Most hair stylists at salons and barber shops are interested in being trained to detect skin cancers on the scalp, face and neck, US researchers say.

Dermatologists and other researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, surveyed stylists at 15 salons in the area in 2017 and received 229 completed surveys from 12 salons.

Questions included whether the hair professionals ever checked clients for skin lesions or had a client who asked them to check for skin lesions, or whether they had referred a client to a doctor for an abnormal mole, they report in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The survey also asked why they might not check for skin lesions, as well as whether they thought they should be trained in skin cancer detection and the best way to offer such training.