This article is from page 3 of the 2006-11-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
ALLEGATIONS of a very bad hair day for an Ennis woman are to be heard at Ennis Circuit Court later this month.
The 44-year old woman is seeking damages from a Clare salon for personal injuries, loss, damage, inconvenience, embarrassment and expense following a perm that went wrong three years ago.
She says she suffered a bald patch of 18cm by 15cm after a hair treatment.
Already, the woman has spent €2,372 on doctor’s fees, medical reports and specialist conditioners on which €1,560 has been spent.
According to documents lodged with Ennis Circuit Court, the woman attended the salon on May 26, 2003 and agreed to use a home-grown perming solution to have her hair straightened.
The documents state that the woman’s scalp began to feel hot and irritated, after the solution was applied to her scalp.
Later that day, the woman’s scalp became itchy and the next day her hair started to fall out. She also noticed a bad smell coming from her scalp.
The woman then went to her local GP and he, “noticed the scalp to be red, flaky and irritated with exclamation mark hairs. A diagnosis of acute eczematous reactions, possibly secondary to the perm solution, was made”.
The woman then went to see a consultant dermatologist who concluded that the woman, “experienced quite a severe irritation on her scalp leading to a development of a large patch of alopecia on her scalp following the application of the perming solution.
“She felt that both the scalp and the alopecia were recovering and that she would have perfectly normal hair within a few months. The advisor was of the opinion that the alopecia and scalp hair irritation were most likely caused by chemical burns and the application of the perming solution to her scalp but she felt she was recovering well from that.”
The document continues, “The woman notes that her hair has regrown, it is of a different quality than the pre-damaged hair and the woman has been depressed as a result of the matters complained of.
“The woman also notes that her hair is still much dryer than it used to be and has required specialised conditioners. The scalp still remains intermittently quite itchy, particularly at night and it upsets her sleep pattern.”
The case is listed for trial at the next civil sittings of Ennis Circuit Court.