Chip Chick
Most of us enjoy warm weather and sunny days, but not all of us stay protected.
It’s imperative to stay protected from too much exposure to the sun, as UV radiation can cause skin damage and eventually lead to skin cancer.
However, if you are someone who spends a majority of your time outside in direct sunlight, monitoring your skin every so often for any changes may save your life.
There are some parts of our body that we can not thoroughly inspect, believe it or not. This is why one of the best people for the job is your local hairdresser!
Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in Canada, which is why the Save Your Skin Foundation has partnered with two medical students to develop a program called Sty-Lives, Styling Hair, and Saving Lives.
“The Sty-Lives program is being led by Dr. Miranda Waugh, first-year Dermatology resident at the University of Ottawa, and Shannon D’Angelo, medical student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, with the support of Save Your Skin Foundation, and leading Dermatologists across Canada.”
They have put together a detailed video with the proper training materials and resources to help your local hairstylists notice any changes or signs of skin damage on your scalp.
“The purpose of the project is to help facilitate communication between the client and their healthcare provider, leading to earlier detection of potentially dangerous skin cancers. The goal is to help with detection, not with diagnosis.”
Sty-Lives has developed the HAIRS acronym as a guide to help hairdressers with early detection. H stands for height and how tall the lesion appears to be.
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