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Dave TylerBriton suffers from beauty salon syndrome
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- British Man Wins £90K Compensation After Hair Wash Triggers Stroke
- The 'Beauty Salon Syndrome'
- Tyler's Stroke
- Identification and Symptoms
- Tyler's Account
- Aftermath and Impact
- Lack of Protection
- Compensation and Industry Awareness
- Warning and Prevention
- Conclusion
- Previous Case and Condition History
- Salon's Response and Rarity
British Man Wins £90K Compensation After Hair Wash Triggers Stroke
Tyler, a British man, has won £90,000 in compensation after a hair wash and rinse in a salon caused a stroke. The man was positioned in the sink with his head tilted back, causing a blood clot to form that nearly cost him his life.
The 'Beauty Salon Syndrome'
Dave Tyler, a father of two, has become one of the victims of the extremely rare 'beauty salon syndrome.' Experts believe that tilting the head back and straining the neck can overstretch the carotid artery, causing it to rupture or become blocked, leading to a blood clot and restricted blood flow to the brain.
Tyler's Stroke
After attending the 'Headmasters' salon in Brighton in 2011, Tyler, a sound engineer, began experiencing headaches and collapsed during a business meeting. He was taken to a nearby hospital and subsequently transferred to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.
Identification and Symptoms
A consultant asked Tyler a seemingly bizarre question: 'Have you recently had your hair washed?' Despite the rarity of beauty salon syndrome, symptoms can be distinctive. Doctors diagnosed Tyler with a blood clot that had formed in the salon, causing headaches.
The clot later ruptured, sending multiple smaller clots to Tyler's brain, blocking blood flow and triggering a stroke known as lateral medullary syndrome. Tyler experienced slurred speech, poor coordination, double vision, involuntary hiccups, and partial loss of sensation to pain and temperature.
Tyler's Account
"I felt one side of my body go completely numb," Tyler said of his seizure. "My eyes were rolling around in my head, and I started to feel sick — and I was sick. I tried to take a sip of water, not realizing I'd lost the ability to swallow. It went down the wrong way and I started to choke. My breathing became very difficult and some of my vomit went into my lungs, which developed into pneumonia."
Aftermath and Impact
Tyler spent three months in the hospital and was discharged home in a wheelchair. After physiotherapy, he can now walk with a stick but still experiences pain. "I'll never be able to drive again because of the permanent double vision," he said.
Lack of Protection
Despite Tyler being a sound engineer who has worked with stars like Bjork, Simply Red, Radiohead, and Blur, he enjoyed long walks and sailing his dinghy with his wife, Cristie, and two daughters, Hazel, 9, and Holly, 11. "All that has gone," he said.
Compensation and Industry Awareness
Tyler claimed his care lacked 'adequate protection' for his neck, with 'Headmasters' only providing a thin towel. The case settled out of court with the salon paying Tyler £90,000. Hairdressers in the UK are not legally required to have any hair-washing qualifications.
Warning and Prevention
The Hair and Beauty Industry Authority (HABIA) has issued a training booklet that states: "When using a salon shampoo bowl, ensure the client is comfortable and appropriately supported to avoid water seeping down the neck and excessive neck pressure."
Conclusion
Mary Grill, a hair expert who gave expert evidence in Tyler's case, has highlighted a lack of awareness in the industry about the serious potential risks. Tyler believes clients should be offered the option of a hair wash that does not involve tilting their head back, and that trainee hairdressers should be made aware of the 'worst-case scenario.'
Previous Case and Condition History
In 2000, a 51-year-old British woman named Pamela Crabb suffered a stroke after a hair wash in a salon, resulting in impaired speech.
Salon's Response and Rarity
'Headmasters' has declined to comment. Beauty salon syndrome was first identified by neurologists in the United States. The condition describes what can happen when clients' heads are tilted back excessively to wash their hair in a salon sink. This can lead to ruptures or blockages in the arteries, restricting or cutting off blood flow to the brain and causing a stroke. Only a handful of cases of beauty salon syndrome have been recorded to date.
