As Chai Cancer Care supports more people under the age of 50 than ever before, clients speak up about the importance of complementary treatments – including scar tissue massage – to aid recovery.
This comes after Dr Philippa Kaye highlighted scar massage therapy in her Daily Mail column.
Over the past year (August 2023 – August 2024), Chai has facilitated more than 800 specialist sessions focussing on scar tissue massage and manual lymphatic drainage to aid clients’ recovery. Privately, scar tissue massage can cost between £65-£185 per session.
Two clients share their stories, here:
Sara, who is in her late 40s, was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2023.
A mother of two, she thought her symptoms – including a rash – were viral. Within a few weeks of seeing her GP, Sara had surgery – followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The treatment has left Sara with scar that is 6cm long and 2cm wide. The scar can feel tight and impacts her ability to move. Today, she has scar massage therapy to alleviate those symptoms.
She says: “Having cancer is really complicated. There’s a mixture of competing demands: they tell you to keep exercising, then there’s a lot of fatigue and they tell you to rest. And then there’s having a family and house to still run. I know I’m in my late 40s, but I don’t feel very young anymore.”
She adds: “I have been getting the most amazing support from Chai. As well as counselling, I’ve been having scar therapy at Chai Cancer Care once a week. I want to move without pain from the tight scar tissue. I want to be able to pick things up to move my arm and drive in comfort, to do practical things that mean I can have a full life. Scar therapy, apart from being incredibly relaxing, gives me that immediate expert help.”
Jonathan Goldman, aged 62, was diagnosed with throat and mouth cancer 16 years ago – aged 46.
Today, he is still receiving treatment for scar tissue damage. He is married with three daughters. He lives in north-west London, working in the property industry.
Mr Goldman says: “The surgery was a lot, it took 14 hours and I was woken up four days after the procedure. They reduced my tongue by 25%. I had to learn to eat and talk all over again. It took about four months for me to get my voice back, my voice still isn’t the same.”
He adds: “The cancer was one thing, but the treatment also impacted the rest of my body. I think of it as a sledgehammer hitting a nut. The surgery left immense scarring in my neck area and blocked all the lymphatic drainage points on that side of my face. Chai off ers lymphatic drainage massage and scar tissue massage which helps a lot. It helps reduce the swelling and increase movement.”
Michelle is a scar massage therapist at Chai, who has worked at the charity’s flagship centre in Hendon, north-west London, for three years.
Working with more young people, she says: “We are seeing young people coming through for scar tissue massage. I see a lot of women who have had treatment for breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Most people we support benefi t from the reduction in pain or tightness, the discomfort they feel from that.”
Lisa Steele, Chai’s Chief Executive, says:
“At Chai, we recognise that cancer impacts every part of a person’s life. Scar tissue massage is just one way we off er care, addressing both the physical and emotional challenges our clients face. Our goal is to help people improve their quality of life.”
