How my beautician saved my life – as many are now trained to spot subtle signs of serious illness and how to deal with it

They trim our hair, polish our nails and ease our tired muscles – but beauticians, manicurists, hairdressers and barbers can do far more than that.

In fact, many are now trained to potentially save our lives.

For example, the charity Skcin has been offering training to hair and beauty professionals to help them spot potential signs of skin cancer among their clients.

Meanwhile, various groups around the country have been helping to train barbers, to make them aware of even subtle signs that their clients may be suffering with depression – and if they are, the barbers also know where to direct them to get help.

Here we talk to three people whose beautician, massage therapist or barber spotted signs that saved their life…

Nail technician urged me to seek help for a brown toenail 

Louise Whymark, 35, is a customer service assistant and lives in Harwich, Essex. She says:

When I spotted the strange brown mark that suddenly appeared on my left big toe in January 2022, I thought it didn’t look right – but I didn’t think it was bad enough to see the doctor.

Instead I took a picture of the nail and sent it to my nail technician. I have been going to her for years for regular manicures and pedicures.

Louise’s brown toenail was a sign that her kidneys were not functioning properly 

She said it looked like an infection, but added that she’d been taught that marks could be signs of more serious things and that I should go to a doctor.

If she hadn’t said that, I would have ignored it.

I booked to see my GP, who looked a bit worried and did a blood test to check my liver and kidney function. He said sometimes nail marks can be a sign of a problem there.

A few days later the surgery rang and asked me to come in for more blood tests and referred me for an ultrasound scan of my kidneys.

I thought it was a lot of fuss over nothing, but to my surprise, days later the scan revealed my kidneys were only working at 25 per cent of their capacity.

I was absolutely stunned. I’d had no signs other than this mark on my toenail.

I had to be admitted into hospital there and then as they also found my blood pressure was so high (213/100) that I was in danger of having a stroke.

I was kept in hospital for a week while they tried to get the blood pressure low enough for it to be safe for me to have a kidney biopsy.

A week after I’d had it, back at home I got a call from the consultant telling me I had a kidney disorder called IGA nephropathy – a disease that causes kidney inflammation that over time can interfere with the kidneys’ ability to filter waste from the blood.

I was warned that my kidney was so badly damaged that I needed a transplant and would be put on the kidney donor waiting list.

I was in shock – I was urinating properly and never had pains – apart from that mark on my toe.

I’m now having dialysis three times a week for four hours at a time in hospital, awaiting a transplant.

I feel well most of the time with dialysis, although I can get breathless.

If it hadn’t been spotted when it was, I’d be in a far worse state. I’m so thankful to my nail technician. I believe she saved my life.

Expert says: ‘Chronic kidney disease in itself is often ‘silent’ [i.e. without any obvious symptoms],’ says Professor Simon Davies a consultant nephrologist at the University Hospital of North Midlands and trustee at Kidney Research UK.

‘This is why any signs of something being wrong should lead to quick checks – and an unexplained nail infection in an apparently healthy person can be one of those signs.

‘When kidney disease occurs, the body has difficulties removing waste products such as urea, nitrogen and creatinine and as a result, these substances build up in the body tissues – including the nails – so there can be changes to the texture, shape or natural colour of fingernails and toenails.

‘When nails become unhealthy and brittle, they are also more susceptible to infections, so it is important to visit your doctor if you (or indeed your nail technician) notice these changes.

‘Screening for kidney disease is easy. Checking blood pressure (which is often high in those with kidney disease), a quick urine test to look for protein in the urine, and a blood test called eGFR would quickly pick up a kidney problem.

‘The great thing is that there are now several medications that can slow down the progression of kidney disease, preventing the need for a transplant or kidney dialysis if caught early enough.’

I couldn’t see the worrying mark on my leg – but my masseuse could 

Seonag MacKinnon, who is in her 50s, is a communications director and lives in Edinburgh. She has three grown-up children. She says:

I was coming to the end of a wonderfully relaxing therapeutic massage treatment – courtesy of my children who bought me a voucher for Mother’s Day – when the beauty therapist, Dominika, told me I had a mark on the back of my thigh which was an unusual shape and colour.

I couldn’t easily see the back of my legs so I knew nothing about it.

Dominika Lachowicz spotted a deadly skin cancer on Seonag’s leg while giving her a therapeutic massage 

The mark on the back of Seonag’s leg was an unusual shape and colour, but she couldn’t see it herself as it was obscured 

She said she was ‘no medic’, but suggested I see a doctor to get it checked.

I went home, but her words lingered. I decided to play it safe so a few days later, in 2019, I booked an appointment with my GP who looked at the mark, made no particular comment but referred me to a skin consultant who I saw about a fortnight later in hospital.

The consultant examined me and told me just by looking at it that it was clearly a malignant melanoma – the most deadly form of skin cancer – which it would be better to take out immediately.

In that moment my world stopped turning; I had heard of melanoma and agreed to immediate treatment. Within minutes I was on an operating table.

A biopsy taken at the same time confirmed a few weeks later that it was cancer and I later needed more surgery to remove more tissue to make sure they had taken out all the cancer. I now have a 5in scar.

Thankfully surgery got it all and I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

My consultant said: ‘I hope you’re going to give the beautician flowers, because if you’d come to me one year later we’d be having a very different conversation.’

Grateful doesn’t come close to summing up how I felt towards Dominika.

After the surgery I waited a few months before I went to see her as I was too emotional to confront what might have happened if she hadn’t spoken up. When I did summon the courage to see her we hugged. She turned the course of my life. I visit her to this day – there will always be a bond between us.

Expert says: ‘Melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer that arises from the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) and has the potential to spread to other parts of the body,’ says Dr Penelope Pratsou, a consultant dermatologist at Reading Dermatology in Berkshire and a spokesman for the British Skin Foundation.

‘It is mostly found on sun-exposed parts of the body, though it can also present in non-sun-exposed areas, including under the nails.

‘Melanoma can occur in difficult-to-check sites such as the back, and patients will often attend clinic after odd moles have been spotted by partners.

‘Beauty and massage therapists see a large number of people whose skin will be exposed during treatment, often on a repeat basis, so are ideally placed to spot a new or changing lesion early, sometimes before it is spotted by the person themselves.

‘Most cases of melanoma are treated through surgical removal of the lesion, which is examined in the lab to confirm how serious the melanoma is, and the best course of treatment.

‘Being aware of the signs of melanoma is therefore vital, as early detection of melanoma truly saves lives.’

My barber helped me admit I was suicidal

David Mulberry, 39, is a barber and lives in Maidenhead, Berkshire. He says:

By 2021 I had lost my logistics business and was at rock bottom. But, like many men, I felt there was nowhere for me to turn and I didn’t tell anyone how I felt.

But sat in the chair at my local barber one day, a female barber started cutting my hair and the combination of her care and empathetic demeanour helped me to start talking about my life: I opened up about my drinking problem and how I was suffering depression and terrible anxiety.

David Mulberry, 39, found he could open up about his mental health struggles while sitting in the chair – and went on to become a barber himself 

She listened and didn’t judge and after my haircut, she made me a cup of coffee and we talked further.

I even admitted I was having suicidal thoughts, which was the first time I had said the words out loud.

I felt I was in a safe space where I could be honest about how low I was feeling. It brought me some clarity.

The barber told me about Alcoholics Anonymous and within weeks I joined and stopped drinking.

I also decided I wanted to be a barber.

I completed my training and last year opened my own salon, Mulberrys in Maidenhead. I provide a service not just for hair and grooming but a listening service just as the barber did who saved me.

Expert says: ‘Men are usually encouraged to fix problems rather than talk about them, so sitting down and saying, “I’m not OK” doesn’t come naturally,’ says Mairead Molloy, a psychologist in London.

‘Opening up about depression or anxiety can feel like admitting weakness, which is scary when you’ve been taught to always seem strong. Add in the fear of being judged or misunderstood, and it’s no wonder so many men keep it all bottled up.

‘Barbershops are one of those rare places where men feel comfortable just being themselves. It’s a no-pressure environment – you’re sitting there for 20 minutes, having a chat, and somehow it feels easier to let stuff out.

‘Mental health experts are starting to recognise how powerful this can be.

‘Projects like the Lions Barber Collective – a group of barbers who are training their staff to be aware of mental health issues clients might have – are showing how barbers can play a big role in breaking down the stigma around mental health.

‘Barbers are in a unique position because they’re part of their clients’ lives in a way that’s personal but not too intense.

‘It’s not like talking to a friend who might judge you or a doctor who might feel formal.

‘Of course, it’s important not to expect barbers to be counsellors but teaching them the basics of mental health – like how to spot when someone’s struggling or how to have a supportive conversation – could help so many people.’