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| Sunday, 14 March 2004 |
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Beauty care controversy : SLAHAB launches inquiry Following on the heels of the Sunday Observer special investigative report headlined 'The beauty rip off' (Outlook P 29 - 22.02.04) featuring the ordeal of a woman who broke out in a deadly skin disease after having a hair perm at a leading Colombo beauty salon, the Sri Lanka Association of Hairdressers and Beauticians (SLAHAB) commenced an investigation into the case. The Association is now awaiting a clear medical opinion on the issue. When contacted by the Sunday Observer Dr. W. D. H. Perera, Consultant Dermatologist, who is now treating Niranjala Perera, (the woman concerned) did not rule out the possibility that the condition could have been caused by the beauty treatment. Talking about Steven Johnson Syndrome, the condition with which she was diagnosed, he said: "This type of reaction is usually caused by drugs but there have been rare reports where external applications have caused this". He said that the scars on her body would disappear within 18-months. "She is now recovering". Founder President of SLAHAB Nayana Karunaratne in a statement to the Sunday Observer said that Janet Balasuriya and her daughter, Shereen - are members of SLAHAB. "SLAHAB has already completed the initial steps of the investigation. We have spoken to the concerned persons at Janet Salon and the client - Niranjala", she said. According to the statement the salon spokesperson said that the doctor (Consultant Physician) who treated Niranjala had confirmed that "this is an allergic reaction and it has no relevance to the treatment given at the salon". However, contrary to the salon representative's statement, according to Niranjala, the Consultant Physician had said that "the salon treatment resulted in this reaction". Karunaratne claimed that all efforts to contact the Consultant Physician Dr. Chandima de Mel, who initially treated Niranjala, had not succeeded. "Unfortunately we have not yet been able to contact Dr. Chandima de Mel". The SLAHAB statement concluded by saying that "allergies could be caused due to many reasons. We feel we should not pass judgement without clear medical opinion". When the Sunday Observer contacted the Ministry of Health for their comment on this incident that has caused much public concern, a high ranking Ministry official who did not want to be named, insisted that the beauty care industry did not come under its purview. Services that come under the Consumer Protection Authority however include hair cutting, which is a mere component of the beauty culture industry. As a whole, the industry is nobody's child. Janet's response Janet Balasuriya writes to the Sunday Observer to say that following the publication of the article titled 'The Beauty Rip off' (Outlook P. 29, 22.02.04) her salon received several calls from clients and others, stating that the article clearly referred to her organisation and that they were 'shocked and concerned at the matters stated therein.' Asserting that her products are duly registered and conform to the highest local and international standards, Balasuriya gave her version of the sequence of events that took place in relation to the client concerned. The relevant excerpts of her communication are given below: 1. The client arrived at one of our salons 21/11/03 for a Permanent Wave appointment for which she had pre-booked. Our appointment book for the day records her booking together with her contact telephone number. Her statement to the effect that she had made an appointment for an oil massage is false. 2. She was attended to by a professionally trained and qualified senior hairdresser/beautician, with over six years of experience, and not by an "assistant". 3. Permanent Waving being a chemical hair restructuring process, the treatment was carried out using an internationally reputed German brand which is one of the most common used brands in the hairdressing industry today, both in Sri Lanka and worldwide. This German brand has been used by us for a long period, without a single complaint having been lodged by any client. 4. We wish to emphasise that no herbal products manufactured by the Janet Group or any other manufacturer were used in the process of this client's treatment. Indeed there is no known herb that is capable of being used for the purpose of permanent waving. 5. On completion of the permanent waving treatment the client left the salon very satisfied with the resultant hair style. Furthermore, the statement in your article to the effect that the client has been left unattended with the lotion on her hair for 1 1/2 hours is entirely false. We treat all our clients with the utmost care and this includes members of our staff periodically checking the progress of all treatments, including the permanent waving process. 6. Approximately one week after the permanent wave, the client's husband informed us that the client had developed a skin condition following an oil massage done at our salon and requested us to visit her at Nawaloka hospital. Our representative then checked our records and informed him that his wife did not receive an oil massage, but a Permanent Wave treatment which was carried out as requested by her. Thereafter, our representatives visited the client in hospital to further inquire regarding her condition. 7. They subsequently met with the specialist who was treating the client, and were apprised by the specialist that the client was suffering with a skin disorder called 'Steven-Johnson Syndrome' and that this condition clearly cannot be attributed to the Permanent Waving Process. He stated that to the best of his professional expertise and experience, this condition is generally caused by complications due to internal medications taken and not due to any external application. 8. In view of the client's medical consultants' opinions, it became evident that her condition was clearly due to factors other than the Permanent Waving process, and that no fault could be attributable to us. 9. At no stage did any of our representatives undertake to pay any of the medical expenses of the client. On the contrary, we clearly indicated to the client's husband that since there was no connection between the Permanent Waving process and his wife's skin condition, we were not liable in any way to the client. |
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