Beware of beauty parlour stroke!

Though getting your hair washed at a salon would be quite relaxing, it can be dangerous too , as it would put you at a risk of having a  'beauty parlour stroke'.

A medical survey shows, the position commonly used for shampooing at beauty salons, with the neck tipped far backward over the edge of a sink, can diminish the blood supply to the brain, sometimes precipitating strokes.

 In a report published in 1993 in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr Michael Weintraub described five women between the ages of 54 and 84 who developed serious neurological symptoms requiring hospitalisation after shampoos at beauty parlors.

The patients suffered from a variety of complaints attributable to poor blood flow in arteries leading through the neck to the back of the brain, including severe dizziness, imbalance and facial numbness. Four out of five suffered strokes leading to permanent neurologic damage.

So while your hair is getting shampooed, the arteries in the neck can get cut or torn due to hyperextension or any whiplash-type motions that happen during a salon visit.

 Smith's first symptoms appeared eight days after a visit to the salon and she suffered weakness in her left arm and leg.

 To be specific, doctors found signs in January that she had an artery dissection in her vertebrae, meaning the artery wall had broken slightly. The injury can lead a clot to form as the artery repairs itself, if the clot breaks and travels to the brain it can cause a stroke.

 She told KGTV she wanted to raise awareness, especially since she still has a clot in her brain that could cause more damage.

 How to avoid beauty parlour stroke?

 To avoid risk, doctors told KGTV, people with arthritis in their neck or hardening arteries — or older people, period — should either avoid leaning back more than 15 to 20 degrees or have their hair washed face down. Otherwise, avoid it altogether. But the biggest concern is regarding older shampoo sinks, some of which are not adjustable; many, though, now have reclining chairs.