05.03.16
There's a new free, online course available to salon professionals nationwide - a melanoma prevention course called The Skinny on Skin. It is being offered by the Melanoma Foundation of New England (MFNE).
Salon professioanls can access the online course free of charge via an eLearning site, www.SkinnyonSkin.org. The course teaches hair and beauty professionals to identify cancerous moles on customers' scalps and necks while performing common salon services.
Melanoma is the easiest type of cancer to catch early, and prevent. However, it is now one of the fastest growing cancers in America and kills 10,000 people yearly - so early detection is critical.
In addition, although only 5% of melanoma occurs on the neck and scalp, skin cancer in these areas are responsible for 10% of all melanoma deaths. These are areas that are difficult to check yourself, but easy for a hair stylist, for example.
Hair stylists see their clients on average every 5-6 weeks and are familiar with their clients' skin. As one of the only professionals to closely examine scalps on a regular basis, MFNE stresses that they must be equipped with the skills to spot potential melanoma, since they would be able to spot a growth long before anyone else.
"We started this program knowing that beauty industry professionals are in a wonderful position to act as a second set of eyes for their clients," said Deb Girard, Executive Director of the MFNE. "This program is yet another important step in our mission of melanoma prevention."
Salon professioanls can access the online course free of charge via an eLearning site, www.SkinnyonSkin.org. The course teaches hair and beauty professionals to identify cancerous moles on customers' scalps and necks while performing common salon services.
Melanoma is the easiest type of cancer to catch early, and prevent. However, it is now one of the fastest growing cancers in America and kills 10,000 people yearly - so early detection is critical.
In addition, although only 5% of melanoma occurs on the neck and scalp, skin cancer in these areas are responsible for 10% of all melanoma deaths. These are areas that are difficult to check yourself, but easy for a hair stylist, for example.
Hair stylists see their clients on average every 5-6 weeks and are familiar with their clients' skin. As one of the only professionals to closely examine scalps on a regular basis, MFNE stresses that they must be equipped with the skills to spot potential melanoma, since they would be able to spot a growth long before anyone else.
"We started this program knowing that beauty industry professionals are in a wonderful position to act as a second set of eyes for their clients," said Deb Girard, Executive Director of the MFNE. "This program is yet another important step in our mission of melanoma prevention."
