My old school friend, Christopher, read my previous posting about herceptin and hair tinting and sent this response to me via facebook. I find it so fascinating htat have decided to repost it here. Oh and by the way, he is a professor of chemistry I think it is (cannot remember now) in the US. Either way, he is someone I respect and trust:
Saw your "From Under my Hat" musings about use of tints / dyes / colourants. I would side with your former head nurse, and encourage you to wait. The chemicals in these processes (those needed to facilitate penetration of the colouring agent, as well as the colouring agents themselves) are rough on living cells. Anything that can promote penetration into hair will promote penetration into cells. Also, anything that gets into the hair can travel along it on the inside and reach the root. The dividing cells in the root already took a pummeling from the anti-cancer drugs, so it would be best to pamper to them for a while.
I live in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Thursday January 15 2009. This is my journey with cancer and other musings as surveyed - initially temporarily hairless - from under my hats.
Showing posts with label herceptin and hair tinting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label herceptin and hair tinting. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
herceptin and hair tinting
Erica the head nurse who resigned and who has now left the oncology centre I go to, told me that I should not tint my hair for six months after I finish herceptin as the roots/whatever are still fragile.
Does anyone know if this is so? My hair itself has often been sore so I am reluctant to go against this advice - but wondering... would love to add some colour to my hair and now that it's so curly, not much I can do with it style-wise either. Trying to grow it cos thought a curly top would be fun but not sure how long that will last - next week maybe? - and if I cut it in a close crop, then more grey bits show and I cannot stand that.
Oh ... realise these are not serious worries. Just curious.
Oh and highlights - those don't affect the roots, or do they?
Does anyone know if this is so? My hair itself has often been sore so I am reluctant to go against this advice - but wondering... would love to add some colour to my hair and now that it's so curly, not much I can do with it style-wise either. Trying to grow it cos thought a curly top would be fun but not sure how long that will last - next week maybe? - and if I cut it in a close crop, then more grey bits show and I cannot stand that.
Oh ... realise these are not serious worries. Just curious.
Oh and highlights - those don't affect the roots, or do they?
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