Jenni Gilbert Recent research has found that scalp melanoma has twice the mortality risk of any other head and neck melanomas.
Also, due to their location, a considerable number of cases in Australia were found to be recognised by hairdressers.
Lead investigator Dr Charles Xie spoke about his new study at The Australasian College of Dermatologists’ (ACD) Annual Scientific Meeting in Perth, May 14-15.
Melanoma spokesperson, Fellow of The Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD) and co-author of the study, Professor John Kelly said: “In Australia, where we have one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, it is important that everyone is aware of recognising changes to spots or nodules on their own skin and on others.
“Our study found that a number of scalp melanomas are actually recognised by hairdressers or family members.
“I would ask that hairdressers bring any spots or nodules to the attention of the client and, without causing distress, encourage them to get it checked by a doctor.
“Aggressive melanomas can grow quite quickly. Therefore, if you see any changes to your scalp that do not resolve after a month, do not put it off – see your doctor immediately.”
“Our retrospective cohort study analysed 237 patients with scalp melanomas. We found that, from these 237 patients, five percent mentioned that they were initially alerted to their melanoma by their hairdressers.
“As this wasn’t a major focus of the study, other patients may not have specified if it had been spotted by a hairdresser, therefore this is a conservative estimate.
“Men with thinning hair are the key risk group for scalp melanoma because of high sun exposure. Men of all ages with thinning hair or shaved heads should wear a hat for outdoor activities. Shaved heads will also permit sunscreen use.
“People with a full head of hair also get melanomas from sun exposure in the part-line and around the vertex where our hair doesn’t tend to protect the scalp as well.
“Those with fine hair also lack adequate sun protection in larger areas of the scalp. We all need to consider the use of hats, particularly around between 10am and 4pm in summer.
“It is not easy for any of us to see our own scalp, so it is important to get a partner or family member to look at it. Remember to have your scalp inspected each new season as part of a general mole check.
“Aggressive scalp melanomas are more likely to present as a red nodule that may crust or bleed. These are more common on the scalp then on other parts of the body.
“They are usually new and growing. Common scalp melanomas typically show as an irregularly-shaped and unevenly-coloured brown or black patch.”
About the Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD)
The ACD is the peak medical college accredited by the Australian Medical Council for the training and professional development of medical practitioners in the specialty of dermatology.
