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Local beautician school is teaching students to spot skin cancers

Posted at 5:36 PM, Jan 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-22 20:22:36-05

INDIANAPOLIS — A local high school cosmetology class is combining beauty with wellness. The students are now certified to spot abnormalities that could indicate skin cancer and ultimately save a life.

Because most people visit the spa more than doctors, cosmetology instructor Claudia Hack says this is why a hair stylist is the perfect person to check the neck, scalp, and any other well-hidden areas for skin cancer indicators.

"One of my neighbors I was trimming her hair and I noticed a spot on her neck and I told her she might want to get that looked at," Hack said.

After seeing a story on RTV6, Hack says she and 25 of her students from MSD of Lawrence Township who attend the McKenzie Center for Innovation & Technology completed a course to help them spot signs of skin cancer. They are challenging other students to finish the course, too.

"We incorporated it into the curriculum in the skin chapter," Hack said.

In order to get the certification, stylists will have to watch a video and pass a test.

To learn more about the free course, visit Eyes on Cancer's website.