May 29

May 29 Harnessing the POWER of the Beauty and Grooming Industry for Community Health.

Reflections, Women's Health, Men's Health, Health Screening, Public Health, Healthcare Innovation

“The beauty industry in Kenya is a booming sector with plenty of growth opportunities. It has been estimated that the market for beauty products and services in the country is valued at over KES 20 billion, making it one of the most attractive markets for investors. The Kenyan beauty industry has grown exponentially over the past few years, mainly due to increased consumer demand for quality cosmetics and skin care products and services.”- The Star Newspaper Kenya.

The beauty industry in Kenya is said to be worth billions, with the Star newspaper putting the value at Kes 20 billion and still growing. One would ask how this is the case in the midst of a global cost of living crisis and other economic challenges? This is actually a worldwide phenomena, In the U.K, analysts found that the sale of red lipstick increased whenever there was an economic downtown, the explanation being that, looking and feeling good, boosted morale, giving folks a reason to carry on. Something behavioural economists call “The Lipstick Effect”.

What Is the Lipstick Effect?
The lipstick effect is when consumers still spend money on small indulgences during recessions, economic downturns, or when they personally have little cash. They do not have enough to spend on big-ticket luxury items; however, many still find the cash for purchases of small luxury items, such as premium lipstick. For this reason, companies that benefit from the lipstick effect tend to be resilient even during economic downturns. - Adam Hayes, Investopedia.com

Why am i talking about this and why do i care about why people are spending their money within the beauty industry? I care because this industry has the power to transform healthcare, community healthcare to be precise. It is a public health gem just waiting to be discovered and tapped into. It will literally put back the “Community” into Community Healthcare!

How can the beauty industry help? I hear you ask? Hear me out!

Man at Barber shop by @chrisknight on Unsplash

Grooming and beauty routines have been a part of human nature since time immemorial, whether is was done in the privacy of one’s home, within an informal community gathering or in formal settings like hair salons, barber shops or highend spa centers. They also act as social gathering places, where people talk and focus on the daily goings on of life in general, private problems and politics, while also having some downtime to themselves away from their daily hectic life routines. Hair salons and barber shops can be found almost everywhere in any setting, be it the city, informal settlements or rural communities. They exist in some shape or form, more often than not, providing not only beauty and grooming services , but also group and individual therapy of sorts, comradery, sense of belonging and most importantly TRUST. The bond between a hairdresser, barber or beautician and their client is sacred and built on trust. That is why people stick to their hairdresser or barber (shop) for a long time, sometimes even travelling for miles to where they are and feel bad, almost like committing adultery, when they go get services elsewhere.

For quite a while now medicine and the pharmaceutical industry have focused more on curative medicine than preventative medicine, especially for non-communicable diseases, like Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular diseases and cancer. This lack of focus has caused an increase of people being sick and diagnosed with preventable diseases, putting a burden all over the world on healthcare systems, resources and economies. While preventative medicine is slowly making a comeback as the world realises that “prevention is really better than cure”, screening services are still not up to par and people are falling through the cracks and Black people are more disproportionately affected than any other community.

According to The World Health Organisation ( WHO ) Africa, 25% of hospital admissions and 13% of deaths in Kenya are due to Cardiovascular disease, with hypertension being the most significant risk factor ( WHO Africa, 2018). This led to the launch of the national cardiovascular diseases guidelines by the Kenyan Ministry of Health. A survey conducted in 2015 by The World Organisation (WHO) Africa, found that due to demographic and social changes which included an aging population, urbanisation and the adoption of unhealthy lifestyles, led to a rise in Diabetes in Kenya, with 88% of people not knowing their diabetes status, which was a cause for great concern given the costly public health implications for the country. The third leading cause of death in Kenya after infectious and cardiovascular diseases, is Cancer , with Cervical Cancer being the 4th most frequently diagnosed cancer and the 4th leading cause of cancer in death in Kenyan Women(National Cancer Institute of Kenya, 2023). Other cancer statistics are available on the National Cancer Institute of Kenya’s website. A third of Cancers are preventable. Early screening and detection improves the possibilities of successful treatment.

Early Screening and Detection: the gaps and possible solution.

If there is one thing i have learnt, it is that time is money and it is scarce, but with proper planning and time management, one can make good use the time they have. The other thing i have learnt, is that going to a hospital or clinic is a big deal, both in terms of time and money and most Kenyans are weary of hospitals. Both things would explain the low uptake of screening services provided. People are time starved and mostly use hospitals as a last resort for treatment, less so for screening services which tend to be provided during working hours and are focused around international themed days or months that are centred around those particular diseases. For example, the various Kenyan agencies, like the Ministry of Health, use social media to highlight their various screening campaigns, but you would be hard pressed to find any leaflets around those campaigns and where they are situated when you walk into any government office building, supermarket, malls or generally anywhere frequented by the targeted population!

The whole public health strategy to screening and raising awareness needs a rethink with the introduction and utilisation of different stakeholders, because clearly, the current strategy is not working. Meet the people where they are at, where they are more comfortable and where they prioritise their time with the person(people) they trust. You need to look no further than the barber shop, the hairdressers and salon and the spa centres.

One research study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2018, showed that when 52 barbershops offered blood pressure monitoring services, their participants blood pressures dropped. Joseph Ravenell, in his Ted talk, explores how barbershops can keep men healthy( links located at the end of post). So the precedent is there. It can be done and with successful results.

Imagine if you went to your local Kinyozi and while you were having you weekly shave or treatment, you could have your blood pressure checked? You could have a conversation about the importance of Prostate Cancer screening and where you can get one? You could have a blood test to check your blood sugar levels and your risk of type 2 diabetes? You could talk to your fellow men about their experiences? Have that support?

Imagine if your local hairdressers or salon had leaflets about the importance of early screening? Information about the five gynaecological cancers that affect women and what to look out for? If your smear test and vulva health check could be done at the same time as you were getting that brazillian wax? If your appointment included a wellness check? A blood draw to check for your hormonal levels? Your Vitamin D levels? If you could have an all round wellness check while having your selfcare session at your local salon, spa centre or barber shop? Imagine how many lives that could be saved due to early screening and just good old conversation within well managed time constraints? The list is endless.

Now ask yourself: WHY ARE WE NOT HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE BEAUTY AND GROOMING INDUSTRY FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH? We have done it before during the AIDS/HIV Pandemic, why can it not translate to other Non-Communicable Diseases?

For my fellow Healthcare Workers in Kenya reading this, there is an opportunity here to step in and offer these much needed services. Find a salon, a barbershop, a spa centre, a lab, a Pharmacist, a Registered Nurse to partner with.

The Wandering Nurse. @thewanderingnurse.rn