Dear SpaFinder Insiders,
Have you had a mole check recently? Ever? It wasn't something that crossed my mind until four years ago, when I learned about melanoma cancer through a sad personal experience. A friend and colleague, Alex Szekely, president of Rancho la Puerta and the Golden Door, passed away at a very young age from the effects of this deadly disease.
Seeking more information after this loss, I learned that exposure to the sun is the number one cause of melanoma, but with early detection and treatment, it is very curable. Alex did, in fact, have several severe sunburns as a teenager. While your own medical history will determine your susceptibility to melanoma, there is no doubt that staying out of the sun, using effective sunscreen regularly, and having periodic mole checks is a good idea for everyone.
Another thing I have learned is that May is Melanoma Awareness Month and a good time to spread the message. I dedicated my column in the May/June issue of Luxury SpaFinder Magazine to this topic, and included valuable statistics and advice from medical experts. I hope you take a few moments to read it.
Right now—during the first months of summer (for most of the world) when people begin to expose their skin to the summer rays—is an ideal time to put people on the alert. In a spa environment, our clients routinely disrobe and are comfortable having therapists touch their skin, so the spa industry is in a good position to help raise public consciousness about this disease and its prevention.
Here are some ideas:
- Educate yourself and your staff about melanoma
- Pass out literature with photos of what melanoma looks like
- Encourage massage therapists and estheticians to suggest regular yearly mole checks to clients
- Stress the importance of sunscreen, staying out of the sun, and avoiding tanning beds
- Consider hosting an event or joining us in future outreach initiatives
SpaFinder's philanthropic efforts for 2006 are dedicated to melanoma awareness and prevention. Check out the recent "Dancing with the Sun?" event which SpaFinder helped underwrite. It was hosted by Dr. Stephen and Lyn Krant, founders of the SK Sanctuary medical spa in La Jolla. They were honored at the event for their community work in gifting spa nights to cancer survivors. We arranged for spa owners and managers in the area to attend in hopes that they might be inspired to host a similar event in their spas.
For those of us who knew Alex or have lost anyone to melanoma cancer, I can't think of a better tribute than passing along this information—and personally having a mole check.
Till the next Insider...
Susie
P.S. I was finally convinced to start a blog—in case you would like to be an "insider" on a daily basis.
