Jan 20, 2025 12:30:00

Experts point out that shampooing at beauty salons and hair salons could cause strokes

Having your hair washed at a hairdresser or salon can be a pleasant experience, but having your neck rest over a shampooing basin could actually pose serious health risks, warns Dr

Maria Asciotti , senior lecturer in neuroscience and inflammatory diseases at the University of Westminster in the UK.

The hidden health risk of having your hair washed
https://theconversation.com/the-hidden-health-risk-of-having-your-hair-washed-244317

When you have your hair washed at a beauty salon or hair salon, you generally lie on your back with your seat reclined, as shown in the picture below, with your neck resting on the edge of the shampoo stand and your head just sticking into the shampoo stand. Having your hair washed and your scalp massaged in this position feels very relaxing and comfortable, but some people may have experienced pain in their neck resting on the edge of the shampoo stand or the angle between their neck and head feeling awkward.

According to Asciotti, sitting at an awkward angle on a shampoo basin that faces away from you, like the ones used in many beauty and hair salons, can cause neck pain and injury and, in rare cases, a type of stroke known as ' beauty parlor stroke syndrome' (BPSS) .

BPSS was first

described in 1993 by American neurologist Michael Weintraub, who discovered that some patients developed symptoms associated with a stroke after visiting a hairdresser and having their hair shampooed.

A stroke is a sudden decrease in blood flow to the brain due to a blood clot or blood vessel rupture, causing damage to brain cells due to a lack of oxygen, glucose, and other nutrients. When shampooing at a beauty salon or hair salon, customers rest their neck on the hard edge of the shampooing basin. If the neck is not in the right position or the force of the shampoo causes the neck to bend in an odd direction, the vertebrae in the neck area can press against the arteries that carry blood to the brain. This causes the blood vessels to become compressed or ruptured, resulting in the symptoms of a stroke.

Common risk factors for stroke include being older, having high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, but even young, healthy people can suffer a stroke. Previous research has shown that BPSS is most likely to occur in women over 50, and that risk factors include narrowing of blood vessels and a history of spinal arthritis, but it can occur regardless of age or medical history.

A 2016

study found only 10 reported cases of BPSS between 2002 and 2013, making BPSS much rarer than common strokes. However, you should still be aware of the symptoms of BPSS.

Symptoms of BPSS include headache, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred or constricted vision, nausea, vomiting, neck pain, and paralysis on one side of the body. These symptoms may occur after a delay in treatment at a beauty salon or hair salon, which can make it difficult to identify the cause.

If you are worried about BPSS or feel pain or discomfort during shampooing, it is better to ask if you can face forward instead of backward toward the shampooing station. If you are not allowed to face forward, you can ask them to place a towel or cushion between your neck and the edge of the shampooing station. Also, since washing your hair too vigorously increases the risk of BPSS, it is also a good idea to ask them to wash your hair gently.

'For most people, getting a shampoo at the salon is a safe and enjoyable experience, and going to the salon is important for your mental health, self-esteem and confidence, so instead of throwing in a towel to stop you getting shampooed, use a towel to support your neck while you wash your hair,' Ascioti said.