In Beauty Despite Cancer Jennifer shares her knowledge and experience by showing those living with cancer and beyond how to prevent, reduce, disguise, camouflage and soothe their appearance-related side effects. This guide to beauty, hair, style and well-being for cancer patients is the most comprehensive ever published.
How it started – ‘Do you have anything for cancer patients?’ This was the question that started it all. Some ladies asked Jennifer Young ‘the’ question on a visit to her local cancer centre. They were opening a beauty and wig salon on the chemotherapy ward and they wanted a skincare range that met their needs. Jennifer was asked to help.
Who is the author – Jennifer Young has a BSc (Hons) in biology and is an associate member of the Royal Society of Medicine. She is a qualified nutritional therapist, and an experienced microbiologist, aromatherapist, beauty therapist and product formulator. With two postgraduate qualifications in health-related fields, she has been accepted by the courts as an expert witness for occupational health cases and has been active in medical research. She is the creator of the Defiant Beauty collections and founder of www.beautydespitecancer.co.uk.
What’s it all about – A comprehensive guide to what to expect when going through cancer treatment, covering all the questions you want to ask, and full of tips and advice about things that didn’t even cross your mind. Split into four main sections –
Hair – wigs and wig care, headwear, cooling caps, scalp treatments, regrowth.
Face – causes of stress to the skin and how to counteract them, anti-ageing, complementary therapies, hormones, sleep and tips for sleep, appetite and nutrition, chemo skin, oral care, makeup & cosmetics
Body – nails, changes to your body during treatment, surgery, lingerie
Self – wellbeing, reflections on the inevitable question – “why me?”, yoga, nutrition, choosing a therapist to work with, emotions – preparing for treatment and moving on: life after cancer
Why it’s important – women don’t stop being women when they are diagnosed with cancer. All types of cancer are on the rise, with 1 in 2 of us being diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives[1] and breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Women have a 1 in 8 chance of diagnosis at some point in their lives.[2]
What an exciting and relaxing start to the weekend! Having been invited by Jennifer Young to model for her Defiant Beauty facials at the LOC (London Oncology Clinic) two weeks ago, I excitedly hit the tube in the morning and was given a very warm welcome by Jennifer and her team when I arrived at Harley Street.
“Watching someone getting a facial is as relaxing as getting one yourself!” – JY
When I entered the consulting room, Audrey, who was also invited as a facial model, was visibly enjoying the products Jennifer massaged onto her sensitive skin by using her magical-seeming signature moves and pressure points technique on Audrey’s face and scalp. Meanwhile, the other two beauty experts Antonia and Rosie, and I were also enjoying this surely relaxing sight as Jennifer led us through the different steps of the facial.
And then it was my turn. As Jennifer taught the LOC beauty experts the benefits of her products and the procedure of her facials, I was given a treatment by Antonia who practiced the facial on me by using the Defiant Beauty skincare range.
To commence the facial, Antonia used the gentle Cleansing Balm to prep my skin for the steps that should follow. After this, she massaged the Serum onto my face and neckline while copying Jennifer’s expert signature moves and applying the perfect amount of pressure to points located all around the mouth, nose, and eyes, on the scalp, the ears, neck and shoulders. So relaxing! (Note to myself: Need to pamper myself more when applying skincare products!) Following the relaxing massage and slowly coming to an end, a couple of spritzes of the Defiant Beauty Spritz gently covered my face like dew on a spring morning and left a cooling and refreshing sensation on my skin – and was even a welcome refreshment for all others present.
All in all, the facial made me completely unwind and for a second I even forgot that busy and noisy London Town was calling through the open window. When I walked back to the tube station to head homewards, I felt and looked so well rested that for the next days I shone bright like a diamond.
Jennifer Young’s Defiant Beauty products definitely impressed me! Not only have they left my skin glowing and relaxed, they also made me realise that the right skincare is important for everyone. Besides, skincare is an important contribution to the healing process of cancer patients and to making them feel comfortable in their skin again. Thank you so much for the lovely facial treatment experience and giving me an insight into your important work, Jennifer!
Black Beauty & Hair list Defiant Beauty as Essential!
“Plant oestrogens have a structure similar to the female hormone oestrogen, which should be avoided by cancer patients, says skincare expert Jennifer Young. So when formulating her skincare range Jennifer worked with cancer patients, survivors and an NHS team to formulate Defiant Beauty. The range doesn’t contain plant oestrogens and uses shea and mango butters, apricot and peach kernel oils, rosehip and vitamin E oils.” visit beautydespitecancer.co.uk for further information.
Thanks so much to My Weekly for picking up on the Beauty Despite Cancer Appearance Advice Line and featuring in their magazine. Going through cancer treatment is hard enough without having to worry about losing hair and nails. For free, impartial advice, cancer patients and relatives of those going through treatment can phone free on 0800 999 8518 from 9am – 5pm to speak to an expert. For more information visit beautydespitecancer.co.uk
Jennifer Young’s skincare range Defiant Beauty, created specifically for cancer patients
Over 250,000 people in England are diagnosed with cancer every year and currently, about 1.8 million people are living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis (1). Many patients suffer a variety of skin disorders resulting from either radiation or chemotherapy treatments, which only add to the worry of this life-threatening condition. Visible signs include chapped lips, itchy dry, sore and sensitive skin, flaking palms and feet, and blotchiness or darkening of the skin around the joints or veins (2). Defiant Beauty is a natural and luxurious skincare range created specifically for cancer patients, developed by cancer patients, survivors and cancer care specialists. Using 100% natural and organic ingredients, Jennifer Young has formulated a range of beauty products, to bring a touch of luxury and reassurance at a difficult time.
Defiant Beauty was created in order to meet the needs of cancer patients. Women don’t stop being women when they get cancer, but they do fear what ordinary beauty brands do to their skin because of the ingredients they contain. Jennifer Young understand that women can become sensitive to their usual brands and with this in mind, created Defiant Beauty. The range is specifically formulated using minimal ingredients, which are oil based and offer skin-healing properties. Vitamin E helps stabilise the product, shea butter and mango butter softens skin whilst calendula oil soothes. Other skin-nourishing oils include macadamia, jojoba and rosehip oil.
Research demonstrates specialist natural products reduce harmful effects on skin!
For those suffering the soul-destroying effects of cancer, treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy can be devastating. The effects they have on skin and nails often come as a surprise to cancer patients as they aren’t always told to expect them when being counselled about chemo. Research demonstrates that these effects can be reduced if specialist natural products are used (3). A study published in 2011 concluded that dry skin, dermatitis, and hand-foot skin reaction decreased significantly after 4 weeks using a specialist skincare range on cancer patients. Cancer patients report that the effective management of skin related side effects improves their quality of life during treatment (4).
Cancer strips back nearly every element of being a woman. Defiant Beauty empowers sufferers to feel beautiful again and face the world with their head held high.
Jennifer Young is an Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine, a Biologist and a Micro-biologist. She is a qualified and practicing Nutritional Therapist, a qualified Aromatherapist, Beauty Therapist and Product Formulator and has been active in medical research. Jennifer combines the knowledge from all of these areas and applies them to skin. The Defiant Beauty range uses minimal ingredients, is oil-based, fragrance-free, and also free from preservatives. The range includes:
Itchy skin oil (available in 12g, 100g)
Smooth skin balm and cleansing balm (available in 50g)
Lip balm (available in 4.5g)
Nail oil (available in 4g, 12g)
Serum (available in 4g, 12g)
New cosmetics, hair care and tanning range to be launched September 2013
The range is available online atwww.beautydespitecancer.co.uk, from the Fresh Hair Salon on the Chemotherapy Ward at University Hospital of North Staffordshire, The Penny Brohn Centre in Bristol and other specialist retailers .
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy effects on the skin, 16th November 2012 http://www.isclinical.com/whitepapers/chemotherapy-radiotherapy-skin-effects.pdf
Support Care Cancer (2011) 19:545–554 Advance knowledge of side effects and proactive management accessed 24 August 2012 – using natural products created for cancer patients improves the quality of life of the cancer patients.
http://www.nccn.com/component/content/article/76-member-institution-spotlight/180-uab-skin-care-for-cancer-patients.html, accessed 16th Nov 2012
How it started – ‘Do you have anything for cancer patients?’ This was the question that started it all. Some ladies asked Jennifer Young ‘the’ question on a visit to her local cancer centre. They were opening a beauty and wig salon on the chemotherapy ward and they wanted a skincare range that met their needs. Jennifer was asked to help.
