SAVE YOUR SKIN FOUNDATION RUNS LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGNS TO INCREASE SKIN CANCER AWARENESS DURING MELANOMA AWARENESS MONTH Français
The Foundation has partnered with the Ontario Professional Hairstylist Association, 26 cities across Canada and the Global Melanoma Coalition to bring skin cancer prevention and detection campaigns to the public this year.
TORONTO, April 29, 2022 /CNW/ - May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month. It is imperative that Canadians be reminded of the importance of sun safety as summer approaches.
In 2020, over 80,000 Canadians were diagnosed with skin cancers and over 1,300 lost their lives to melanoma, the deadliest form.1 Recent survey data shows that 1 in 4 Canadians (25%) are unaware that spending more time in the sun increases their risk of skin cancer; and more than half of Canadians (55%) do not realize a small amount of sun exposure without protection can lead to melanoma.2
In light of these statistics, Save Your Skin Foundation is launching a series of local, national and international campaigns to increase awareness on the importance of prevention and early detection of skin cancers.
Sty-Lives OPHA Challenge
Save Your Skin Foundation (SYSF) has partnered with the Ontario Professional Hairstylist Association (OPHA) to create the Sty-Lives OPHA Challenge, which aims to train 200 hair professionals to detect potential skin cancers by May 31, 2022. The initiative behind the challenge is Styling Hair & Saving Lives (Sty-Lives). Led by two medical students, with the support of SYSF, it aims to empower and educate hairstylists and barbers to detect suspicious skin lesions on the ears, face and scalp of their clients. Participating salons and barbershops are provided with training materials and resources and are taught how to detect suspicious spots. The purpose of the project is to help facilitate communication between the client and their healthcare provider, leading to earlier detection of potentially dangerous skin cancers. As of this writing, the Sty-Lives OPHA Challenge has already reached 83% of its recruitment goal.
Learn more: https://saveyourskin.ca/sty-lives-opha/
Proclamation Initiative
For the third year in a row, SYSF has asked municipalities across the country to take a stance against skin cancer by proclaiming May 'Melanoma Awareness Month' to bring greater awareness to this dangerous, and largely preventable, disease. We are pleased to announce that 27 Canadian municipalities have accepted our invitation. See the full list here of cities here: https://saveyourskin.ca/proclamations/.
1 Canadian Cancer Society. Cancer-specific stats 2020: Snapshot of incidence, mortality and survival estimates by cancer type. Available at: https://www.cancer.ca/~/media/cancer.ca/CW/cancer%20information/cancer%20101/Canadian%20cancer%20statistics%20supplementary |
2 Leger. Melanoma Awareness Omni Report. March 2020. https://saveyourskin.ca/wp-content/uploads/Survey-results-highlights_SYSF- |
"Because I checked" campaign
Save Your Skin Foundation is a member of the Global Melanoma Coalition, a group of 43 organizations from 28 different countries bringing the patient voice to the melanoma space. Two very useful Skin Check tools have been created as part of the campaign:
- A voice-activated digital assistant 'Skin Check' app–Available on Amazon's Alexa and the Google Assistant platform, the app guides people through what to look for, and the seven steps for conducting a full-body skin exam. The assistant finishes by offering to set a recurring monthly reminder for the exam. To use the Alexa app, it should first be enabled by saying "Alexa, enable Skin Check" to your Alexa device, then simply "Alexa, open Skin Check". To use the Google App, just say "Hey Google, talk to Skin Check".
- A skin self-exam video–Similar in scope to the app, the video covers the ABCD&E warning signs of melanoma, and the seven steps for checking the body. Pauses between the seven steps have been included in the film, so that the viewer can simply take their phone or tablet into a bathroom, hit play, and follow the instructions in real time. The video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDpBCe-GefU
About Save Your Skin Foundation
Save Your Skin Foundation (SYSF) is a patient-led not-for-profit organization dedicated to the fight against non-melanoma skin cancers, melanoma, and ocular melanoma through education, advocacy, and awareness initiatives across Canada. SYSF provides a community of oncology patient and caregiver support throughout the entire continuum of care, from prevention and diagnosis to survivorship. Please visit saveyourskin.ca for more information.
SOURCE Save Your Skin Foundation
Amy Rosvold, [email protected], 778-317-1485
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