Rinse — and wince?

Having your hair shampooed and your scalp massaged is a key — and typically relaxing — part of any salon appointment. The amount of time spent at the special sink usually depends on the extent of the cleansing and conditioning treatment.

The problem is that tilting your head back in a salon basin for too long can compress or tear the vertebral arteries that supply blood to the brain, potentially leading to a life-changing stroke . 3

It’s a common enough phenomenon that it has earned a colloquial name — “beauty parlor stroke syndrome” (BPSS).

A recent review of medical literature — published in May in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine — identified 54 cases of BPSS over 48 years. Forty-two originated at salons, while dental procedures resulted in eig

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