Beauty professionals to help improve early detection of skin cancer
New skin check guidelines launched in UK parliament
A new set of skin cancer awareness guidelines, targeted at wellbeing, beauty and hair care professionals, have been launched in parliament, in the UK. The guidelines, which were put forward by the Melanoma Taskforce and the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD), have been endorsed by nine leading industry bodies including the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT) and are supported by MPs, as well as celebrity make-up artists Ruby Hammer and Millie Kendal.
While beauty practitioners are not expected to diagnose skin cancers, they are uniquely placed to notice changes in moles or suspicious lesions when working with clients and the guidelines provide clear, simple information on how to spot the signs of skin cancer and encourage clients to seek medical advice.
“It seems that changes to our skin are not always something we feel deserves immediate attention,” commented Chris Bunker, president elect of the BAD. “This demonstrates the need to take our messages to a wider audience and to engage the help of hair, beauty and wellbeing professionals, who are often well placed to notice something untoward on a person’s skin.”