allergic to hair dye ?

[always hopefull]

hi i was wondering if somebody can help me ,
ive recently grown allergic to hair dye , but not just mildly allergic , i had a servere reaction which left my face and neck covered in blisters , my scalp was a literal head of bisters , that became infected, my ears were burnt so much they became extremly infected , i ended up on anti biotics and steriod lotion for my scalp im suprised i dont have scars from it.
i was wondering if anybody else has experienced this before? and if anybody knows of anyway around this problem , because id really really like to dye my hair and its looking dull and u know how that saying goes, ' when your hair looks good you feel good ' i think it would make me feel better about myself,
so far having done my research and  whenyour allergic to dye your allergic and you cant use dye again ,
im just wondering if this really does mean i carnt?
please help
all advice taken x

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

I am glad I could be of help. If the reaction developed over time, this could be dependent on the concentration and exposure to the offending substance. The body usually responds to this in mild form but if  not seen, but it may accumulate sensitivity and the body responds to this severely. . This is also one reason why some hair dyes specify patch testing to confirm sensitivity before trying these hair products.

Do keep us posted with the results.

[always hopefull]

thank you for your reply , i had no idea i could be allergic to them other things aswell,
my doctor never advised me that i needed a patch test to see exactly what it is im allergic to , but alot of people have suggested i do need to ,
im defernatly going to ask for a patch test, as like you said i could be prone to being allergic to anesthetics which is a seriously dangerious thing,
you should have seen the state of my face and neck and scalp after the allergy incident it was truly an horrific site, and im really suprised my doctor didnt want to find out exactly what it was that i was allergic to ,
what i dont understand is how i can be fine using dyes then to all of a suddon reacting like i did, it wasnt somthing that just blew up once, i started to notice after dying my hair , i would get a little brown patch almost looking like a little birth mark apear realy small but on a couple of places on my face, but i didnt think anything of it , then along came the feeling of my scalp was burning then 1 day it really flared up  .
thank you for your post appreciate your time
take care too

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

Was there a patch test done to confirm your allergy? If you have an allergy to Paraphenylenediamine  (PPD ) and have your hair dyed, you should avoid the use of all oxidation type hair dyes. These are usually recognised by coming in a 2-bottle preparation. Alternatives may include semi-permanent hair dyes but 10% of individuals who are allergic to PPD also react to these. Patch testing to confirm sensitivity should also be performed prior to their use. Metallic hair dyes, henna, vegetable rinse hair dyes, and hypoallergenic hair dyes may be used but these do not provide permanent colouring. Currently there are no permanent oxidation type hair dyes that can be safely used by PPD allergic individuals.

Also, allergy to PPD may make you sensitive to other related compounds such as azo dyes, local anesthetics such as benzocaine and procaine; sulfonamides, sulfones, sulfa drugs:or  Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), used in sunscreens and creams. Avoid using products containing any of these substances as a precaution. I strongly recommend that you should discuss first with your dermatologist any plans of dyeing your hair even with the alternatives mentioned.

Take care ad regards.