Is Your Beauty Salon Dangerous?

Are you putting yourself in harms way when you visit your beautician?  The answer is yes, quite possibly, unless you are aware of the risks involved with some types of treatment and what you can do to minimise these risks.  Here is a quick guide to potentially harmful treatments.

Sunbeds

By now everyone must know that the incorrect use of sunbeds can increase your chances of getting skin cancer, yet sunbeds are still incredibly popular.  However, you might not be aware of the possibility of permanent eye damage.  Corneal burning can occur and it is thought that sunbeds increase the risks of cataracts and macular degeneration developing.  And last but not least, UV rays cause premature ageing and skin damage.

You can avoid these effects if you severely limit the frequency of your sunbed visits, wear the correct type of protective goggles and use an appropriate lotion.

Botox          

Botox involves the injection of a toxin into the skin.  This alone should make you stop and think.  Less than 10% of patients experience side effects or complication or side effects.  These include persistent headaches, nausea or flu-type symptoms lasting for several days following the procedure.   Less frequently, muscle weakness or drooping can occur.  Depending on the site of the injections, this can result in drooping eyelids or persistent drooling.  These effects should wear off, but this can take several months.

Botox should only be administered by doctors, dentists and registered nurses who are licensed to carry out the procedure.

Bikini Waxing

Bikini waxing is one of the most popular beauty treatments.  It has the benefit that it lets you wear the tiniest of bikinis.  So you put up with the pain to get the gain.  But did you know that the treatment carries a risk of bacterial infection?  The chances of contracting such an infection seem to be fairly low, but for the unlucky few the consequences can be near fatal. 

Infection can occur because, prior to being removed, pubic hair protects the genital area.  When the hair is removed so is the protection, and bacteria are able to enter the body.  Also, if the waxing removes some area of the outer layers of skin another gateway to infection has been opened up.  Thus the body becomes vulnerable to a range of infections.

You can minimise the risk of infection by satisfying yourself that salon staff have been properly trained for bikini waxing and that your salon has a stringent hygiene procedure for this treatment.

The treatments described all carry significant risks.  They are all expensive, and their effects are all temporary.  You are the only person who can weigh the benefits against the potential risks.  But you can only do so if you fully understand the risks.  So consult your doctor before having any of these treatments and be safe, not sorry.