Hi,

I have been told by a friend that you can't color your hair for 3 month after having the surgery. Does anyone know if this is true??

I'm a hair dresser and have been for over 20 yrs. I have never heard that.

All your Dr what he or she thinks though.

I'd be in trouble because I've colored and highlighted mine (2 separate events) since surgery four weeks ago. I've never heard anything like that.

I had mine colored 8 weeks after surgery and haven't had any problems so far.

Never heard that. Your hair is probably going to get thinner, no matter what you do, so maybe the thinking is to be as gentle on it as possible?

I was told to avoid hair treatments for a year. It's not a hard and fast rule, more of a suggestion. Hair loss from 3-9 months out is common and can be anywhere from barely noticeable to severe. I think the thought is to try to minimize the hair loss by avoiding chemical treatments and to use gentle hair products. My hair was more dry and brittle after surgery and I experienced quite a bit of hair loss which finally tapered off in March. My hairdresser noticed last week that I have a lot of new hair growth so for now I'm keeping it short while the new hair catches up to this length. I plan to hilight it at my next cut in August.

A common myth is that Biotin will prevent hair loss. Also that getting all your Protein will prevent it. Neither PREVENTS hair loss, but both can provide the nutrients your hair needs to maintain health of existing hair and new hair when it starts. Hair loss is caused by the physical stress to your system due to surgery and rapid weight loss, (it can also be caused by emotional stress and pregnancy). The hair loss begins 3-4 months following the stress trigger and can last for 4-6 months before stopping and new hair growth begins. You can Google WLS+hair loss for a more detailed explanation.