Mole & Skin Check Guidelines

 

BABTAC attended the Mole and Skin Check Guidelines Parliamentary Reception yesterday, the 21 June. The Melanoma Taskforce is a panel of skin cancer experts, chaired by Sian Jones MP, following her concern with melanoma being one of the fastest rising types of cancer in 15-34 year olds. A notable success of the Melanoma Taskforce has been a change in the law, now preventing under 18s using sunbeds as of 11 April 2011.

Sian’s passion for education of beauty industry professionals is truly infectious “the beauty industry is a caring one. We are not asking you to diagnose cancers, but simply to take note and mention if you notice any changes to your client. This is about caring about other human beings”

The event was supported by celebrity ambassadors actress Gemma Merna (Carmel McQueen on Hollyoaks), TV presenter Sarah Cawood and make-up artists Ruby & Millie.

The British Association of Dermatologists have worked closely with the Melanoma Taskforce, which is also supported by Cancer Research UK, Skcin and the Teenage Cancer Trust among others.

Therapists are taught to identify melanoma during training; however BABTAC & CIBTAC fully support the need for increased training and focus on melanoma. BABTAC is working closely with the British Association of Dermatologists with the aim to increase levels of education.

It is easy to brush up on the ‘ABCDE’ guide produced by the British Association of Dermatologists contained in the Mole & Skin Check Guidelines leaflet.

Alongside organisations such as Habia and the FHT, BABTAC fully endorses the guidelines that aim to educate hair and beauty professionals on the signs of skin cancer.

We’re not asking you to diagnose skin cancers. Simply keep an eye on clients’ moles and mention if you notice any changes.

The beauty industry is unique in the very close relationships we hold with our clients. Despite this, some therapists may find it difficult to bring up the subject of a changing mole. The sort of sentiment we recommend is “are you aware you have a mole on your leg/arm/back?” or to talk generally about the importance of getting moles checked by a doctor as part of an overall skin care regime. Signpost information to your clients, such as the Mole & Skin Check Guidelines leaflet.

 

As a Therapist you should

  • Download the handy Mole & Skin Check Guidelines leaflet
  • Have the confidence to talk to your client if you notice a change in a mole or skin
  • If you’re part of a Salon, why not have a team meeting and have a chat about the leaflet
  • Use the opportunity to cross sell tanning products to your clients who regularly use sunbeds

 

Melanoma quick notes

  • The majority of skin cancer are preventable
  • The main cause of skin cancer is too much UV light from the sun or sunbeds
  • More than 100,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the UK annually, making it the most common type of cancer
  • Skin cancer kills more than 2,500 people in the UK every year

 

 

 

 

BABTAC Vice Chair Carolyn Cross and Marketing Exec Charlie Zygmunt with celebrity ambassadors Sarah Cawood, Gemma Merna and Millie Kendall

MPs and industry organisations attended the day to raise awareness of the Mole & Skin check Guidelines

Hollyoaks actress Gemma Merna spoke about her personal experiences of the pressure to be tanned and the dangers of excessive sunbed use.