of contraindications surrounding a massage - for example, the skin may be bruised in areas, or the client may have recently had radiotherapy and be feeling extra sensitive – but as a therapist, you will need to adapt your massage techniques to suit each patient to avoid any pain or discomfort.


“Generally, doctors recommend that people do not have massage whilst they are having Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy, although there is no medical evidence to show that massage has a negative impact on these treatments,” explains Dr. Maxine Stead, Founder and Managing Director of Alexandra House holistic health and well-being Spa.


“It is advisable that clients check with their doctor whether or not they are able to have any therapies during active cancer treatments as people’s situations can differ and only the doctor [will know] what’s right for that person,” she adds.


By discussing therapies with your client’s doctor, you will be able to get more of an understanding of exactly how their cancer journey has been so far. Thus, you will then be able to adapt your treatment – whether it be a massage, manicure, facial or other – to the doctors’ recommendations.


100 GUILD NEWS


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