Barbershop Blog

CAN A BEARD SAVE YOUR LIFE?

August 17, 2019

It is a statistic that comes a little hard to comprehend but the reality is that one Australian is killed by melanoma every five hours and two out of every three Australians are likely to get some form of skin cancer before they’re seventy. Our melanoma rate is twelve times the global norm, a figure that the blokes behind a movement called Beard Season are determined to change.

Man With Great Beard

Beard Season is a non-for-profit Australian charity that is having a global impact.

Their mission is to champion the early detection of melanoma - one of the world’s deadliest cancers.

The movement was started by a group of mates who lost a friend (Wes Bonny) to melanoma in 2010, tragically he was only 26 years old. They have honoured him by starting a movement that is now saving a life on average every week.

The concept is that blokes grow a beard for winter and use their wild and woolly facial hair as a life saving conversation starter, a rugged reminder for friends and family to get a skin check with a GP or dermatologist.

Want to get involved? By registering as an ambassador online you will also help to raise much needed funds towards community screening programs in remote areas where the vital services are needed most.

Want to know what to look out for on your own skin? The team at beardseason.com introduce the ABCDE warning signs of suss looking spots, which is as follows:

Asymmetry

Moles that, if divided in half are not the same on both sides.

Border

Moles with edges that are jagged like a coastline.

Colour

Moles gaining or loosing colour or multicoloured.

Diameter

Moles more than 5mm in diameter (especially of uneven in colour)

Evolution

Moles that have changed size, shape, colour or risen.

While these are all warning signs that may help you identify a problem mole, keep in mind that the biggest part of their advocacy is to encourage people to get a skin check with a GP or dermatologist, if properly detected and treated early, your chance of survival is close to 100%.

How can you help?

Share The Love

The simplest way to help out is to help spread awareness, head to the website and grab some material to help spread the word.

Donate

Make a donation that will not only save you money when it comes to tax time but will also help save lives.

Grow For Gold

Sign up as an Ambassador online and grow your beard to help raise much needed funds towards the national skin check program. Encourage your mates to get involved and get together for some fundraising activities.

Join the cause at: https://beardseason.com


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