Looking Below The Locks: Teaching Hairdressers To Spot Melanoma

Source: NPR, December 2017

Of all types of skin cancer, melanoma causes the majority of deaths. When on the scalp it can be especially difficult to catch in a self-examination — when was the last time you examined the top of your head?
One person who might be able to help: your hairdresser. While cutting your hair, they’ve got a great view for a scalp inspection. And they can learn how to spot scary changes, researchers say.
In a report published Wednesday in JAMA Dermatology, researchers from the University of Southern California and University of Colorado Denver detailed their efforts to educate hairdressers with a training video. Hairdressers had told some of the same researchers that they wanted to learn more about melanoma detection in an earlier survey, so they seemed like willing participants.