Local salons offer free facials for women who have cervical screening tests

Local beauty salons are offering free 30-minute facials as an incentive for more women to attend their cervical screening tests.

Rochdale salons – A Little Day Spa and The Salon, both on Edenfield Road and The Retreat at Nails and Things on St Mary’s Gate – are taking part in the movement, offering a free facial in exchange for proof of attending a recent screening.

A cervical screening test (previously known as a smear test) is a method of detecting abnormal cells on the cervix. Detecting and removing abnormal cervical cells can prevent cervical cancer.

According to the NHS, about 3,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK.

The ‘#Fannies4Facials’ movement started at Liverpool Salon Everybody Massage has come as the number of women attending their screening tests has dropped to the lowest amount in 20 years, despite a surge in screenings between 2008 and 2009 – a phenomenon dubbed ‘The Jade Goody effect’.

The effect was so-called due to the increased exposure after the reality television star died of cervical cancer aged 27. Half a million extra screening appointments were made in that time, when attendance was 70% higher than expected.

A Little Day Spa representative said: “It's a cause very close to our hearts at A Little Day Spa. We know it's not the most pleasant thing to have to go through, but it’s vital, ladies.

“As an incentive, go and have a smear test between now and the end of February, and we will give you a free 30-minute facial with no catches or gimmicks. All you have to do to claim is book your appointment and send us proof. This can be a text from your doctors, a letter from the clinic, or even a selfie with the nurse.”

“We do not care if we end up doing thousands of these; it will be worth it to get thousands of you all checked out.”

A representative for The Salon said:” We know it is not the nicest experience but to help make it a little better, we are offering a free taster facial in exchange for proof that you have been for a smear test. This offer is available from now until the end of February. To claim your free facial, all we need to see is the letter from your doctor, a picture of the text, etc.

“As an added bonus, we thought we would do the same for mammograms. Same goes, show us the evidence of the appointment and we will provide the freebie.”

Since the screening programme was introduced in the 1980s, the number of cervical cancer cases has decreased by about 7% each year.

All women over the age of 25, who are registered with a GP, are invited for cervical screening. For those ages between 25 and 49, this is every three years, rising to every five years between the ages of 50 and 64.

Screening is not offered to women under the age of 25 as the condition is very rare in this age group, and is only offered to women over the age of 65 who haven't been screened since age 50 or those who have recently had abnormal tests.