FOR those who undergo chemotherapy hairloss is a side-effect that can prove difficult to cope with.

Many prepare for it by choosing wigs and headscarves, but some can be caught unprepared by the loss of their eyebrows.

For those who suffer hair loss, whether through cancer treatments or alopecia, baldness can continue for a long time afterwards.

Some people may never regain their hair or it may grow back finer.

One beautician in Bolton is ‘giving back’ with her micro-blading treatment.

Dionne Leece, aged 30, runs The Dressing Up Box out of Essentials Health and Beauty in Sharples Avenue.

Miss Leece thinks micro-blading has much more to offer than a mere ‘vanity treatment’, for those who have lost their eyebrows, it can have an immediate impact on confidence.

She said: “It’s not just something for a Friday night now. It’s a little bit more of a nicer rewarding treatment to give back to people.

“It’s a major confidence booster. I did one lady and she had a little cry at the end.”

Micro-blading is the process of drawing tiny hair strokes on to the face in place of eyebrow hair.

The blades are about three times finer than the smallest tattoo needle and can replicate the appearance of hairs on the face.

Tiny cuts are made by the micro-blades, leaving ink behind in the top layers of the skin.

Unlike tattooing, which is another popular method of improving eyebrows, microblading requires no electricity and the beautician does not need to deal with vibrations or adjusting speed, everything is done manually. For Miss Leese it is like holding a pen.

Having worked in the beauty industry for 17 years, taking a break to complete an art degree, Miss Leece wanted to take on a new challenge.

She said: “I’ve probably been doing micro-blading just over a year, I did it as I have a lot of experience in the beauty industry and I thought ‘I’m ready to do something more challenging’.

“Day-in day-out I do nails and facials so I’m used to people’s skin types because I have a creative background I’m very good with a pencil or a paintbrush.

“I feel you have to have some creativity to do this and I view my clients as an artwork, it’s such intricate work.”

Wendy Heyes, aged 56, had her micro-blading treatment done recently, she has been given the all-clear from breast cancer, but her eyebrows never came back following chemotherapy.

She said: “Not having my eyebrows didn’t seem to bother me at first but I have never been good with make-up and it is an important part of your face. I couldn’t get it right doing it myself.”

After looking into different options, Mrs Heyes decided to ‘take the plunge’ and said: “It’s the best thing I’ve done.”

Miss Leece has been in contact with Cancer Research UK and Alopecia UK and if a client is a cancer patient or alopecia sufferer, she donates £10 to their chosen charity.

Celene Doherty, senior cancer information nurse at Cancer Research UK, said: “Many people see their hair as part of their identity and find hair loss one of the hardest parts of having cancer treatment.

“Accepting sudden changes in appearance can be very difficult but talking things through with friends and family can help people feel less isolated and more able to cope.

“There are now lots of options to help deal with hair loss including wigs, scarves, and beauty treatments. So do talk through these with your specialist nurse.”

Amy Johnson, communications and fundraising manager at charity Alopecia UK, said: “Permanent make-up, including micro-bladed brows, can be really helpful to those with alopecia.

“Losing eyebrows can have a big impact on a person’s appearance. Some people with alopecia, myself included, choose to replace what they have lost with the help of permanent make up. For those with alopecia, these treatments can really help to boost confidence.”

An initial treatment takes around two hours.

She does not tattoo those who are undergoing cancer treatment or who have not received an all-clear as chemotherapy weakens the immune system.

Miss Leece said: “If they are undergoing radiotherapy or chemotherapy you don’t want to be putting anything into the blood stream which could harm them.”

After treatment there is a healing process of around 10 days and clients are provided with after-care, told how to clean them.

After the brows have healed, another appointment is scheduled four to six weeks later for a ‘top up’.

The semi-permanent make-up treatment fades after around three years but Miss Leece recommends coming for a top-up every 12 months to maintain the brows.

She added: “I’ve probably done about six people who have suffered hair loss from cancer treatment or alopecia and I think I’ve had more inquiries since.”