Probe on beauty salons begins

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

The Cosmetic Devices and Drugs Control Authority began inspecting beauty salons and barber salons in the Colombo district yesterday. The inspections will continue throughout this month. There are over 57,000 salons operating in Sri Lanka, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, the main objective of inspecting beauty salons and barber salons is to streamline their services and to ensure the safety and well-being of the public who patronize these salons to obtain beauty treatment and hair cuts.

"Salons throughout the country will be inspected by Regional Directors of Health Services and provincial Health Directors. They have been given powers to carry out inspections," he said.

The Health Ministry took this decision after the recent death of a female school teacher after undergoing a facial at a beauty salon in Negombo. There are a number of beauty salons scattered countrywide but some are run by unqualified personnel. It is discovered that some salons use unregistered and expired products for beauty treatment.

'A person can die within 20 minutes if he or she gets an allergy by using expired, unregistered and low quality chemicals, he added.

Women should be careful when obtaining services of beauty salons and parlours and check the standards of their staff and products used in beauty treatment to avoid any health complications, the spokesman said.