Laura Jackson,Centre of Education Studies, is going the whole of May without a scrap of makeup on to raise money for the important cancer research being done at the University of Warwick's Medical School.

The money raised will impact directly on cancer research at Warwick, Laura explains her motivation in her blog:

Did you know that hair loss is rated by most breast cancer patients as the most distressing side effect of chemotherapy? For some patients, the prospect of hair loss from chemotherapy is traumatic enough to affect their treatment choices; as many as 8% of patients choose less effective chemotherapy regimens which do not cause hair loss.

Professor Annie Young at Warwick is working on a project which looks to reduce hair loss from chemotherapy using a process called scalp cooling. The use of scalp coolers immediately before and after chemotherapy is the most effective method to prevent chemotherapy induced alopecia (CIA), currently effective in around 50% of patients. Lowering the temperature of the scalp reduces blood flow to the hair follicles, minimising the damage to the hair follicle, and meaning that hair loss is not inevitable.

Laura's fundraising is an inspiration and asks us to think: If we think going without makeup is difficult – think how it might feel to lose your hair?

Get involved

You can see Laura’s pictures and blog online at http://maykeupfree.wordpress.com/author/thefrockdressmonster/

You can also make a donation online.