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When your hairdresser carefully looks at your scalp while styling your locks, there is a good chance that a funky looking mole or growth they notice could turn out to be a skin cancer. So conclude researchers from from the UK’s University of Portsmouth in a study published in the journal Skin Health and Disease.

They surveyed 37 hair stylists and barbers in the city of Portsmouth, England. Only 5% of the group had any formal training and only one in four were actively looking at clients’ skin for the purpose of detecting lesions. Even so, 35% had told clients to check in with their medical teams for inspection of suspicious lesions. When they did, 39% of these clients were diagnosed with skin cancer.

The hair professionals overwhelming embraced the idea of screening for skin lesions, and 92% of them wanted skin cancer awareness training. Nearly two-thirds of the group stated that the lack of formal training was the reason they weren’t probing their clients’ scalps already.

The bottom line: when you are getting your hair cut, styled, colored, permed, or otherwise transformed, ask your stylist or barber to check your scalp for anything that looks unusual. If they find it, hand them your phone and have them snap a picture. You can then ask your medical team for an in-person exam or a formal dermatology consult.

https://academic.oup.com/skinhd/advance-article/doi/10.1093/skinhd/vzaf015/8117746?login=false

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-hairdressers-early-skin-cancer.html#google_vignette

#hairstylists #barbers# #scalplesions #skincancer