A simple intervention to reinforce awareness of tanning bed use and skin cancer in non-medical skin care professionals in Southern California

Skin cancer knowledge, attitudes, and practices among non-medical skin care professionals: A narrative review of cross-sectional and interventional studies

BACKGROUND

Skin cancers are the most common malignancies in the United States. Total body skin examination by a physician, especially a dermatologist, is the gold standard for detecting suspicious lesions that may require further evaluation. Non-medical professionals (NMPs) including massage therapists, estheticians, hairdressers, and cosmetologists have the unique opportunity to frequently examine their client's skin outside of a clinical setting. By evaluating their knowledge of and comfort with evaluation of suspicious lesions, multiple studies have gauged the utility of patient encounters with NMPs for skin cancer detection. Several studies have also focused on assessment of intervention strategies for assessing and improving NMPs ability to detect suspicious lesions and to refer for physician evaluation when necessary.

AIMS

To conduct a narrative review of skin cancer knowledge, attitudes, and practices among NMPs.

PATIENTS/METHODS

A systematic search of the databases yielded 16 studies for review. A total of 8 cross-sectional studies examined the knowledge and attitudes of NMPs toward skin evaluation, and 8 studies assessed interventional strategies for improving NMPs' ability to assess skin lesions for consideration of physician referral.

RESULTS

This review finds that NMPs are open to the idea of examining the exposed body surfaces relevant to their work with clients and are willing to refer for physician evaluation when needed. Multiple interventional strategies have demonstrated success with educating NMPs on the importance of skin surveillance and the characteristic physical examination findings associated with skin cancers.

CONCLUSION

Strengthening the readiness of NMPs to examine their client's skin offers an opportunity to reduce time to skin cancer diagnosis, improve patient outcomes, and lower healthcare-associated costs of skin cancer treatment.

The role of a cosmetologist in the area of health promotion and health education: A systematic review

Background: Contemporary cosmetology, apart from beautifying and caring for the human body, deals also with prevention aimed at maintaining health and physical fitness as long as possible. The profession of a cosmetologist so understood is closely related to the modern concept of health promotion, the part of which is health education. The objective of this review was to evaluate whether a cosmetologist may be a health promoter, and whether a beauty salon mayserve as a place for conducting educational programs.

Methods: A systematic review was done using several electronic databases such as PubMed(including MEDLINE), Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, Embase, and Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO) and related keywords. The studies published in English between 2008 and 2018 which had specifically mentioned the role of a cosmetologist in the area of health promotion and health education were included.

Results: In total, 7 articles met the study criteria. It was found that cosmetologists have the potential to promote pro-health activities. The results of this review also suggest that beauty salons are suitable places for increasing pro-health awareness and can be successfully used to conduct educational programs about healthy lifestyle, as well as skin, breast and cervical cancer prevention.

Conclusion: A well-educated and aware of health risks cosmetologist seems to be the right person to transmit and spread knowledge about the proper lifestyle in her workplace and the local environment. A beauty salon, as a place of social interaction, may constitute an area of implementation of pro-health educational programs.

Skin cancer knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in collegiate athletes

Outdoor athletes represent an important group at risk for skin cancer because they are routinely exposed to high levels of ultraviolet radiation. The purpose of this study was to assess current skin cancer knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among collegiate athletes. A modified version of the Melanoma Risk Behavior Survey was completed by 343 athletes attending a Southern University in the USA, generating an 87% response rate. Survey results demonstrated that the majority of the athletes do not limit their sun exposure and reported low levels of sun protective behaviors. In addition, athletes lacked knowledge about skin cancer and sun protection. Eighty-three percent of the athletes stated that tanning beds improve one's overall health. Race was significantly associated with skin cancer knowledge, whereas, gender was found to be significantly associated with knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards skin cancer. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between knowledge and behavior, but not between attitude and behavior. This study highlights the need to educate athletes about the hazards of tanning to minimize UV exposure and promote sun protection habits. Moreover, athletes should be educated on the dangers of indoor tanning facilities and encouraged to avoid these facilities.

The association of indoor tanning and melanoma in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Tanning beds are associated with increased risk of melanoma.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to update the evidence of the association of melanoma and indoor tanning focusing on frequency of use and exposure to newer tanning beds.

METHODS

We searched Scopus, MEDLINE, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature on August 14, 2013. We included all observational studies that included patients with melanoma who had indoor tanned. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted and combined using generic inverse variance methods assuming a random effects model.

RESULTS

In all, 31 studies were included with data available on 14,956 melanoma cases and 233,106 controls. Compared with never using, the OR for melanoma associated with ever using indoor tanning beds was 1.16 (95% CI 1.05-1.28). Similar findings were identified in recent studies with enrollment occurring in the year 2000 onward (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.03-1.45) and in subjects attending more than 10 tanning sessions (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.05-1.71).

LIMITATIONS

The quality of evidence contributing to review results ranges from poor to mediocre.

CONCLUSION

Using tanning beds is associated with a subsequent melanoma diagnosis. Exposure from more than 10 tanning sessions is most strongly associated and there was no statistically significant difference in this association before and after 2000, suggesting that newer tanning technology is not safer than older models.