Massimo Liguoi
Our hair curled, in the nicest possible way, when we read about the efforts of hair salon owner Massimo Liguori of Branford, CT, to instruct his staff to look for suspicious, hard to see moles on the back of the neck and behind the ears.
Massimo Liguori, owner of Salon Massimo, spotted moles on three clients, all of which lead to a diagnosis of skin cancer.
This prompted him to bring in a local doctor, Antonio D’aria, to teach his staff to spot suspicious moles.
“You have a direct view of the back of the neck, behind the ears,” says Liguori. He adds, “Most people see their hairdresser much more often than they see their physicians.”
Alan Geller, MPH, RN of Massachusetts General, was one of the first to understand that hair professionals could help with early detection of skin cancers.
Last year Geller conducted a Houston, TX survey of 203 hair professionals in that area. Geller found that nearly 60 percent of the survey group had already recommended at least once that a customer see a doctor for an abnormal mole.
The Skinny on Skin
In addition, Geller found that professional hair stylists were “very” or “extremely” interested in participating in a skin cancer education and that nearly 70% were likely to give customers a skin cancer information pamphlet during an appointment.
As a result these insights, Geller partnered with the Melanoma Foundation New England to develop http://mfne.org/prevent-melanoma/the-skinny-on-skin/ “The Skinny on Skin,” a skin cancer education program for hair and beauty professionals. If you have any interest in learning more about the program, here is detail and contact information.
Routinely checking your skin is part of the SunAWARE advice. Ask your hair dresser to tell you if he/she sees anything unusual on your scalp, behind your ears or on the back of your neck. Give them the information about this wonderful program. Be Safe! Be SunAWARE!
