A number of hair professionals in hairdressing salons are actively checking their customers’ scalp, neck and face for signs of skin cancer lesions, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, reported in Archives of Dermatology.
Background information in the articles says that:
“Melanoma of the scalp and neck represented 6 percent of all melanomas and accounted for 10 percent of all melanoma deaths in the United States from 1973 to 2003, with a five-year survival probability of 83.1 percent for stage I melanoma of the scalp and neck compared with 92.1 percent for stage I melanoma of other sites.”
Elizabeth E. Bailey, M.D. and team carried out a survey in January 2010 in the greater Houston area that involved 304 hair professionals from 17 salons belonging to a single chain.
They achieved a response rate from 203 (66.8%) hair professionals who completed the questionnaire reporting on questions, such as the frequency with which they observed their customers’ scalp, neck and face for abnormal moles during the previous month.
71.9% of participants reported not to have received a course on skin cancer, however, a limited number of hair professionals educated their customers and checked for suspicious lesions.
When asked about the frequency of giving their customers a skin cancer information pamphlet during their appointment, 69% from the total of 203 participants said they were “somewhat” or “very likely” to do so. 49% of participants expressed they were “very” or “extremely” interested in taking part in a skin cancer education program whilst 25% reported to have “often” or “always” shared general health information with customers.
73 participants (37.1%) reported that they have checked over 50% of customer’s scalps for suspicious skin lesions during the previous month, whilst 56 hair professionals (28.8%) reported to have looked at over 50% of their customers’ necks and 30 (15.3%) at more than 50% of their customers’ faces. In addition, 58% of hair professionals advised at least once that a customer seek out a health professional for an abnormal mole.
A melanoma (type of skin cancer)
The researchers established that the frequency in which hair professional’s observed their customers’ lesions was linked to their own self-reported health communication practices and personal skin practices, but was not connected to their personal knowledge about skin cancer.
The authors wrote:
“In conclusion, this study provides evidence that hair professionals are currently acting as lay health advisors for skin cancer detection and prevention and are willing to become more involved in skin cancer education in the salon. Future research should focus on creating a program that provides hair professionals with expert training and effective health communication tools to become confident and skilled lay skin cancer educators.”
Written by Petra Rattue