'I Knew I Had to Tell Her': Alert Illinois Hairdresser Spots Skin Cancer on Woman’s Scalp After She Came For a Cut And Color

Rahilly visited her hairdresser, Sharon Lupo, for a cut and color something she's done many times before without issue. But Lupo found something unusual on Rahilly's scalp and suggested she see a dermatologist, as it could be skin cancer.

"It was almost a discolored spot. I knew I had to tell her," Lupo told Good Morning America.

Thankfully Rahilly listened to her hairdresser and promptly made a dermatologist appointment because her doctor could immediately tell something was off about the spot on Rahilly's scalp. The dermatologist ordered a biopsy, which confirmed Rahilly's fear: it was skin cancer.

More specifically, the cancer was determined to be squamous cell carcinoma, which is the second most common form of skin cancer, characterized by abnormal, accelerated growth of squamous cells. When caught early, most of the time this cancer is curable, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Rahilly was able to have the spot removed from her scalp a common place for skin cancer to hide before it could spread to other parts of her body.

"She knows I'm grateful and that, you know, she's an awesome person. She is,” Rahilly said.

How to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer

The Skin Cancer Foundation estimates that more than 5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States every year, making it the most common cancer in the U.S.

And even though most of us are not soaking up the sun in a bathing suit at this time of year, it is important to remember that the risk of developing skin cancer is still very much prevalent in the winter months.

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer

Dr. Dendy Engelman, a board certified dermatologic surgeon at Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue, previously told SurvivorNet about the top five things you can do to avoid skin cancer:

• Avoid sun during peak hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Wear a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses to protect the tops of our heads, the tops of our ears and the delicate area around the eye
• Wear at least SPF 30 sunscreen and make sure to reapply every two hours or after excessive sweating or swimming
• Have yearly skin checks (with a professional) because it is difficult to evaluate areas all over the body
• Avoid tanning beds; there are no "good" tanning beds, and they can significantly increase your risk of skin cancer

Dr. Cecilia Larocca, a dermatologist at the Cutaneous (Skin) Cancer Treatment Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass., previously told SurvivorNet that something as simple as putting sunscreen on can reduce your chances of getting skin cancer, specially melanoma by up to 50%.

Choose the Right Sunscreen and Use it Often

"When it comes to squamous cell, basal cell and melanoma, even some rare cancers like Merkel cell carcinoma, protecting ourselves from the sun can reduce that risk," she said. "I love telling my melanoma patients when they come in that that's one thing they can really take control over when they come home."

"When it comes to melanoma, if you use sunscreen, there was this great study that came out of Australia that if patients used sunscreen consistently over a period of ten years, they were actually able to reduce their risk for melanoma by 50 percent," she added.

But no matter how vigilant you are about decreasing your risk for skin cancer, it is important to still prioritize routine check-ups with your dermatologist, and always be on the lookout for any skin changes (like Moser did) in between visits.

Contributing: Abigail Seaberg

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