Could Hairdressers Be The Next Skin Cancer Detectors ...

Health experts in the UK believe that hairdressers should be trained in skin cancer detection, reports the BBC. In the UK there are around 100,000 new cases of the cancer every year. Many however go undetected, and your hairdresser could be one more advocate for your skin cancer prevention. The scalp is an area that is frequently overlooked for mole checks, and getting your hair cut could now be a way to prevent this. Being that up to a fifth of cases occur on the neck and head, this could be very helpful.

?US doctors say: ?We should not wait for our patients with skin cancer to come to us when it may be too late, but use research and outreach methods to improve early detection of head and neck melanomas by capitalising on the role of hairdressers and their unique relationship with our potential clients.?

Hairdressers would not be able to diagnose any of their customers, but they would be able to point out any irregularities, and then suggest that the customer see a doctor. A poll was done by Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust, and it found that most hairdressers were more than willing to take on this extra task. In the 36,000 salons located in the UK, researchers are hoping that the skin checks might become a routine.

The Melanoma Taskforce produced a set of guidelines for this in 2010. The guidelines helped hairdressers identify basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. ??A spokeswoman for the British Association of Dermatologists, a charity that is part of the taskforce, said: ?It would be dangerous to suggest that such a small amount of ?training? qualifies health and beauty professionals to diagnose skin cancer.?However, they can help in spotting changes to the skin in places that their clients can?t usually see.??.

Spotting skin cancer early provides a better chance for treatment for patients, and we at MoleSafe think that this could only add to people being more aware of their skin. What do YOU think? Should this be happening in the U.S., as well?

Comment below, and let us know!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 at 9:34 am and is filed under Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.melanomaupdates.com/2012/03/21/could-hairdressers-be-the-next-skin-cancer-detectors/

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