BIDDEFORD — The phrase “You’d have to have eyes in the back of your head,” takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to skin cancer.

 However vigilant you are, detecting suspicious or changing spots on your own body, let alone your own scalp, can be  quite a challenge. 

That’s why the Cancer Care Center of York County is continuing its tradition of partnering with the Melanoma Foundation of New England to train the people who actually do see your skin and scalp on a regular basis: hair and beauty professionals.

The Skinny on Skin is an innovative program open to hair stylists, barbers, estheticians, and other skin care professionals who are in a unique position to notice a suspicious mole or spot on your skin. 

This year’s Skinny on Skin training will take place on Monday April 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Southern Maine Health Care, Biddeford Medical Center. 

“When you think about it, there aren’t too many professions where you touch people regularly and can notice changes in places they can’t easily see,” said Kelly Clark of Magnolia Salon in Sanford. “With that comes a responsibility. If you are getting that personal with somebody, then you owe it to them to know what you’re looking for.” 

Kelly and her sister, Christy Legere, co-owner of Magnolia, have personally experienced the dilemma of noticing a spot on a client they thought might need to be checked out, but not knowing how to bring it up. 

All of that changed in 2015 when Christy, Kelly, and four of their staff members participated in The Skinny on Skin. The seminar introduced them to what to look for when working with clients, and how to have that conversation if they discover a mole or lesion that looks suspicious or has changed over time. 

Since then the entire staff at Magnolia have been trained, and using the techniques they learned have already recommended several clients get checked out by their doctors. At about 1,200 clients every three to six weeks, that’s an amazing amount of people being unofficially screened for skin cancer. 

And it’s particularly needed here. Skin cancer may not be something generally associated with New England, but the region reports some of the highest rates of melanoma in the country. “We were surprised,” said Kelly, “to learn how prevalent melanoma is in New England, especially among younger people.”

Dermatologist Amylynne Frankel, MD, of Southern Maine Health Care, provided the training at the Skinny on Skin seminar Kelly and Christy attended. “New England has one of the highest rates of melanoma in the nation and it is rising,” she said. “People don’t think about applying sun screen on a cold or cloudy day. But you can get sun damage in any climate, so it’s important to wear sun screen all of the time and a hat to protect your head, ears and face.”

Dr. Frankel said she is committed to turning those rates around, and sees The Skinny on Skin as one way to do that. 

“By empowering hair care professionals to screen for potential skin cancers we are broadening our ability to improve the health of our communities,” she said. “One melanoma spot identified is one life saved.”

To register, go to:  http://mfne.org/prevent-melanoma/the-skinny-on-skin/skinny-skin-trainings/