Salon-style clinics lure consumers with risky skin and hair treatments in Bengaluru

Clinics styled as salons offering solutions for skin and hair problems are mushrooming across the city.

With assurances of resolving issues in a single session or overnight, such salons are attracting more consumers than dermatologists.

Recently, a woman filed an FIR against a beauty clinic after she underwent a treatment promoted on the clinic’s Instagram account.

To verify claims, DH contacted several premium salon clinics across the city about who performed treatments such as Oxygen facial, chemical peels, and other procedures for acne and pigmentation.

Seven out of 10 clinics had technicians conducting the procedures, while one clinic said a doctor would prescribe the treatment, but technicians would perform it.

Dermatologists across the city report frequent cases of chemical burns from chemical peels on compromised and sensitive skin, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, folliculitis and scalp infection from occlusive hair treatments, contact dermatitis, and nail cuticle damage, among others.

Speaking to DH, Dr Ravikiran Mahalank, Consultant, Dermatologist, said, “Procedures like lasers, chemical peels and microneedling are not just beauty rituals, they are controlled injuries designed to trigger healing. A medical evaluation is critical as there are underlying conditions for the issues noticed on the surface.”

Contraindications, depth and precision are to be checked and screened for before undertaking such procedures, said Dr Ravikiran.

About the reasons for people choosing treatment from such unsafe salons, Dr Priyanka Kuri, Consultant Dermatology, said, “In dermatology, there are no guarantees because the skin behaves in different ways for different people. Statements such as “permanent fairness”, “one-time fix”, or “zero downtime for everyone” are false. These salons also encourage people to undergo treatments that their skin is not ready for.”

The salons are also branded as aesthetic clinics. While some of them are by genuine dermatologists the others are run by cosmetologists.

Speaking about the differences and concerns, Dr Shireen Furtado, Senior Consultant, Medical and Cosmetic Dermatology said, “Cosmetology is just a branch of dermatology, which can be even done as an online course for a few months, and it is not close to the actual dermatology training.”

“There are currently no clear guidelines distinguishing salons from dermatology clinics that offer aesthetic procedures like lasers and fillers. However, all of these treatments should be performed by a dermatologist,” Dr Shireen added.