Salons are often the centres for relaxation. But! have you ever felt dizzy and nauseous after a pretty relaxing hair spa? Can a simple hair wash do that to you?

The internet was in a collective frenzy when a Hyderabad-based doctor tweeted about beauty parlour stroke syndrome. The incident is reported from Hyderabad when a 50-year-old was diagnosed with this syndrome as she felt disoriented and nauseous after a hair spa.

According to neurologist Dr Sudhir Kumar, the 50-year-old woman showed symptoms of dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, which first began when she was getting a hair wash with shampoo in a beauty parlour. The woman was “initially taken to a gastroenterologist, who treated her symptomatically”. She later approached Kumar—-who based on test reports, claimed the brain of the lady had an infarct in the right posterior inferior cerebellar territory and left vertebral hypoplasia. As per reports, the lady has now recovered, however sending salon sprees into second thoughts.

The first case of beauty parlour stroke syndrome was reported in the 90s in the USA. As it goes with Indians, several conditions are ignored and misdiagnosed. When one bends its neck and keeps it extended for a longer duration, the blood supply to the brain is blocked. This results in stroke whose effects range from slight discomfort to near-permanent disability, depending on how severe it is. In this case, the beauty parlour stroke syndrome is also known as Vertebrobasilar insufficiency.

Apart from the hair spa sessions, neck massage or putting cold water suddenly over the head and neck area can also trigger this syndrome.