hi i was wondering if anyone knew if it was still possible to dye your hair following a craniotomy and if so how long after should you wait? Im due mine in 3 wks time, and obviously knowing this i’ve not been dyeing it but now im thinking i may just do it beforehand, but im not too sure. Any experiences of this or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
I have never dyed my hair, but was told when I got my staples out not to do it. I never asked how long to wait because as I said I have never done it. Sorry that wasn’t much help.
thats really helpful thanks, i didnt realise you would have to wait so long but had a feeling there’d be some restrictions. Not sure whether i should dye it before now. I know its the least of your problems when getting such a major op but i do dye mine all the time and not doing so is horrible!
HI!
I ask my doctor. The same question I had the craniotomy done on 041109, I ask my doctor 1 month later…He said yes. But I had to be careful with the staples it can burn due to the cuts…So i decided to go with naturals color hair…Well that’s my experience you should ask you doctor the worst he can said no for you to wait good luck and take care…god bless…
OOOPPPSSS…I didn’t even think to ask if I could dye my hair and dyed it maybe 3 months after the craniotomy…Sooo, can anyone tell me why u can’t dye your hair…what is the side effect? I didn’t have any burning or anything where the staples were.
My craniotomy was in December and my neurosurgeon told me to wait for the staples to be taken out and the scabbing to be completely healed, which took over 4 months. I had an unusually large bone flap (consisting of nine holes) and a scar from ear to ear with 30 staples. I would be sure talk to your doctor before making a decision to dye your hair. Take care!
thanks for the replies, wow sue sounds like it was pretty bad and / or large. How are you doing now? Also can anyone tell me what the score is with washing your hair afterwards? Is this a problem and if so for how long? I know it sounds ridiculous but i saw my neuro surgeon yesterday & he said quite a large section of hair needed to be shaved which im worrying about as well as the rest. All the best to all of you.
Sue Roth said:
My craniotomy was in December and my neurosurgeon told me to wait for the staples to be taken out and the scabbing to be completely healed, which took over 4 months. I had an unusually large bone flap (consisting of nine holes) and a scar from ear to ear with 30 staples. I would be sure talk to your doctor before making a decision to dye your hair. Take care!
Washing your hair after is a pain! It doesn’t feel as if you get any of it clean and it smelled so bad. After my staples were removed and went to get my hair cleaned up Linda (about 2 months post-op) used baking soda and gently scrubbed to help get all the nasty junk out of my hair and it really took the smell away. There was also a lot of hair that can out around the area where I had my staples, but I am guessing it was just broken from the staples. They also told me to use baby shampoo and to not stand under the water for too long. The thought of having my head shaved was upsetting, but to be honest I wish they would’ve shaved more hair was the last thing I wanted to worry about. After all is said and done it is only hair and will grow back.
Erin, I am doing quite well considering all I have been through in the past 6 months. My neurosurgeon is really amazed at how I am recovering. The whoosing sounds and really bad headaches are gone. Yea! I am still pretty sore, especially around the burr holes, however, Tylenol and Advil control this pretty well. Erin, things do get better! Thank you for asking. I completely understand all your concerns about your hair. It was one of my major concerns before the surgery. Looking back I wish I wouldn’t have worried about it so much. In reality it is just hair, it does grow back eventually and I am so thankful to be alive and getting back to being me again and feeling better than before the surgeries. After saying all that, it is still a very important issue! I was told to wait until after the staples were removed to wash my whole head (which was 18 days for me). I was able to wash the longer parts earlier being careful not to let the incision get wet. Once you do get to wash your whole head, it feels so great. My hair is coming back and it isn’t so bad after all. When is the surgery? I will be praying for you. God bless you.
Hi, thanks Jamie & Sue - v.useful to know these things so I can be prepared. I know hair is completely the last thing you should worry about but guess these things do creep in. Sue you sound like you’re doing brilliantly, well done and I wish you both all the best in your continued recoveries.
My surgery is two weeks time :-/ I get my last embolization on the Tuesday then the craniotomy on the day after. Very scary but I’m so looking forward to it hopefully being fully removed so I can get on with my life and enjoy it, as its been basically on hold for the last six months. Neurosurgeon reckons about a 10 hour op.
Sue Roth said:
Erin, I am doing quite well considering all I have been through in the past 6 months. My neurosurgeon is really amazed at how I am recovering. The whoosing sounds and really bad headaches are gone. Yea! I am still pretty sore, especially around the burr holes, however, Tylenol and Advil control this pretty well. Erin, things do get better! Thank you for asking. I completely understand all your concerns about your hair. It was one of my major concerns before the surgery. Looking back I wish I wouldn’t have worried about it so much. In reality it is just hair, it does grow back eventually and I am so thankful to be alive and getting back to being me again and feeling better than before the surgeries. After saying all that, it is still a very important issue! I was told to wait until after the staples were removed to wash my whole head (which was 18 days for me). I was able to wash the longer parts earlier being careful not to let the incision get wet. Once you do get to wash your whole head, it feels so great. My hair is coming back and it isn’t so bad after all. When is the surgery? I will be praying for you. God bless you.
Erin said:
Hi, thanks Jamie & Sue - v.useful to know these things so I can be prepared. I know hair is completely the last thing you should worry about but guess these things do creep in. Sue you sound like you’re doing brilliantly, well done and I wish you both all the best in your continued recoveries.
My surgery is two weeks time :-/ I get my last embolization on the Tuesday then the craniotomy on the day after. Very scary but I’m so looking forward to it hopefully being fully removed so I can get on with my life and enjoy it, as its been basically on hold for the last six months. Neurosurgeon reckons about a 10 hour op.
Sue Roth said:Erin, I am doing quite well considering all I have been through in the past 6 months. My neurosurgeon is really amazed at how I am recovering. The whoosing sounds and really bad headaches are gone. Yea! I am still pretty sore, especially around the burr holes, however, Tylenol and Advil control this pretty well. Erin, things do get better! Thank you for asking. I completely understand all your concerns about your hair. It was one of my major concerns before the surgery. Looking back I wish I wouldn’t have worried about it so much. In reality it is just hair, it does grow back eventually and I am so thankful to be alive and getting back to being me again and feeling better than before the surgeries. After saying all that, it is still a very important issue! I was told to wait until after the staples were removed to wash my whole head (which was 18 days for me). I was able to wash the longer parts earlier being careful not to let the incision get wet. Once you do get to wash your whole head, it feels so great. My hair is coming back and it isn’t so bad after all. When is the surgery? I will be praying for you. God bless you.
I was told by my neurosurgeon to wait 2 weeks (which is nothing!) after the staples were out to do it. My scar was healing pretty well, despite being sensitive. I waited about 5, just to be on the safe side. i think it is important to go to a hairdresser that you know and trust - who can carefully dye around the scar without touching it. My guy used a different dye than normal, one that wasn’t as harsh. I wouldn’t think that doing it yourself would be a good idea as you can’t see the whole head to do it properly and avoid the scar.
Cranitotomy in June … . . desperatley needed color…waited until mid August. Everything was fine and i continue to dye about every 8-10 weeks.
Yes, it is possible but its a good idea to see a good hairdresser who will use a milder dye. I had to wait about 6/7 months, but thats because I couldn,t talk very well. Good luck!
I had a full highlight done 2 weeks after the staples were removed. My hairdresser was just really careful around the scar. Good Luck!