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September 13, 2007

Class Educates Therapists On Skin Cancer

What a great idea! Casper (Wyoming) Dermatology Clinic is offering classes to massage therapists, hair dressers, tattoo artists and acupuncturists to help them spot skin cancer on their clients.

"A lot of people will not come to a doctor's office but they'll trust their massage therapist or hairdresser," she said at the Casper-Natrona County Health Department, where she gave tips to six local massage therapists on how to check their clients for skin cancer. "I think it's a trust factor."

Though massage therapists aren't the ones with lances and lasers and dermatology degrees, they have long-term relationships with many of their patients and unique access to view most or all their exposed bodies.

Almost every massage therapist that I have talked to that has been in practice for several years has seen suspicious areas on their clients' skin. It's a good idea to get a refresher course on what to look for. You could save a life.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health skin cancer massage ethics

Posted by linda at September 13, 2007 9:03 AM