It was October 7, 2013 when Mrs. Judy Perrella’s Anatomy students had a surprise awaiting them. Theresa Perrella, who has been a licensed cosmetologist for seventeen years, spoke to the class about hair, skin, and nails. A cosmetologist knows more about the person sitting in their chair than most people think.

In preparation for the unit about tissues, the speaker was the icebreaker to start them off. For who knows skin, hair, and nails more than someone who works with them daily? The students in the class were amazed at how much a stranger doing your hair and nails can learn about you; For example, cosmetologists know when their clients are on medication, stressed, or healthy.

At first, the class was a bit shy about asking questions such as, “How do you prevent hang nails?” “Why am I shedding so much?” “What are reactions from being in school?”

“Hangnails, or why we have so many, happen because we handle a lot of paper that absorbs the oils off our finger tips, and takes away the moisture from the cuticle. A good way to prevent that is by applying a little bit of hand lotion to the hands and fingers, and getting in that habit [there will be no more].”

Kristina Kennedy, senior, enjoyed the anatomy speaker. “It was informative and a fun way to connect our lessons to real life.”

The class learned how easy it is to damage the biggest organ of our body, skin, and not realize it. From getting our nails done at a salon under the UV light, to bathing in the sun, we are slowly harming our skin. People do not usually think about getting skin cancer under the nails. However, because they are at a salon getting them done, the thought about damaging the skin under the UV light does not come up, but it can almost be as harmful as the sun’s UV rays.

Gaby Mendez enjoyed siting in the classroom listening intently while the speaker spoke. “I thought that it was a perfect time for a speaker because we were overwhelmed with college stuff. It was a nice distraction from the hectic life and I learned many things as well.”