Hairdressers spend more time looking at the tops of heads than anyone else, so are well positioned to spot suspicious skin changes. CommerceandCultureAgency/Getty Images hide caption

Jim Allison in his lab at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Scott Dalton for NPR hide caption

U.S.-born Hispanics are more apt to have misconceptions about skin cancer, compared to non-Hispanic whites. iStockphoto hide caption

The FDA requires tanning machines to bear a label explaining the risks, but the messages are not particularly attention-grabbing. iStockphoto hide caption

This may seems like a great campus amenity, until you get melanoma. iStockphoto hide caption

Dermatologists say women should use sunscreen and sunglasses to protect themselves from the ultraviolet light used to cure gel nail polish. Claude Donne/iStockphoto hide caption

A doctor checks for signs of skin cancer at a free cancer screening day in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Mannino checks a sailor for skin cancer the old-fashioned way during a screening exam at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego. MC2 Dominique M. Lasco/U.S. Navy hide caption

Stefano Amabili walks under the sun in Miami Beach, Florida, in May. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has found that more people are using sunscreen and protecting themselves from the sun's rays. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

Which one of these sunscreens would be considered safe and correctly labeled by the Food and Drug Administration? Not a single one. Safe sunscreens are SPF15 or higher, and the new rules require those with broad-spectrum protection to include the term next to and in the same style as the sun protection factor. Benjamin Morris/NPR hide caption

Alivia Parker, 21 months at the time, ran through circles of spraying water on a hot day in Montgomery, Ala., last June. She was wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 100, a rating that won't be allowed much longer. Dave Martin/AP hide caption

Hair stylists already spend a lot of time staring at the back of people's heads. Researchers thought: Why not train them to check for suspicious lesions and other signs of skin cancer while they're at it?

Roche Genentech developed a new melanoma drug for people with advanced cases. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images hide caption