Hair Hair Hair - Another question

kjiberty

Catlyn:  I never lost mine until about 8 weeks PFC (right before my son's wedding).  Both brows and lashes grew back very quickly.  I did notice, though, my lashes are a lot shorter.  I have an rx for latisse, but don't want to mess with it. I think I am going to try rapidlash. It's a lot cheaper and supposed to be pretty effective.

lago

I never lost all my brows or lashes till after chemo. The grew back great then shed again. They never came back completely but I think that's the Anastrozole. My lashes seemed much shorter for the longest time until a few months ago. So that would be about 2 years PFC that my lashes are long again.

Sandlake

MizMarie, You look great, love how your hair looks so shiny and healthy.

Catlyn, I've lost my eyelashes 3 times, eyebrows have thinned a lot since finishing chemo April 10 2012.  

Waitingforthenextstep

I have just finished 8/12 taxol w/herceptin.  My hair is starting to grow in a little bit, peach fuzz, some long strand pieces.  It is very fine and flyaway.  Does taking Biotin or any other products help to regrow hair?  This has been the worst part of chemo for me.  I hate wearing wigs and I would do anything to help the process along. Any input appreciated. Thanks.

DivineMrsM

I've been using Latisse for about two months.  It's been slow to work but I'm finally seeing some results.  My lashes are definitely darker, which I like. And they are getting ever the slightest upward curl.  They really don't look like much on their own just yet.  (A co-worker said her friend used it and her lashes were ridiculously long just by themselves). When I use an eyelash curler and apply mascara, I see a big difference from the short lashes I had before. I bought Doll Eye Mascara | NYX Cosmetics from Amazon and like it, (tho I'll be looking for a paraben free mascara soon).

I also notice I get less eye irritants now.  It seemed like I'd get debris in my eyes with the shorter lashes, and since I wear contact lenses, it was bothersome.

Carrol2

I would love to her any opinions I am a Mary Kay consultant and they have a lash & brow building serum. I didn't lose my lashes or brows during or after chemo. It's $38 but I will give you $10 off for trying it because you would be helping me get some input. PM me if your interested in trying it.

melissa119

Carrol2

I have a close friend that is a MK consultant. She told me about that when I lost my lashes and brows. I use it and it seems to have helped my lashes and brows to come back :-).

Melissa

Carrol2

Oh great glad to hear it Melissa the offer stands anyone who pms me will get $10 off. All I ask is you let me know how it works.

Racy

Hi Carrol and everyone



Just checking in to say 26 January (Australia Day) is the second anniversary of me starting to lose my hair :-(. I never shaved or lost it all (only 95%) but it was an experience I do not wish to repeat!



I have had hair extensions for the past 13 months and just as of yesterday I had the extensions removed and my shoulder length hair is back to almost its pre-chemo appearance.



It has been a difficult process for me but if you don't have the same insecurities that I have, and are able to tolerate less hair you will do fine.



Wishing everyone successful treatment that is gentle on your hair.

Racy

MizMarie, your hair is as long as mine is at about 20 months pfc lol. You must have had the fringe (bangs) cut though.

fight4two

Hi racy! How long did your hair have to be before you got extensions? I've been thinking about extensions but wondered if my hair would even be strong enough to support them. Oh, to have hair again!!



Congrats on your shoulder length hair!!

Racy

fight4two, my hair was about 8 months pfc or 2.5 inches long before I could get the extensions. They consisted of two wefts/layers at the back plus a toupé to cover the top.



Wishing you the very best in your fight and hair regrowth.

DivineMrsM

Racy, how did you like the hair extensions?  I never had them, but I think any woman wishing to have longer hair quicker should try them.

Carrol2

hey Racy. I love my post chemo hair better than my prechemo although its starting to go back to the way it was. It was wavy before chemo and there seemed to be a little more curl after. Now I can see as it grows out my old ends are curlier. I think I will be sad when they are completely gone.

mareluna

Hi, I lost my eyelashes and brows during Taxol. Still not much happening with those 4 weeks PFC . I have like 3 lashes on each eye. and maybe the same on each brow. My hair is growing. It is more white then gray. Hair color did not take so leaving it be for now.

_Ann_

mareluna, we are in about the same place with brows and lashes.  I was all excited to see a tiny row of blond lashes coming in, but they're not growing very fast.  I have shadows of eyebrows with about 3 real hairs per side. 

LtotheK

Everyone is different, I had to be super-patient.  I would say the 2 year mark, no kidding, was when I really got my old self back, hair included.  I look back at that chemo frizz, good lord.  It really was awful looking, wish someone had said something.

One trick I did a lot was wrapping a sash through it, sometimes double or triple wrapped.  It really helped create a look.  People said it was sort of boho exotic, I just think it made me look less like a chemo fro!

shore1

LtotheK - did you trim it at all in that 2 year pfc period? 2/1 is a year pfc for me, and its so puffy and still too short to really get a good blow out with a round brush to smooth it down, so it seems to be growing up and out.

Carrol2 - how far pfc are you in your avatar? Your hair looks so long - thats's the length I will need to get this frizzy mess around a big brush to blow it smooth.

kkemp2211

I have a question about the peach fuzz.  I had my last Taxol treatment 2 weeks ago and the peach fuzz is growing but I don't like it!  Is the peach fuzz just that?  peach fuzz?  Does the peach fuzz keep growing or does it stay short and eventually fall out?  What I'm trying to decide is, if I shave my head w/a razor am I cutting off my new hair growth?  Or is that completely separate?  I don't know if this is a weird question or not, sometimes it seems weird but then I think of how a baby's hair grows and I think the peach fuzz is sort of a 'protectant' layer vs actual hair.

TNNurse

butterfly 14,

I know just how you feel.  I wanted hair growth and I wanted it earlier than it did. I am not ready to go many places without my wig.  Others think it is enough coverage but I don't.  I take it off when I get to yoga, to my counselor and to my doctors.  If you read about others hair growth on this site you will learn there are many possibilities. Colors, texture and growth rate vary a lot.  Many people are in a hurry to get rid of white hair.  I had white hair before it came out, before that it was auburn.  Some of the new stuff is white but also a lot of dark grey.  I have never had grey hair, it is strange.  Mine is not curly like many report, but it has come in with growth in many directions.  By the way, my last chemo dose was August 27 and I began to believe it would never grow.  Take some slow deep breaths and try to relax.

wintersocks

My hair seems exactly the same post chemo as pre. This is a bit disappointing. Finished chemo Aug 12.  so is about 6 months growth - a couple of inches.

Does anyone know if it is likely to change now?

Thanks

  

juneaubugg

Wintersocks; I think having your hair back the same as behore would make most of us quite happy. I know if would me.

wintersocks

juneubugg.

Oh I know that sounds ungrateful and I am happy it is back of course. It is just that I have had grey hair since my late twenties, and I was hoping for some 'whoop de whoop colour', I have never colored it as It felt like a hassle...

And I just wanted something to cheer me up in this post-treatment wasteland I feel I am in   

lisa2012

Wow!!! sigh.... only 6 mos PFC and as Wavewhisper said, I still feel far from myself. The confused and "not ready for prime time" hair is part of it. Yes, glad I'm not bald- but... plus my skin looks older and I don't know what to do!

WaveWhisperer

Lisa, my skin looks older, too-- thinner, drier and more wrinkles, especially around my eyes. I've even had 4 blue-light laser treatments PFC (primarily for precancerous spots on my face) but the doc said there also would be cosmetic improvements. Not really...



BTW, my dermatologist said chemo brings to the surface skin cancers and precancerous growths, yet another lovely SE of chemo.She even found one on my scalp while I was bald!



I have to think that the assault on our bodies, plus maybe doing without retinol products for almost 8 months, contributed to the older looking, thinner skin. Maybe the thread about "cosmetic things that helped me" would give us some suggestions.



Yep, as you said, one more thing that keeps us from being our former selves. I guess I'm being shallow and vain and should just appreciate being alive, but we women like looking our best. BC's shadow follows us every day in so many ways, from our chemo frizz to the side effects of hormonals to the gut-wrenching fear of recurrence.

jojo2373

Wave and Lisa, glad I am not the only one who thinks my skin has aged courtesy of chemo. As a 50 yr old women who was already dealing with aging skin prior, the assault of my skin and hair was extremely hard to take. Of course, the choice for life was a no brainer but to age my body so much was a SE I hadn't bargained for.

lago

The best thing I learned from chemo is drink lots of water. I never stopped. The days I don't drink enough my skin looks dried out and saggy. I try to drink the same amount I as I did on chemo. Meno/chemopause is going to increase the spead of aging (reduced estrogen) and if your on an AL even more so. I really blame most of this on that not on chemo. So drink up ladies.

Nkb

I'm six-month PFC and I finally took off the wig everywhere. I got it colored for the second time and asked her to make it a little bit darker, I am a redhead. Not sure how much is gray since I have had a color wash on it for years.

Went to a surprise birthday party in my neighborhood and this was the first time most neighbors saw me without my wig which was beloved by them. Thet don't know about the BC.

as I feared I got a lot of comments, from: ,"I like your hair", to "what made you decide to cut your hair again?" ,"Why is the front straight and the back curly?" No wonder we're so hung up upon our hair, everybody else is also!



I was so uncomfortable, like I had a neon light flashing on top of my head. Lessons learned? Yes, make sure your words validate people and have only good intentions if you feel the need to comment on their appearance.

lago

Nkb I always wanted to tell people who asked why I was bald that I shaved my head in protest of female genital mutilation in Africa and the Mideast but no one ever questioned me. The words "female genital mutilation" should get them to shut up and change the subject. Let them know it's growing back from when you did it a few months ago.

onvacation

HA!  That would have been a great comeback Lago!