Hyderabad woman suffers ‘beauty parlour stroke syndrome’

Hyderabad-based neurologist Dr. Sudhir Kumar took to Twitter to shed light on the case in which a 50-year-old woman from the city began showing symptoms of dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, which started while she was getting her “hair washed with shampoo in a beauty parlour”.

Hyderabad: Getting your hair washed at a beauty parlour can be soothing. But it could lead to a stroke at times. This rare condition is known as the ‘beauty parlour stroke syndrome.’

Hyderabad-based neurologist Dr. Sudhir Kumar took to Twitter to shed light on the case in which a 50-year-old woman from the city began showing symptoms of dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, which started while she was getting her “hair washed with shampoo in a beauty parlour”. His post soon went viral.

---

According to the doctor, she was taken to a gastroenterologist, who treated her symptomatically.

“Symptoms did not improve, the next day she developed a mild imbalance while walking. She was referred for my opinion. She had mild right cerebellar signs. MRI brain revealed infarct in the right posterior inferior cerebellar territory, MR angiogram showed left vertebral hypoplasia,” he tweeted.

Kumar added that a diagnosis of beauty parlour stroke syndrome involving the right PICA territory was made.

“Possible mechanism is kinking of the vertebral artery during hyperextension and turning of the neck towards wash-basin while washing hair with shampoo. She had well-controlled hypertension too,” he shared.

It is said that stroke affecting vertebrobasilar artery territory can occur during shampoo hair-washing in a beauty parlour, especially in women with other atherosclerotic risk factors and undetected vertebral hypoplasia. Prompt recognition and treatment can prevent disability.

What is beauty parlour stroke syndrome?  

The term beauty parlour syndrome was coined by Dr. Michael Weintraub in the ‘Journal of the American Medical Association’ in 1993 after five women developed “serious neurological symptoms following shampoos at hair salons”, according to a report by ‘The Guardian’.

As per the report, the syndrome or vertebrobasilar insufficiency can occur in extremely rare cases when tilting the back of the neck over a basin can tear the artery, leading to blood clots and strokes.

The symptoms include severe dizziness, loss of balance, and facial numbness. The body part which is under the control of the brain part that does not get oxygen also suffers damage. Four out of five people suffered strokes, the report added.

If you experience these symptoms, it is suggested to lie down immediately after a parlour visit. Consult a neurologist without fail.

What to do?   

It is important to ensure that the neck is not extended too much during hair wash at the salon. In case it is tilted, don’t move it over 20 degrees. Take the support of a towel.