A MUM who battled breast cancer has revealed how she kept her hair during chemotherapy.

Natasha Scott, 39, of Timperley, was diagnosed with breast cancer around three years ago and, after having a full mastectomy, she was faced with the next stage of her treatment - chemotherapy.

Hair loss is a well-known side effect of chemotherapy, with many patients reporting it to be the most traumatic aspect of their treatment, and Natasha was no different.

The mum-of-three said: “I was full of fear of the unknown and lay awake at night contemplating the effects of treatment and the loss of all my hair.”

Natasha had asked her sister-in-law to shave her head when the time came but decided to try an innovative scalp cooling treatment at the last minute.

She said: “At first I was hesitant. I am a perfectionist, and I was concerned that the results might be patchy at best. I wondered if no hair was better than bad hair. At least with a bald head you know where you are, or I could wear the wig if I was brave enough. But as the day of my first treatment session drew nearer, I just could not face the reality of all my hair falling out within a matter of days. I had to give it a go.”

Natasha used the Paxman Scalp Cooling System during each chemotherapy session at The Christie Hospital in Manchester and as a result, kept her hair.

The cooling cap works by lowering scalp temperature before, during and after the administration of chemotherapy. It ensures the scalp remains at an even, constant temperature to minimise hair loss.

Natasha said her hair retention was fantastic and although she did have some thinning, she never felt self-conscious or wore a wig or headscarf.

She added: “Keeping my hair was an enormous part of maintaining my self-image and confidence and, equally as importantly, in shielding those around me from the brutality of cancer treatment.

“I appreciated that I could go about my daily life and no one would know what I was going through unless I wanted him or her to. I used to think of it as 'my secret cancer' and I would not let it define me.”