Debenhams and Look Good Feel Better help Cancer Patients. Fashion retailer, Debenhams have announced that they are training their make-up and beauty staff to offer advice and tips to cancer sufferers on how to manage the visible side effects of their treatment.

The high street and on-line retailer that operates stores across Ireland, have teamed up with National charity, Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) which is a non-medical, brand neutral, free service that supports women with the visible side effects of cancer treatment by providing practical advice in workshops, facilitated by experienced beauty advisors in hospitals across Ireland.

Debenhams will train their beauty hall staff and makeup artists on how to help customers who are undergoing cancer treatment that will help them manage any visible side effects, such as hair loss and skin changes.

At present, training is being carried out at 370 of their beauty halls across Ireland and the UK and is there to offer hope, advice and tips to over 359,960 people that are diagnosed with cancer every year. All their beauty personnel that are trained will be given a special Look Good Feel Better lapel pin, so that they are easily identifiable.

Executive Director at Look Good Feel Better, Sarahjane Robertson said: “Sadly, one in two people in Ireland will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. For those people, not only do they have to deal with emotional turmoil of their treatment and diagnosis but the visible side effects often make people feel like they have lost their identity. We know from our workshops that make up and skincare play an important role in increasing confidence and self-esteem. Being able to teach people skills such as how to recreate missing and eyelashes, as well as combating dryness and changes to skin tone, can help transform how people feel about themselves”.

Debenhams has been working with LGFB since April last year and in this time have raised more than €150,000 which has helped fund free confidence boosting skincare and make-up workshops and masterclasses across the UK and Ireland.

Managing director of beauty and marketing at Debenhams, Richard Cristofoli, said: “Our aim is to ensure that our beauty halls are friendly, approachable and easily accessible with expert advice for everyone. We recognise the requirements of those undergoing cancer treatments are unprecedented so embarking on a training programme and partnering with Look Good Feel Better is an important new initiative for our business.”