Should therapists understand early skin cancer detection?

A few years ago, I came across Skcin’s Melanoma And Skin Cancer Early Detection (MASCED) accreditation programme for hair, health and beauty professionals on national TV. I was really interested and decided to do the online accreditation myself. 

During the accreditation, I viewed some slides of different skin lesions. A few months later, I was treating a client, pre-wedding, and she mentioned a small patch of skin that was just under her nose, saying that it had been irritating her for a while. When I looked at the area, it appeared exactly the same as a photo I’d seen on one of the slides.

I told my client that although I wasn’t too sure about what it was, I thought it best to ask a GP to take a look at it. I carried on with the treatment but avoided the area. A few weeks later, she informed me that it was melanoma and she had had it removed. As you can imagine, she was delighted that we had that conversation on that day. 

At North West Vocational College all our students are now given the opportunity to complete this accreditation. Skcin UK is an amazing charity. Last year, I became an ambassador for it, alongside one of my students Jennifer Mccrindle from Jenmacbeauty.

We’ve held workshops throughout the North West to raise awareness and have also been into local primary schools delivering the “sun safe school accreditation programme”, which raises awareness for primary school children about the importance of wearing sunscreen.

Danielle Wilcock is a medical aesthetician, ambassador for Skcin UK and director of the North West Vocational College based on the Wirral, Merseyside. .

Read about a recent drive to reduce preventable diseases from spas.