Question:
can you still dye your hair????

I am a pre-op, surgeron has my approval, waiting now for my surgery date. Iam taking 31/2 months off from work. Question is,if we loose alot hair after surgery, whats going to happen if you dye your hair?? I have to dye my hair atleast a couple of weeks prior to returning to work but I don't want to go bald!!! Has anyone dyed their hair and kept it??? Can you recomend a gentle hair dyed if I can't use the good stuff ???? Thanks    — Laura G. (posted on November 10, 2001)

November 10, 2001
I have been dying my hair since about 4 weeks post op. i do have some hair loss but find when I am using the conditioner that comes with the hair color it actually is a little less. I have found that the Open I think that it is Loreal not sure but any way it is very gentle and has worked the best so far. My support group says that my surgery got me to lossing weight and made me a blonde. Good Luck.
   — Robin C.

November 10, 2001
I had my hair highlighted at two months post op. My stylist used an extra strong conditioner to help my hair. My hair looks great and in fact seems to be in better shape than before the surgery. I was worried it would all fall out, but the opposite happened and now I have no fears about getting it highlighted again in a couple of months
   — Traci H.

November 10, 2001
My hair dresser, (an award winning one with his own line of hair care & spa products), told me to skip the highlighting before surgery----I was due for one about 1 week before my surgery. Instead we did a great super conditioning treatment to get my hair in great shape before the surgery and anesthesia. The anesthesia can cause more problems than the trauma of surgery, and last for over a month post-op! I was also told not to get it colored or highlighted till 6 weeks post-op. Belive me at 6 weeks to the day, I was sitting in the chair getting it colored, trimed and highlighted. We used just a few permanent highlights, and a semi-permanent coloring, also with a great heat conditioning treatment. I'm now 5 1/2 weeks later and my hair is in the best shape that it has ever been----no loss, no color problems, and best yet, I may be able to go another few weeks before getting a touch up coloring and trim. My advise is to get the best professional work you can----you don't want to end up with breakage, or problems if you try to do it yourself.
   — Sue F.

November 10, 2001
Just like Robin below, I too lost weight and went "blonde" for the journey. Oh what fun to be skinny and blonde!!
   — BethVBG

November 10, 2001
I had my first child with a c-section, and the put me totaly under. I had some hair loss after that but I thought it was due to my child pulling on my hair, i never thought that it was the anistedic. anyway I had always died my hair, and I feel that it makes no difference. your dieing the outer hair not the inner folicles. Best Wishes!
   — [Anonymous]

November 10, 2001
I had my hair highlighted about 5 days pre op and again about 2 months post op. I noticed slower hair growth (usually roots show at 6 weeks). At just over 3 months post op and about 4 weeks after the last dye job I again notice slower growth but have no hair loss and good nail growth. I am a vegetarian and use protein shakes about every other day for a bit of protein boost.
   — Elle H.

November 10, 2001
I had my hair colored at 3 months post op. I have a LOT of hair and did lose some at about 4-6 months post op but you certainly couldn't tell. Between the weight loss and the hair color my self esteem really went up. If you are going to color it yourself I would recommend that you use a good product and condition often. The hair color isn't what makes you lose your hair it's the anesthesia and not enough protein intake that causes the hair loss. Good luck.
   — georgiacarol

November 11, 2001
Laura, I've been dying my hair a long time. I color it every 4 or 5 weeks because my hair grows quickly. It's very grey underneath, and the color I have been using is quite dark, so if I didn't have my hair colored, it would look pretty strange! (*Grin*) My surgery happened between 2 colorings so I didn't have to think about what would happen. The color itself is now a little lighter and I have had even lighter highlights put in so there is less demarcation where the hair grows in (less of a difference between the dark and the white). I am coming up on Week #8 now. If my hair does start to thin, I'll just cut it short and let it go grey for a while, and when it comes back in, I'll color it again.... You just have to pick what you want to have happen.
   — Marjorie B.