Looks like surgery is going to happen for me. My NS said he can shave very little of my hair (thank God!) How long before you can wash your hair after the surgery? what about coloring it?
Hi there
I felt exactly the same. My surgeon was very careful how much he shaved and now at 4 weeks post surgery if I straighten my hair down I can hide pretty much my whole scar. I had staples after surgery that were removed at day 10 and hair first washed at day 14. I was freAking out before surgery about not washing it for 2 weeks but it really was ok… It was oily but I just kept it up. Not itchy or anything and really didn’t look to bad…
In regards to colouring your hair, I got mine done fairly natural with a few highlights a few days before surgery as my surgeon told me in no u certain terms at least 2 to 2 and a half months before thinking of putting any colour anywhere near the wound. I am in a wedding party during this time so that freaked me but going a fairly natural colour with minor highlights is holding up pretty well…
Try not to worry to much I let it really get to me before surgery and it hasn’t been so bad
Hope this helps
I was the Same washing my hair at least every 2 days. Now I find I am washing closer to every 4 days and hair is fine. Still using a baby shampoo as recommended by hospital as it is more gentle on wound, which seems to be working really well… There’s a pic of my scar at 3 weeks on my page if you want to see .
Becki Bowling said:
12 weeks??? I can’t stand to go 2 days without washing me hair. yikes. I will have my hubby color my hair just before the surgery. Thanks!
Totally understand… It will just be the initial period and that depends on whether they use staples or stitches as to how long for the first wash…
Becki Bowling said:
I will use baby shampoo if that is what it takes. I just can’t stand the feeling of not washing it. If I don’t feel clean I am miserable.
Melkay44 said:I was the Same washing my hair at least every 2 days. Now I find I am washing closer to every 4 days and hair is fine. Still using a baby shampoo as recommended by hospital as it is more gentle on wound, which seems to be working really well… There’s a pic of my scar at 3 weeks on my page if you want to see .
Becki Bowling said:12 weeks??? I can’t stand to go 2 days without washing me hair. yikes. I will have my hubby color my hair just before the surgery. Thanks!
Although it's not as good as the real thing dry shampoo helps too.
I washed my hair 7 days after my surgery & colored it about 6 weeks later. You have to have a good colorist. It's easy to miss the incision. It does feel funny when you just let water flow over your incision in the shower. You will do great !!!
Well, I can offer a slightly different perspective on this, as I am a student hairdresser and esthetician. When it comes to washing your hair, this is gonna sound silly, but wean yourself off of washing your hair. Try 2 days, then 3 days, and so forth and so on. It will help your scalp adjust to not being washed as much and your hair will not feel as oily as if you'd just abruptly stopped. As for color, have it done as close to before the surgery as possible. Most people don't need to color more often than every 6-8 weeks. :)
I showered and washed my hair the 2 days after surgery with the baby shampoo the hospital gave me. My post op instructions said not to color it until my 8 week post op appt but I only made it 6 weeks. I had to get rid of the grey.
Good luck!
Diana
I showered and shampooed my hair 3 or 4 days after my survey, but I was glued, not stapled. My husband got in the shower with me ( not easy in the tiny showers at the hospital) and very gently washed me. Then my mom combed my hair out and towel dried it gently ( no blowdryer tht soon) At home baby shampoo around the incision, and regular shampoo every where else, with liquid dry shampoo between helped me feel better. Just remember baby shampoo is actually harsher than regular ( higher pH) in order to get rid of cradle cap. It is used on zipperheads because it’s free of dyes and perfumes. My husband washed my hair for me until I was healed pretty well because I only used the baby hampoo around the incision.
I washed my hair the second day in the hospital with assistance and washed it every couple of days after. Once the stitches were taken out I was able to wash it daily again. I used Dove shampoo and conditioner.
I had surgery on a Monday and on post-op day 4 the nurses helped me to take a shower and wash my hair with the staples in. My discharge instructions said I could shower and wash my hair daily. My incision felt a little numb but it felt good to shower. I washed it daily when I got out of the hospital. I had my staples out on post-op day 8. I am almost 5 weeks post op now and my incision has healed without infection. My hair is long and my NS brought my hair up and shaved very little. You would never know I had surgery when looking at the back of my head. I had my decompression in Milwaukee by Dr. Heffez. My recovery has been slow, as he also did several partial and total laminectomies while he was in there.