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Comment by Annette Marie Goodman on October 18, 2012 at 8:41am

check out www.tecniche.com, they deal with cancer skin care, tell them what you are doing. maybe?

Comment by jazz on October 16, 2012 at 11:57pm

Thank you guys a lot for all the great information...I will definitely point these out...I need to find a distributor to donate samples of SPF for this cause..any ideas of who would do such a thing???

Comment by Carrie Patrick on October 16, 2012 at 2:19pm

About wearing sunscreen even if you spend most of your time in a vehicle, print out this picture to show them! It's one of the most dramatic examples I've ever seen. It shows a man who drove a truck for 20 years and as a result, the side of his face that was next to the window during all that time now looks decades older than the other side.

Bill McElligott Sun Damage

Comment by Jac on October 13, 2012 at 8:12pm

Something I didn't realize about skin cancer was that it can affect even the youngest of people. When my nephew was 4 years old he had a mole on his neck that I just did not like. It was normal size, shape, etc but just a little dark. It was the only mole he had on his entire body. Although nothing about it really fit the ABCDE's we, as estheticians, look for, I just had this gut feeling we needed to get it looked at. The first doctor my sister took him to looked at it and said "It's fine." I urged her to get a second opinion...Thank God she listened. The second doctor took a puncture biopsy of it and sure enough, it was pre-cancerous. After his initial biopsy he had to return for a second surgery to remove more of the surrounding tissue. Today he's sporting a pretty significant scar (his "tiger bite" according to him) but he's perfectly healthy. Because he had this at such a young age he has to go back for yearly check ups just to make sure everything is still looking good. He's 6 now and so far, so good. I was under the false impression that years of sun exposure (tanning beds too) were the only way to get skin cancer..I was wrong. I've learned age doesn't matter and to ALWAYS trust your gut even if it's the only thing telling you something is wrong. Hope this story helps a bit...Good luck at the event!

Comment by Claire Barnes on October 13, 2012 at 5:41pm

Educate them on the importance of taking care of their skin using an SPF (like you mentioned) and that an Estheticians job is not to diagnose during a facial but to ossibly 'advise' you to see a dermatologist if we think a mole is unusual or if the mole has changed in shape/color etc.  It is the Estheticians job to kindly recommend that a regular visit to the dermatologist can save their life if we see something that doesn't look right.  I once had a client many years ago that thought her mole on her neck was normal.  To me it looked an odd shape and I wasn't happy about it.   I calmly asked her if she had seen a dermatologist about it.  She hadn't.  I told her there was no harm in going to see one, just to get it checked it.  All moles should be checked annually.  She did go eventually and the mole was cancerous.   She has lived to tell the tale.....but she might not have done, if myself (the esthetician) didn't point it out to her.

Comment by Annette Marie Goodman on October 12, 2012 at 8:39am

Hi Jazz,

go to the American Cancer Society website and you can get the statics on skin cancer. Also Check out the "Look Good Feel Better " program for patients that are dealing with cancer.

Studies have shown that the appearance-related effects of cancer treatment can have a significant impact on the lives of patients.  The free program, Look Good…Feel Better, gives cancer patients the opportunity to see that they can take control of their appearance.  After attending a Look Good…Feel Better session, patients are able to approach their disease with greater confidence and self-esteem.