Last week, NCIS star Pauley Perrette was rushed to the hospital because of a severe reaction to hair dye. Fortunately, she was fine-she even documented her hospital visit on Twitter ( and posted a pretty gruesome picture), urging her half a million followers to learn about the warning signs of a reaction to dye. While reactions like Perrette's are rare (about one in 250,000 people are allergic) they can be really serious. Here's what you need to know.
Perrette, a natural blonde, told CBS Los Angeles that she first noticed a rash all over her scalp and neck about six months ago. She ignored it, and continued dying her hair black. When she dyed it again just last week, her face and eyelids began to swell. These are all signs of-you guessed it-an allergic reaction. 'Types of reactions are variable and range from redness and itching to severe swelling,' says Joshua Zeichner, assistant professor of dermatology and director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. 'Sometimes the face, including eyelids can be affected as hair dye may inadvertently touch those areas when it is being rinsed from the hair. Since the dye is permanent, severe allergic cases can be a challenge to treat. Either the dye has to be removed, even partially with clarifying shampoos, their hair must be cut off, or you may need to take a medication my mouth to reduce inflammation.' A more minor reaction can be treated with a topical steroid or oral anti-inflammatory.
Reactions like Perrette's are caused by a molecule called p-phenylenediamine (PPDA or pPD) that's found in most dark (brown, black, etc.) hair dyes. You can also find the molecule in other dark-colored cosmetics and tattoos. You may not know you're allergic right away. You body can develop an immune reaction to the molecule over time. If you notice swelling, rash, or redness, those could be a sign that you're allergic. The only way to really know if you're allergic, unfortunately, is to actually have a reaction to PPD, says Zeichner. 'If you have a history of eczema, contact dermatitis, or sensitive skin, then you may want to avoid the dyes,' he says. (If you bleach your hair and other light color dyes, you don't have to worry about PPD- according to the Baylor College of Medicine, since those formulas usually don't contain it.)
If you have a hair-dye allergy, the typical route is to use henna or all-natural hair color. They're both good options, but take hours to process and aren't nearly as effective at tackling gray hair. Which is why it's so exciting that Wella Professionals is releasing a salon-only hair color this September that doesn't contain any PPD. Instead, the Wella Koleston Perfect Innosense dye has a new molecule called Me+, that has a unique shape that bypasses T-cells, the cells in your body that power your immune system. If your body's T-cells don't recognize the molecule as an allergen, you won't develop an allergy to it. I expect that the new dye will be a holy grail product for women like Perrette with a serious allergy to PPD.
RELATED LINKS: * 8 Ways to Save Your Hair Color * The 10 Commandments of Gorgeous Hair Color * 8 Aging Hair-Color Mistakes-and How to Fix Them
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