Colouring Your Hair (Bleaching, Peroxide etc.)

[NARMAK]

So as the title implies, i have read that normal hair dye which don't contain hydrogen peroxide etc. are okay to use even as early as day 10 post-op, but for those that say wanted to bleach hair with hydrogen peroxide and then colour over this, even with say more "normal" hair dye, what period of time should somebody wait? 

I have had my hair bleached before in order to lighten it before colouring because when your hairs very dark like mine, it's a prerequisite to get it the right colour. 

Would 9 months post-op be okay yo try or still considered a risk? I was wanting to hold off as long as possible but my Birthday will be coming up around 9 months post-op and was thinking to get it professionally cut and style as almost lile a milestone if the hair has grown well. 

Thoughts? 

[ciaus]

Follicles are anchored into new blood supplies by 10 days and normal surface skin healing is done within the first few weeks. Depending on how fair skinned you are, there will be some general pink/redness that can take months to completely fade, but that's not the kind of redness indicating irritation or a proneness to irritation. Just a normal part of the long term healing process. There's no medical justification to wait more than a month.

[NARMAK]

3 hours ago, ciaus said:

Follicles are anchored into new blood supplies by 10 days and normal surface skin healing is done within the first few weeks. Depending on how fair skinned you are, there will be some general pink/redness that can take months to completely fade, but that's not the kind of redness indicating irritation or a proneness to irritation. Just a normal part of the long term healing process. There's no medical justification to wait more than a month.

Okay, that's interesting. I was thinking along the lines of how in the first 6 months or so, the hair follicles are growing, maturing and maybe the late bloomers just having sprouted, it could perhaps compromise their growth if you use hydrogen peroxide on those follicles and area. 

That's why i was hoping by Month 9, the hair would maybe be mature enough and fully sprouted to not really affect it. 

Hopefully we can also get a few more opinions and maybe people that have gone through the process. 

[ciaus]

I see what you mean. My last points for now: the rate of growth and cycles for the hairs above the skin are managed by the hair follicles under the skin that they grow out from. The hair shafts themselves that we see and cherish are not 'alive' in the sense you are thinking. Though they do need to be groomed and kept moisturized to look nice and healthy. But unless the topical ingredients are really toxic to human tissue in general, they'll have no contact or effect on the growth rate activity the follicles are doing below the skin.

The other main consideration are those hair shaft characteristics, which makes more sense to be concerned about like you are saying. Their texture, caliber/thickness that can take up to 12-18 months to fully mature. As long as you keep the hairs moisturized with products like hair conditioners and don't overdue it with styling products, you should be able to avoid a frizzy or frayed look. Maybe even look at blondish hair fibers and/or dermmatch to help bulk up those hairs so look like they are already fully matured. 

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by ciaus

[NARMAK]

5 minutes ago, ciaus said:

I see what you mean. My last points for now: the rate of growth and cycles for the hairs above the skin are managed by the hair follicles under the skin that they grow out from. The hair shafts themselves that we see and cherish are not 'alive' in the sense you are thinking. Though they do need to be groomed and kept moisturized to look nice and healthy. But unless the topical ingredients are really toxic to human tissue in general, they'll have no contact or effect on the growth rate activity the follicles are doing below the skin.

The other main consideration are those hair shaft characteristics, which makes more sense to be concerned about like you are saying. Their texture, caliber/thickness that can take up to 12-18 months to fully mature. As long as you keep the hairs moisturized with products like hair conditioners and don't overdue it with styling products, you should be able to avoid a frizzy or frayed look. Maybe even look at blondish hair fibers and/or dermmatch to help bulk up those hairs so look like they are already fully matured. 

 

Thanks for the detailed reply. I am not planning to bleach the hair till probably close to 9 months post-op so hoping everything aligns for then. Just something that i thought i would really like to do without slowing down or compromising the results in time for my birthday. 

[Al - Moderator]

Just for reference for guys who think you are going to ruin your grafts after the first week or two by putting something on them or even touching them. Back in the 1980s you were supposed to apply rubbing alcohol several times per day on the recipient area beginning on the 2nd day and you were supposed to apply hydrogen peroxide on the donor area (the FUT scar) several times per day also beginning on the 2nd day. In fact a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide were always included in the take home bag.

 

 

[NARMAK]

1 minute ago, BeHappy said:

Just for reference for guys who think you are going to ruin your grafts after the first week or two by putting something on them or even touching them. Back in the 1980s you were supposed to apply rubbing alcohol several times per day on the recipient area beginning on the 2nd day and you were supposed to apply hydrogen peroxide on the donor area (the FUT scar) several times per day also beginning on the 2nd day. In fact a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide were always included in the take home bag.

 

 

Well, thank goodness it looks like the science has evolved. 

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Narmark,

If you want my honest opinion, if you are going to dye your hair, use hair dyes with more natural ingredients. Don’t use bleach or hydrogen peroxide.  Hair can become brittle and break and it can cause permanent damage.  Frankly, harsh chemicals such as these can be very harmful to your hair and even damage the follicles to the point where hair can become thinner or even fall out.

While it’s true that the transplanted hair follicles attach themselves and become permanent around 10 days postop, flooding your scalp with dangerous chemicals that can seep into the pores and doesn’t seem like the best idea to me. If you are really insistent on using these chemicals on your hair, frankly, I would wait until the transplanted hair grows in and you’re at least 6 months postop.  

Remember, transplanted hair typically sheds between 4 to 6 weeks after surgery and only begins to grow back between 3 to 5 months after surgery. It takes up to a year to 18 months to fully mature.

This of course is my opinion.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Edited July 10, 2022 by Rahal Hair Transplant

[BaldDude]

And begs the question if the ingredients in topical medication like minoxidil, finasteride etc. can harm grafts as well?

[NARMAK]

11 minutes ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

Narmark,

If you want my honest opinion, if you are going to dye your hair, use hair dyes with more natural ingredients. Don’t use bleach or hydrogen peroxide.  Hair can become brittle and break and it can cause permanent damage.  Frankly, harsh chemicals such as these can be very harmful to your hair and even damage the follicles to the point where hair can become thinner or even fall out.

While it’s true that the transplanted hair follicles attach themselves and become permanent around 10 days postop, flooding your scalp with dangerous chemicals that can seep into the pores and doesn’t seem like the best idea to me. If you are really insistent on using these chemicals on your hair, frankly, I would wait until the transplanted hair grows in and you’re at least 6 months postop.  

Remember, transplanted hair typically sheds between 4 to 6 weeks after surgery and only begins to grow back between 3 to 5 months after surgery. It takes up to a year to 18 months to fully mature.

This of course is my opinion.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Thank you for your detailed response. My intention was to wait almost 9 months post-op around my birthday to do it, providing the hair has grown in well enough to style. 

Yes, using hydrogen peroxide can be harmful if not properly used so i'm hoping to make sure i have it done professionally or at least the people who help me use proper products and over a proper timeframe to not damage the hair. 

I used it once before i ever started medication and i can't be 100% certain, but i do have a feeling the hair that looked like it was on the way out and miniaturised may have been lost a little sooner and even starting medication like Dutasteride didn't really help bring them back. 

However i am much more hopeful that i will take enough care to not damage or compromise my results. 

I always wanted to try style out the hair and make it look its best and i want to reach my birthday as a milestone with other things as well.