Hair growing success stories

konakat

Oooh, I'm so jealous of those that have fast growing hair!!  Mine has always grown slow, but this is ridiculous.  I started to get fuzz when I had a break after A/C to get my margins cleared in August 07.  It kept growing a bit through Taxol which I finished the end of October. 

I have a wonderful 1.5 inch curly mop on top of my head but the back and sides are short (1/2 inch) close to my head and slick as a seal.  The sides I can still see my scalp unless I brush it just so and hold my head at a certain angle...

I look like a mangy calico cat -- greyish (WTF??) roots, dark brown ends that took my hair dye and golden in between!!  I swear, if it starts thinning when I start taking tamoxifin I'll scream!!

I'm heading out today to get the Biotin and Nioxin shampoo that everyone recommends -- hope it works.

JoelKM

I just bought some Nioxin for my wife. I hope she doesn't take it the wrong way.

carolsd

Jim, you rock.  You're such a great support!

My last chemo was in Jan 05 (3 years ago!) and my hair started coming back in Feb 05. The milestones are so exciting. I remember catching sight of my reflection in a mirror and seeing a "shadow" like a 5 o'clock shadow on my head. By summer, I had enough hair for a "short do" but I hadn't worn short hair previously so I still felt a little self-conscious. By fall I was able to go about without hat/scarf/whatever and my hair was so soft and curly I loved it.

By late fall 05 I had enough hair that I felt "normal" again. I kept growing it, and it came in thick and full (and remains so today!) to the point that my b/f started bugging me to get it cut short again because we started dating when I had short hair and he liked it.

One thing I can confirm, I am less worried about my hair being perfect. I used to get so nervous during haircuts but not now. After having NO hair, I don't worry about the cut being a little short or something I don't like. I know it will grow back!

On those mornings when I am struggling to get my hair styled for work, I sometimes miss not having hair to worry about! It was very liberating! But of course I am glad to have hair again. I think the whole experience made me grateful for my hair and not willing to take it for granted anymore. And more mellow about it generally.

paige-allyson

I finished chemo on 10/6/07 and stopped wearing a wig the day after Thanksgiving. This picture was taken today, not my preferred style but oh so much better than bald. My husband says I look like Barack Obama. I'm assuming this is a compliment but I think a few more inches probably wouldn't hurt. Allyson

twink

I too remember these milestones...not so distant past milestones.  I posted a few pics here recently.  http://community.breastcancer.org/topic/6/conversation/696909?page=2#idx_45

janet11

Drool (*sigh*).  I finished chemo in January 2007 and I still have lots of scalp visible.  My hair is growing, but it's SO thin that even though it's dark, it practically looks invisible.  I use gel, etc just to make the hair shaft thicker for more coverage.

I'm on Rogaine per my onc, and guess I need to find Nioxin too.  Thanks to the Rogaine (I think), the main bald spots now have a 5 oclock shadow.

Just one of those things that they don't talk about before treatment.  Everyone says "you'll lose your hair, but it'll come back".  What I've learned is, it doesn't always come back.

However, I still feel that the treatment I underwent was the right thing for me to do, so I'm griping about the heart problems and hair problems, but don't REGRET doing anything.    And that's one thing that I try to tell people when they are deciding on chemo, etc:  make sure you're BELIEVING that you're doing the RIGHT thing for you.  If you feel you're pushed into something, you'll have a problem when/if you have permanent side effects.  Some people who are told they don't need chemo but insist on getting it for that 1-2% of possible benefit need to realize that the chances of HARM from the chemo are higher than that.

So, Gripe gripe grip about my cruddy hair.  But what the heck, I'm alive and the odds of my bc coming back get less and less every day.  Yippee!!  My husband is stuck with me for a LONG time (I hope) (*chuckle*).

All the best everyone.    (and am heading out for Nioxin today)

Janet 

abbadoodles

Janet, you are a real trooper.  You've been dealt a cruddy hand but it looks like there is some improvement at last!  I'm so glad.  Let us know how hair growth progresses and if the Nioxin seems to help at all.  Have you been taking high-dose Biotin? 

Tina

twink

Janet... you are sooo right.  I lucked out in the regrowth department but I remember coming to the same conclusions as you as I contemplated my hair falling out... I choose life.  Hair is secondary and it's not who I am.  Here's hoping the Nioxin works for you... but you know, even if it doesn't, you're still pretty awesome

my3girls

TWINK...I had the same tx as you, just later. I started mine in March, and finished at the end of August.  I saw your pics of your hair..thanks for posting those!  Your hair growth is exactly the same as mine. Funny, our hair was very simular too, before the dreaded cancer.  Mine is sooo curly now.  I am not used to it, but I love not having a wig.  I have had a haircut, and color...and I am loving having hair again..no matter what the texture style. Janet, I hope the Nioxin works for you.  I am not sure if it helped me or not, but I have used it since my hair started growing back. Lately I have started using Pantene.  I also take a womens multi vitamin everyday....I think it has helped my hair grow just a little faster. Good luck to all of you and your hair growth! xoxo Lisa

goodvibes

let it grow let it grow let it grow

wakebrat7

Konakat:

Not to worry dear.  We all went through the same hair as you and now most of us are back to normal. 

My hair grew in curly, and the color was horrible.  I thought I would be stuck with that hair for the rest of my life.  It was almost worse than having no hair.  Now I'm 2 years out and my hair is just like it used to be, but thicker and better. 

Nioxin works!  Once I started using it, my hair started growing like a weed.  I swear by that stuff, seriously.

Lillie

pgiglio

Hi Barb,

  I had my last chemo March 15th, and a month later I had peach fuzz. I used Nioxin and I believe it helped me. I never had short hair in my life, so the hair loss was a big one for me. Now it is just about below my ears , nice and thick and I think I have a wave or two. It was stick straight previous to Treatment. Every week it seems to grow alittle. Good luck to you! It will be back before you know it!!! Regards, Peggy

janet11

Thought I'd share my "hair adventure".  Peggy, I finished my chemo 2 months before than you did (January 15, 2007).  Hmm... I know there's a way to put this in, but for right now, it's:  http://mysite.verizon.net/wb9zph/hair/   and you can just copy/paste this address into your browser.

Jorf

I finished chemo in June 06, hair started growing back in August (for my birthday). So, it's almost 18 months later and it's growing longer than it ever has before (I could never get it to grow this long since college and I've got my 30'th reunion this year) and it's actually thicker.

Also, it grew back gray (really black and white) and I colored it in February and over the summer realized it was inches longer and what was growing back was brown again. I still have gray, but I did before, but it's not like it was when it first grew back.

It WILL grow back!!! 

goodvibes

Hi everyone,  Barb's hairdresser got her a Nioxin 4 pack. Looked like a gift set. It came with  vitamins, lotion (that you rub in after a shower) as well as shampoo and "revitalint"(conditioner).

Let the hair growing begin! 

sierrasusieq

I ended chemo at the end of January and my hair didn't grow much at first. I was very worried about it. Finally it started growing and by late May I had a realy cute hairdo . about 2 inches of super curly platinum colored hair. Everyone commented on it. The super curly part eventually went away tho and the platinum color . Now my hair is mostly back to normal.

Don't worry if it doesn't grow for a month or two after chemo. In fact I didn't even lose my eyelashes until after chemo!! But, they did grow back.

sierrasusieq

Oh , by the way when I say May , I mean a year ago May.

goodvibes

Its growing back! Its salt and pepper, and the salt is growing faster than the pepper! Anything is better than nothing.

lvtwoqlt

My mom's hair came back in thin, it was thin before but it seems to be thinner. She worked in a clean area where you were required to wear lab coats and hair bonnets (like the hat they put on you for surgery). When she was bald, she kept her bonnet in her pocket just incase someone asked where her head covering was. As her hair started growing back someone mentioned her "5 o'clock shadow" and she started wearing the bonnet again.

mrsb

I used the Nioxin recently because of thininning hair due to the Femara, I t worked for me and my stylist did mention she had clients who had had chemo and it helped. Just finsished the trial package and bought the big bottles but find it really expensive. Mrs B