Holding Salons Accountable for Chemical Burns

A Virginia woman has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against a JC Penney salon, alleging serious chemical burns to her scalp during a hair bleaching. These types of chemical burns are surprisingly common when getting hair dyed or bleached.

Three salon hair treatments are particularly associated with chemical burns to the scalp, including:

• Hair dyeing
• Hair bleaching
• Hair “relaxing”

All of these procedures require exposing the sensitive skin of the scalp to powerful chemicals. Because of these risks, salons must make sure to take proper precautions to prevent burns from occurring. Precautions include proper mixing of chemicals to ensure proper dilution, covering up areas of the skin that should not be exposed, and not leaving chemicals on the hair too long.

Proper dilution is key. If a stylist or technician is in a hurry and does not take proper measurements, the chemicals in the dye or bleach can be at too high of a concentration. When this occurs, even if the stylist only leaves the product in the hair for the recommended amount of time, damage can occur. Equally problematic is leaving the product on the hair too long. Skin should only be exposed to bleach for limited amounts of time, and care should be taken to determine whether or not the person receiving the treatment has sensitive skin.

Chemical burns from hair treatment are entirely preventable. If proper precautions are taken, no one should be injured by getting their hair dyed, bleached, or relaxed. If you have suffered a chemical burn due to a hair treatment, please consult with an experienced attorney regarding your case. A qualified lawyer can guide you through the process of determining whether or not proper precautions were taken.