Beware of the Beauty Parlour Stroke Syndrome

By Dr Sunil Kumar Prabhu, Consultant Dermatologist and Aesthetic Physician, Aster RV hospital 

It’s always a great experience for a woman and these days a male to visit a beauty parlour for meeting their grooming and styling requirements which have advanced with the beauty and cosmetics market and procedures improving to unprecedented levels since the era of 2000.

However, it would always be prudent and in the interest of the parlour to partner with their local area General doctor /Dermatologist / Hospitals for certain untoward situations that occur in their customers from a very minor allergy to severe allergic reactions and also to an entity called Beauty Parlour Stroke syndrome also called in medical terms “Rotational Vertebral artery Syndrome”

Hair washing, vigorous neck massage, hair transplant done by someone who’s not technically qualified, chin lifting, and cosmetic treatment could all potentially lead to people suffering from a stroke in the salon.

The dictum is for parlours to be careful in not to Hyperextend the neck backwards to more than 20 degrees from the flat imaginary line when bending backwards . The blood vessels from the neck areas pass on to the brain from the neck and are susceptible to get kinked ( pressurized on bending ) and cause in certain people to cause blood supply to be affected to certain brain areas with an ultimate condition resembling stroke.

Support of the nape of the neck by a folded towel is beneficial to restrict hyperextension of neck.

Symptoms can range from dizziness, syncope, ( fainting ) impaired vision/rapid eye rotation , nausea, Eye pupillary disturbances  and other motor and sensory deficits ( loss of sensation and movements of the concerned area ) that occur with head rotation and Immediate attention to be to reach out to a hospital centre that has good facilities to manage a complex disorder like Stroke.

Moreover  Beauty parlour staff should exercise caution when washing hair of customers or giving them massages . Customers should request gentle massages rather than vigorous ones to avoid putting too much pressure on the blood vessels, which might result in a stroke. In addition, it is advised that if a person suffers from any recurring pain, they should consult a doctor instead of getting a home massage.