Features of the profession of a hairdresser, undermining his health

Have you ever thought that a hairdresser – occupation hazardous to health. We've all been to the hairdresser at least once in our lives, and most of us assume that snapping scissors doesn't take much effort. However, the peculiarities of the profession of a hairdresser are such that already at a young age, many hair designers suffer from serious chronic diseases that they have received at work and from which they often have a disability. Let's consider why the hairdresser loses his health.

Ben Mones, designer, art director / technologist  and distributor of Jojo haircosmetic

Features of the profession of a hairdresser that undermine his health

Loyalty to your beloved clients and your profession often costs the hairdresser an exorbitant price – disability from diseases that he received at the workplace. Today, the profession of a hairdresser occupies the 11th position in the world in the ranking of the most popular specialties that attract young people. The education of a young apprentice hairdresser lasts on average about three years; in Germany, for example, today there are more than 125,000 employed hairdressers. But, unfortunately, many of the designers of hairdressing art are forced to part with their favorite business, and the reason for this – bad health.

Features of the profession of a hairdresser allow us to distinguish two groups of factors that negatively affect the state of his health:

• skin and respiratory problems caused by the contact of a specialist with various chemicals that he uses in his work;
• problems with the musculoskeletal system due to work with constant muscle tension and in uncomfortable positions.

As for the first group of factors, they are relatively obvious: the peculiarities of the profession of a hairdresser force him to constantly deal with hair dyes and various chemicals (including in aerosol form) that are used for styling). Dust, vapors, powders, particles  spray enter the body, lead to headaches, irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, cause the development of bronchial asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease.

In addition, constant contact with water, wet hair and chemicals during bleaching or dyeing becomes a strong stress for the skin, the cause of allergic and dermatological diseases on the skin, causing unbearable itching and turning work into torment.

With regard to the second group of factors, the reasons for the destructive effect on the health of hairdressers are not so obvious. However, according to statistics of occupational diseases, hairdressers and beauticians make up 47.3% of patients who visit a doctor with back pain. Representatives of other professions, such as salespeople, technicians and managers, complain of back pain much less frequently – about 34.4%. In the list of reasons that lead to the disability of hairdressers, diseases of the musculoskeletal system are the first. According to researchers, such diseases develop due to the fact that the characteristics of the profession require unilaterally tense and uncomfortable postures during washing. and cutting hair, tension in the lower back, sudden movements of the arms in the shoulder area, overexertion of the joints of the arms.

Let's also remember that often a hairdresser acts as an adviser, comforter, psychotherapist for a client. Wash, cut, style - it's & nbsp; far from everything that people expect when they go to the hairdresser. They are waiting for a show, waiting for a miracle, waiting for a confidential conversation. And all this – through suffering with a sore back from tension and inflamed hands from chemicals.

Wave your hand: features of the profession and joint problems

It may seem surprising to some, but such a joint problem as "tennis elbow" is inherent not only in athletes, but also in hairdressers. This problem arises due to constant tension in the shoulders and wrists, due to work in a pose when the arms are bent at the elbows and raised above shoulder level. The peculiarity of the profession is such that from this tense pose - when cutting, coloring and drying hair, when winding curlers on the client's hair - & nbsp; the hairdresser must sharply lower and raise his hands above shoulder level, hold them in this position for a long time, and then sharply lower and raise again – and all this with a tool in hand.

If such hand movements and posture changes are  repeatedly performed over a long period, then  anatomical changes occur in the elbow and shoulder joints, in the wrist, painful deviations begin at the  physiological level, when due to excessive tension of the shoulder joint suffer other organs. Hairdressers complain to the doctor about spasms and severe pain in the joints and muscles, often they are diagnosed with bursitis. Moreover, constant overload and the inflammatory processes that arise in connection with it can even lead to & nbsp; to osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint.

Keep your back: problems with the spine caused by the peculiarities of the profession

Hairdressers are characterized by "turtle neck" syndrome, when the cervical spine is shifted forward. This malposition of the head is often associated with a rounded back and the development of a stoop, as the profession requires frequent bowing while bathing and cutting a client's hair. In this case, the hairdresser is often forced to lean far forward, and then rise sharply back. It is known that some specialists tried to alleviate the condition of the back by doing part of the work while sitting on a chair, but this position rather aggravated the condition, as it forced the back to strain and the arms raised at the elbows. Thus, the pathological curvature of the spine in the lumbar region (lordosis) becomes another occupational disease of the hairdresser.

Let's note that even the most general view of the problem of occupational diseases of hairdressers makes an attempt to attract the attention of – and designers, and doctors of relevant specializations – to develop measures for the prevention of diseases that destroy the health of professionals in this industry. It may be necessary to develop a set of special rules that allow alternative movements that do not lead to a devastating effect on the body of young professionals and preserve their health.