How often do you check for suspicious moles?

Did you know that the two most common spots for melanoma to show up are the back (for men), and the lower legs (for women)? Because we spend a lot of our time working on these areas, is it any wonder that RMTs can be a wonderful asset in detecting suspicious looking moles? 

In a 2010 survey of RMTs published in the Journal of Cancer Education, it was noted that 44% of RMTs always check for suspicious moles while treating clients. We can do better than 44%! As a funny side note, I participated in this survey, which was conducted at an AMTA conference in Minnesota, but was excluded because I’m Canadian. I felt bad that they had to put me in their exclusion criteria … “uh, some random Canadian is screwing up our data!”

I’m sure we all remember the A,B,C,D,E’s of what to look for in moles, but let’s do a little refresher:

Source: Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation

We don’t need to be the “mole police” but if we notice something that raises some red flags, we should refer our client to their medical doctor to have it checked out. I used to think this would make people uncomfortable but the few times I’ve brought it up with a client, they’ve been really grateful and one time a client even said, “Oh wow! That’s interesting you noticed. I actually had it checked out by my doctor this past week.”

Cancer has always been a topic of interest to me because my mother was diagnosed with Colon Cancer when I was a teenager. I know that therapeutic massage was an integral part of her journey to recovery. This is one of the reasons why I’m creating a course titled “Cancer and Massage. Treating Cancer Patients with More Confidence”. We review what the causes and symptoms of cancer are, the different types of medical treatment, and the massage indications/contraindications. Be sure to sign up for a 25% off promo code on our homepage and to be notified when the course is ready for registration!