BURNS FROM LEG WAXES
Hot wax has the potential to be seriously dangerous if it’s not handled properly.  Bartletts Solicitors, based in Liverpool, specialise in bringing cases against beauticians and hairdressers.

On their website they tell the story of a client who was burned after hot wax was spilled on her during a routine leg wax.  The burn required medical attention and, even after healing, left the woman with an area of uneven pigmentation, which could require skin grafting.  She successfully sued the salon for the injury and received £4,500.


MRSA FROM BIKINI WAXES
It’s not just burns that you have to worry about.  Bikini waxes can go horribly wrong, with common problems including ingrowing hairs and folliculitis (infection of the hair follicle).  If not done properly, waxing can remove the uppermost layers of the skin, leaving it susceptible to infections such as MRSA.

This is particularly problematic when salons ‘double dip’, repeatedly using the same spatula in the same pot of wax, potentially transferring infections from the skin of one client to another.

STROKES FROM WASHBASINS
Ever ended up with a cricked neck after a trip to the hairdresser? Count yourself lucky.  Research suggests the uncomfortable position in which you have to hold your neck while being shampooed over a basin could, in some cases, result in a stroke.
Known as Beauty Salon Stroke Syndrome, the condition occurs when an artery in the neck is constricted, cutting blood supply to the brain.

The result can be dizziness, facial numbness, and even a blood clot in the brain.  It’s very rare, but those who have arthritis in their neck or hardening of the arteries may be particularly susceptible.

Pamela Crabb, 51, from Poole, Dorset, suffered a stroke after a hair appointment in September 2000.  She made a partial recovery but died after another stroke in 2004.
Her widower, Malcolm, said he wanted to ‘alert others to the dangers of Beauty Salon Syndrome, especially those with high blood pressure. ’

If you’re worried you may be at risk, avoid over-extending your neck by using towels as padding, or ask to have your hair washed leaning forward over the sink instead.

HEPATITIS C FROM UNSTERILE SCISSORS
Whether it’s a pair of scissors that accidentally nick your ear during a haircut, or clippers that draw blood in a manicure, if instruments aren’t sterilised properly, there’s a risk they could spread blood-borne infections.

Mike Comins, chairman of the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors, says: ‘Hepatitis C is a robust virus that can live outside the body for quite a long time and may not display any symptoms at all.  It can linger for decades, increasing your risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer.  It’s very contagious and not routinely tested for. ’

ASPHYXIATION FROM BRAZILIAN BLOWDRY
One of the key ingredients in the straightening treatment dubbed the Brazilian, or permanent, blowdry was formaldehyde.

Despite restrictions on the amount of the chemical that can be used, and new formaldehyde-free formulations, unscrupulous firms are still selling products that can cause breathing difficulties and other unpleasant side-effects.  Karen Dandy owns a hair salon in West Sussex.  Twice last year, she allowed a rep to demonstrate a treatment.

Both times, as the hair was heated with straighteners, everyone began to suffer headaches, nausea and stinging eyes and throats.  ‘It obviously wasn’t safe,’ she says.  Some salon owners are now suing the companies responsible claiming their health has been put at risk.

cherrie, you have a lot of information on board.  Thank you for all these.

I will get my Woman to read this. Cherrie, you know everything bother on neatness.
Important of neatness and hygiene can't be over emphasize.