Going Gray after a Hysterectomy

Many hysterectomy patients notice a bit more gray growing in after surgery, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the hysterectomy caused it. Your hair starts turning gray when your color-producing cells stop producing pigment; it is a natural part of the aging process. For many people, this starts in their 30s, and most everyone will have some amount of gray hair by their 50s.

While the hysterectomy itself may not have triggered your sprouting grays, the stress related to the operation may have played a role. Stress, however, does not directly cause gray hair either. It causes hair to fall out faster, which requires the body to replace hair faster. Since the hair is having to be replaced so much faster, your body has to start prioritizing, and color often gets pushed to the bottom of the list (we all have that one item at the bottom of our list, right?).

Many women choose to use an at-home dye kit to cover up their grays. One HysterSister suggests using the semi-permanent that gradually washes out to avoid that obvious line where your roots are growing out. Some find, however, that the box dyes are no longer effective on their hair, and they opt to go to a professional. Still, others choose to embrace their new grays as tiny, shiny badges of honor.

So whether you choose to cover your grays with dye or wear them as a badge of honor, know that they are a normal part of the aging process.

This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support. Reprinted with permission: Going Gray after a Hysterectomy

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