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Melanoma UK busts misconceptions around skin cancer

The 'Beauty Spotters' campaign by T&Pm spotlights the most common form of skin cancer in Black and Brown skin

By Creative Salon

20 May 2024

Melanoma UK and T&Pm's ‘Beauty Spotters’ campaign aims to raise awareness of the signs of Acral Melanoma, the most common form of skin cancer in Black and Brown skin i.e. people of colour (POC). Coinciding with Melanoma Awareness Month, the campaign was conceived by Hungarian-Pakistani duo, Armna Khan and Eszter Boldov and tackles the lack of awareness of the signs and symptoms of the condition, as well as a misconception that people of colour cannot get skin cancer, which Melanoma UK are aiming to mythbust.

Acral Melanoma is unique in that it is not related to sun-exposure, it is difficult to diagnose, and often misdiagnosed. The first signs often appear under the nails, so T&Pm have created the 'Beauty Spotters Toolkit' - a nail sticker kit which showcases the watch-out signs of Acral Melanoma, with a handy information pack.

Dr Sharon Belmo, consultant dermatologist for the campaign said: “Raising awareness of acral melanoma through the visual medium of nail stickers means people can become familiar with the signs to look out for. Medical conditions can present differently in darker skin types and due to the focus on white skin in western dermatology, conditions which affect people with Skin of Colour can often be underrepresented or overlooked."

NHS GP, Dr Nishali Patel, commented" “Early detection of acral melanoma is the most important determining factor in successful treatment. This campaign calls on all professionals who look at hands and feet for a living (including those in the Beauty industry) to play a role in making a difference to the lives of patients with acral melanoma."

Mark Rawden, CEO of Melanoma UK added: "Beauty Spotters is our launch campaign for Melanoma Awareness Month this year. As a charity, we are expanding our efforts beyond traditional discussions of solely sun-related skin cancers. Our focus has been sharpened around not just raising awareness, but campaigning for behaviour change to increase the likelihood of melanoma being spotted amongst all people.”

The campaign aims to put lifesaving knowledge into the hands of people who see nails, hands, and feet every day. Turning nail technicians, beauty salons, nail art influencers, beauty publishers, and experts from across the Beauty and Medical worlds into Beauty Spotters. The campaign is activated through T&Pm’s sister agency Halpern PR and will take place throughout May 2024 with a launch feature in Cosmopolitan Magazine.

T&Pm ECD, Toby Allen, said: “This campaign shows the power of creativity to affect meaningful change, using the humblest and most accessible of beauty accessories - nail stickers - to land its message in a way you can’t ignore. In doing so we aim to turn every mani into a life-saving movement”.