Question:
Perming the hair

Hello All I wanted to know about perming of tha hair. I was told from a few people that had the WLS that you couldnt put any chemicals on the hair. Im a African american woman and the others that told me know were not As i look at all the pics I see that the hair still looks the same, straight and silky .    — BAYBEE T. (posted on July 13, 2005)

July 13, 2005
While I have no specific information on this, I have one African American friend who still has her hair done on a regular basis after her RNY. She suffered some hair loss, especially after having some curly pieces put in, but it didn't seem dramatic, and wasn't even especially noticeable to anyone but her. I hope someone else will have a more substantive answer for you.
   — Jeanie

July 13, 2005
Hell TrayC, I am afro american also I've never heard of this personally but my hair has fallen out pretty bad so I ended up cutting the perm of and applyed an texterizer on it so far so good I mean you have to test these things out for yourself people tend to tell you stuff that may infact not be true therefore I would find out on my own and ask questions that soley applies to myself but it do not hurt to get it straight from someone that has delt with any hair lose, me being one of those people I tryed and it wasn't for me so perming your hair is something you yourself have to deal with. Good luck hope this was enough info to get things rolling for you always Brenda Camp
   — Brenda C.

July 13, 2005
Hello, I think that you need to consult your stylist, becasue everyone is differnt, some people have healthier hair than others...in my opinion if your hair is health prior to WLS you probably can go ahead with a perm, but if your hair is damaged or already in bad shape I would not put a perm in...but remember some people..notice I said some people do not have loss of hair..my beautician told me that even though my hair is healthy that just in case my hair does thin due to surgery, we were going to wait to perm it again, and for right now I could get some human hair briads(human hair is softer and lighter on your hair, suppose to braiding with synthetic)
   — PHA STAR

July 13, 2005
I am 7 months post op from a DS and I put micros in my hair a month after surgery. I have since gone to a stylist for a perm and my hair has stayed very healthy. I had the normal thinning from taking the braids out but other than that I have had very little thining even after a perm or even side effects from the surgery. I try not to use my curling iron too much and I sit under a dryer after I wrap my hair and everything seems to be fine.
   — davesband1

July 13, 2005
As an AA woman, I can testify that it's not bad. I have been doing my own hair - perms, etc - for over 10 years and am 14 months post op. Other than the thinning from the surgery I have not had any issues with a perm messing up my hair. But like with everything else, everyone is different. I hope this helped. Tanya.
   — Tanya G.

July 14, 2005
I personally think it depends on the person and if their hair is healthy from the start even before wls. I had thin hair in the front before wls and it thinned even more due to lack of enough protein the first 6 months. Not everyone loses their hair or it thins out as I have read responses about it asked time and time again. I personally have seen others in my support group and everyone including the men have the thinning whether they eat the required amounts of protein or not. I feel if you want to perm your hair then do so before or after wls. I do agree with one poster about the braids that using human hair is lighter on the pulling of your real hair. I think also that it has to do with who braids it also cause of the way the person pulls or manipulates your hair while they braid it. It can cause damage if it is too tight and pulling from the scalp. Start taking a hair and nail vitamin now like Biotin 3000 mcg a day or Hair & Nail vitamin. Can be found cheaper at Walmart or Walgreens.
   — mspisces