Conference moira::parenting_v3

    My ob said it was fine to have a perm while pregnant.  I had one
    when I was about 6 weeks, my sister had one when she was 8 months.
    Both babies are fine, altho my sister's son does have curly hair!
    
    :-)
    
    Lynne
    

    This was discussed in V2.  My ob recommended against perms, hair 
    coloring, etc. throughout pregnancy.   He said that the chemicals
    can absorb into the blood stream through the scalp, and while
    there is no hard proof of any birth defects/damage, he felt it was
    an unnecessary risk.   A modest sacrifice, in my opinion.
    
    Carol

    Also a good idea to stay away from that stuff if tou are nursing.
    
    Try hair staining - it's veggie based.
    

    My hairdresser told me that perms do not "take" as well during
    pregnancy. Save your money!! 

    I asked by OB/GYN the same question.  He said, "Are you putting
    it on your hair or are you drinking the stuff?"
    
    I had my hair colored all through my pregnancy and was blessed
    with a beautiful, healthy baby.  If you aren't comfortable
    with the idea of coloring/perming your hair while you are preggo,
    then don't do it.

    
    Well, you may be putting it on your hair but for most perms the
    solution indeed gets all over your scalp (probably not true for
    frosting where you wear a cap) and that is where the absorption
    occurs, to the best of my knowledge.
    
    But, like you say, whatever you're comfortable with.

I never had any problem.  I've heard that your hair changes when you are
pregnant, and a perm may not take.  But as I said, I've never had any
problem.

As far as scalp absorption goes, does that mean you also shouldn't use
shampoo?  Conditioner?  Body lotion?  Perfume?  ...

    My OB's recommendation was that since the scalp, like the rest of
    your skin, does absorb chemicals (did you know that if you sat in
    a tub of wine, you'd get drunk?), and there's a lot of unavoidable 
    exposure to various chemicals, it was best to reduce accidental
    and discretionary exposure to that sort of thing as much as you
    could.  
    
    That was also his philosophy on dietary restrictions and other
    stuff -- yes, you should avoid all this stuff, but one or two
    exposures weren't likely to cause problems.  
    
    --bonnie

    MY ob said avoid. Plus my hair isn't its normal self during my
    pregnancies. It grows like crazy and has no body. I would love a perm
    but would be afraid it would grow out in 6 weeks. My mother's hair changed
    color during her pregnancies (dark blonde to brunette) because of the
    hormone changes. So funny stuff definitely does happen with your hair.
    I think I'd be more afraid of looking like little orphan Annie then
    harming the baby!
    
    It is a personal choice and depends upon your own feelings on the
    issue.
    
    Andrea           

    All you noters who think it's a modest sacrifice not to perm your hair
    while pregnant must have naturally great hair! :*) At the advice of my
    hairdresser and OB, I waited till the 2nd trimester to get my perm but
    it was a long wait, what with feeling absolutely lousy and having to
    look it too!. (not to mention the extra time spent on your unpermed
    hair in an already awful, running late morning trying to get it to look 
    undead.)
    
    My hairdresser said the major problem was with the way the perm would 
    "take" and in my case, it "took" tighter than usual, but he said the
    curl usually comes out too quickly instead so he compensated for that.
    
    For what its worth, the latest addition of EXPECTING magazine (the ones 
    you get for free at your OB's office) says that you should NOT have any
    type of chemical treatment done to your hair in the first trimester and
    advises against it for the remainder of the pregnancy as well. The
    article said that high doses of these types of chemicals have been
    shown to be dangerous. But it did mention that the amount likely to be 
    absorbed through the scalp was probably negligible and they suggested 
    that you have good ventilation during the application of the chemicals.
    
    
     Sandy

    Yes, your hair and your attitude toward yourself and the way you
    look is certainly a factor -- I think that's why my OB put it the
    way he did, so his patients can be aware of the issues and make
    informed decisions about what are necessary exposures and what are
    unnecessary risks. 
    
    --bonnie

          <<< Note 357.8 by TLE::RANDALL "living on another planet" >>>
                            -< cut down the total >-

>> (did you know that if you sat in
>> a tub of wine, you'd get drunk?)

Uh oh, and here I've been bragging about not having touched a drop
of alcohol in almost 3 years!!

Liz :-).

    i got 2 perms when i was pregnant and my little ones fine...the perm
    also took as always.......the only thng that would probably be a factor
    to consider is inhaling the fumes.......
    
                                                                  tami
    

    I have had minor psorasis for the past few years, but while I was
    pregnant it *really* flared up.  A common treatment for psorasis is
    steroid-based medicine.  My dermatologist gave me a minor solution to
    use while I was pregnant (and nursing) and told me that about 1% of a
    topical solution gets into your blood stream.
    
    So, you can judge whether 1% of the perm solution is more than you want
    to reach your baby.
    
    judy

    
    I have very thin and straight hair and have always gotten
    bodywaves. Is it safe to have one while you are pregnant?
    The other issue I've heard is that if you do they don't
    really take? 
    
    Has anyone had one? What were the results?
    
    My doctor said it was ok.

    Not so sure of whether the body waves would "take" during pregnancy,
    but my husband's sister is a hairdresser and had worked well into both
    her pregnancies, and delivered two beautiful healthy children.  She
    continued doing perms, colors and such right until she stopped working.
    
    FWIW
    Lyn

    I had a perm during my last pregnancy and the perm took very well.  The
    only drawback was that my hair grew so fast that the perm grew out
    faster than normal also.
    
    I had also heard of women who had perms that didn't take during
    pregnancy, but I don't know anyone who had this problem.
    
    FWIW,
    
    -Joy
     

    I've heard it's not safe to perm hair while pregnant but I was
    wondering if it's safe to highlight hair.  This is the process 
    where a plastic bag is placed over the head and the hairs are pulled 
    out and lightened.  I've always done this in the past to brighten
    my dull dirt blond hair but of course will stop if it's harmful
    in any way!
    
    My hairdresser says its safe because it's not getting into the scalp
    like perms and full coloring and she's done it to several woman
    while pregnant.     
    
    Has anyone done this while expecting or heard anything about it?

    My OB told me it is ok to Perm & Color hair while pregnant....
    
    I would think highlighting would be even less harmful...
    
    Kristen

    I always thought the only problem with perms during pregnancy is that,
    because of the changes your body is going through, your hair may react
    differently than normal, possibly not taking a perm at all.  I guess
    that might apply to highlighting as well, but it doesn't seem likely to
    be harmful.
    
    Any trained haircare people out there?
    
    -Tracy
    

    
    
    Although I have'nt worked in a salon in YEARS I did complete school
    and receive my state licence in cosmetology.
    I don't remember anything being said in class about chemical work
    (perms,colors etc.) being unsafe for a pregnant woman.
    I myself had a perm done during pregnancy with no problems.
    
    However I think the smell of a perm might be enough for a expectant
    mommy to lose her morning meal ;)
    
    
    Kathy

    
    I called the poison contol centre in our town (part of our children's
    hospital) they also answer calls about risks to pregnant mother. I 
    specifically asked if there was any problem with hair-colouring or
    highlighting, as well as perming (for a friend who wanted to do it).
    I think she was smiling when she said "not a problem at all! Go pamper
    yourself!" 
    Recommendations (re: -1) make your appointment early in the day. This
    way you're less likely to have to wait, as well, there are less fumes
    in the air from other chemicals. I always used to worry about going
    to a salon anyway, since sitting around in a cool room with a wet 
    head and breathing in fumes always gave me a migraine.
    As for highlighting, there are three ways they usually do it:
    1/ put the tight rubber cap on, and pull the hair through. This is
       good because it prevents most of the chemical from coming in contact
       with the scalp
    2/ painting the hair with a brush - a lot of home kits use this method
       but in order to get a nice even look, some of the dye or bleach ends
       up close to or on the scalp.
    3/ painting with foil - the hairdressers parts the hair into sections,
       puts foil under the section, then paints the hair, folds the foil up
       to close that section, and starts on another. Having just had this
       done, I can say that this seemed the best way to ensure little or
       nothing gets onto the scalp, also the most painless procedure.
    
    As for perms, people have told me that perms have varying results
    (during pregnancy) depending on the person. Sometimes they work fine,
    sometimes they have unexpected results.
    
    Just my 0.02 worth....
    
    Monica
    

    Is this "home confession hour?", I'm a *do-it-yourselfer* and have been
    doing my own hair color for many years.  I use the same things as the
    beauty shops, and have received instructions from both of my
    sister-inlaws who are trained in cosmetology.  I found the fumes to
    make me feel a little queasy at times, but I could honestly say they
    certainly didn't have any effect on my pregnancy.
    
    My sister-inlaw is a hairdresser, and worked through most of both of
    her pregnancies, and delivered beautiful healthy children both times.
    She did complain that the fumes (and perfumes) seemed to get to her a
    lot during her early stages however.  She made me know that wearing
    rubber glove, to keep the chemicals from being absorbed through the
    skin is very important!
    
    Like someone else said, go ahead pamper yourself!
    Lyn