Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Melclarity

Sherry1928 - Hello! welcome! If you get a chance fill in your profile info and make it public, that way people can see your dx and treatment, helps with answering any questions Ok so cool hat during Chemo...I did alot of research on it and unfortunately it isnt very successful its like under 50% due to the type of chemo used. Its very successful and I know of people used it for treatment of bowel cancer...but its a differen chemo regime. My Oncologist said if I did just Taxol it may work, but the FEC I used no hope. My Oncologist didnt recommend it either because he said it isnt very successful. Maybe some of the other ladies may have other info..cheers

PMR53

Sherry- I believe there is a cold capping thread. I didn't use cold capping. I was too busy chilling my fingers and toes to try to keep my nails. Hugs to you I am sorry you are going through this, but we are here for you. Everybody on these threads are so comforting and informative. 

Mel- I slicked mine back and it was pretty well hidden under the wig. You will get creative. I am not wanting to start on this Arimidex. Please tell me what your MO says. Mine was not saying much about it except that is would decrease reoccurrence of BC.

Night All!

Wildflower2015

Sherry1928,

Regarding the cold caps used to prevent hair loss during chemotherapy - Cold caps have worked for many of us, including myself. I cold capped during 4 rounds of taxotere/cytoxan, and while my hair thinned, it never got to the point where I had bald spots or needed a wig. Results will vary from person to person, but despite what your oncologist said, there are a lot of us out here who have cold capped and kept their hair!

There seems to be better success if you're not getting adriamycin as part of your chemo. That is the drug with the reputation for only 50% success. Patients who get taxotere, taxol, and cytoxan, or some of the other drugs have a higher success rate. My former oncologist did not tell me that taxotere can cause permanent hair loss in 6-8% of cases, so I was really glad I did the cold capping once I found out about that! Some oncologists are just not up to date or very well informed on cold capping. That will probably change since the FDA recently approved Dignicaps (a type of cold cap).

Here's a couple of links for you to look at while you're going through the waiting process:

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/6/topics/...

Be sure to click on the links to other capping threads which are cited in the introductory post by Dancetrancer.

https://penguincoldcaps.com/

There are other brands, but this is the type of cap I used, and the one you'll hear about a lot on the discussion threads.

Good luck with your treatment and whatever you decide to do regarding capping!

Italychick

Sherry1928 a 28 year old on our March 2015 chemo forum did cold capping with Taxotere/carboplatin/Herceptin/perjeta and she got one bald spot on the back of her head, but kept almost all her hair. I, like somebody else posted, iced hands and feet in an ice water bucket to try to save my fingers and toes, so I did not do cold capping.

Best of luck!

Melclarity

There seems to be a vast difference between Australia and USA, cold capping isn't recommended for BC it's not successful here. We don't ice fingers or toes either which is odd, but got no neuropathy either.. Glad they do it there.

Kazzy115

Sherry - if cold capping is of interest, please keep researching! It works! - despite few users and oncology groups that discourage use.

I had dose dense ACT chemo regime and never wore wig. It was stressful seeing me the thinning over the 16 weeks + but it was important to me and I'm so very glad to have done it.

Regardless, best of luck to you

tjh

My oncologist didn't recommend it because it stops the chemo from going to scalp/head so cancer cells may survive. I decided if I was going to do the chemo I wanted the best shot at getting rid of all the cancer. But some have limited success with them. I believe there is a discussion board about them.

rainnyc

Peachy2 and Melclarity, do you use a cap under your wig? When my hair started growing back, my wig guy sewed little clips onto the inside of the wig. I wear a cap that looks sort of like a fishnet stocking and a kind of hair band that goes around my whole head and fastens with velcro. Between the two of them, they keep my real hair from peeking out under the wig.

I realize that might sound complicated--it's not. And it's quite comfortable.

Paxton29

tjh, that was my issue with cold capping. I stopped researching it once I read that they weren't sure if it would increase the risk of cancer surviving in your head. I certainly hope itdoesn't and I pray that all the ladies who've successfully used them will go on to show that was never anything to fear. I just wasn't comfortable with it. I should be starting TC very soon so I'm sure I'll be back in this thread looking at everyone's hair success stories!

BBwithBC45

Sherry1928, I am a success story with cold capping. I had 12 Taxols and while my hair did thin, I don't think anybody can tell but me. My scalp is just as covered now as it was before chemo.

Before deciding on cold capping I did some research and I asked my MO if he was fine with me giving it a try. He assured me that for my particular situation he was not concerned about scalp mets at all.

VickiRides

It's back to square one for me. I just couldn't stand the "grandpa hair" -- serious male pattern baldness on top and getting pretty shaggy in back -- so I had my daughter buzz my hair so at least everything is now the same length (~2 mm). I feel more confident walking around hatless this way. The day before I could see a little bit of new hair at the hairline if I turned just right, but I felt it would never catch up to the rest.

KateB79

VickiRides, lol @ "grandpa hair."

Grandpa, kitten, gorse, puppy, baby, Homer Simpson, Linus. . . Yup. All of the above, here.

Peachy2

Sherry, I think there might be another topic in the forum for cool caps? I learned about them after my first treatment, so glad that you are not in the "closing the barn door after the horse has run away" position that I was. Your oncologist may also be able to give some information on their effectiveness.

RainyNYC, I have a few different caps that I wear under my wig. I have a net one with an elastic edge, which might work well when have enough hair to pull back. Good thought! Right now it's the wispy hairs at the edge of my hairline that keep appearing at the part in my wig.

Shopgal2

Today I am 6 weeks pfc and here is my hair pic. Amazing that a month ago I was shiny bald

Queen_Celeste

Shopgal2: Looking good!  Your hair is growing really quickly!  Mine didn't look like that until 3 1/2 months.  Alas, it is nearly all gray.  I'm going to color it for my birthday soon.

Peachy2

Shopgal, that is terrific for six weeks!! Mine wasn't nearly that full at eight. Your eyebrows look great too. Yay for hair!

VickiRides

Shopgal, your hair looks great. So thick!

Shopgal2

thanks gals. Biotin is my superhero. And it helps to take the picture in front of a white wall...makes the grey stand out. Lol. I swear I am too young to be this grey at 45. I don't remember having this much grey before. Then again I was double processed blonde brown. Only my colorist knows my natural color for sure and I pay her very well not to tell. Hah Brows are 3/4 filled in with new hair growth. The rest is expensive eye pencil.

Peachy2

Shopgal, thank heavens for expensive eyebrow pencil! And RevitaLash. I think Biotin must really, really like you!!

Melclarity

Shopgal - Thats amazing for 6 weeks!!! Ive just strated this peach fuzz on top, its bizarre is that normal?? but then prickles sides and back. Whats Biotin?? Im 4.5weeks pfc but nothing like yours.

rainnyc

Shopgal, awesome regrowth!

Expensive brow pencil: Still using it 4 months PFC. Brows keep falling out in patches.

Melclarity

Im laughing, I never really had eyebrows to start with...they were very blonde, so now I wear pencil and I feel ridiculous because I never really had brows anyway haha!

DeeRatz

I am done with my wig I think. May pull it out for fun. I rocked my short hair is Nashville. I got so many compliments on my hair. It was quite funny actually. My family couldn't believe ho much it grew in the week when I was gone. I think I may get it trimmed up again. It is starting to curl. I had curly hair before so I hope it isn't Afro curly now. My lashes are coming back fast.

Shopgal-yours is coming in great!

A month makes a huge difference in hair growth. My friends that were with me on my trip could tell a difference everyday. Once it starts it really comes fast.

KateB79

Yay for hair! Mine is almost all filled in on the sides and in the back, and my hairline is getting more visible every day. I'm still about a month out from going hatless in public (and maybe longer at work), but in the scheme of things a month is nothing.

Dee, you look great in your picture--no wonder you got so many compliments!

I'm really looking forward to rocking the Jamie Lee Curtis look. I just got new glasses today, and I'm ready for some hair to match!

Edited to include this: shopgal, that's truly impressive for 6 weeks PFC. You have some serious hair!

justmaximom15

Mine is finally filling in nicely on top and front but there's still a few baldish spots that I'm waiting on before I go completely "topless" LOL. I seriously can't wait to just stroll into work without a wrap on my head. I'm planning it for a Monday morning soon. My brows are filling in too but my eyelashes are failing me right now.

Shopgal2

thanks Kate. Good hair genes. I had really thick hair before bc so I prayed to the hair genie to grant that wish again.

Melclarity biotin is a vitamin that helps promote hair growth. I bought mine in my local supermarket. I take 3000 mcg.

Dee you were my hair envy when I was butt bald last month. It really is amazing how much hair grows in a month.

Rainy expensive eye pencil was $24 from ulta. The brand is IT cosmetics. I bought the skinny pencil to draw fine lines. I was going to get Anastasia but the salesperson at ulta steered me toward IT cosmetics. I like it because it's a universal color; it matches to your skin tone.

justmaximom15

Shopgal2, believe it or not but I got one of those IT cosmetics brow pencils in my LGFB kit! I have not yet become an expert on doing it though.

VickiRides

I also got the IT cosmetics brow pencil from the LGFB class. Thankfully I have just enough brow hairs left that I know where to draw.

DeeRatz

Hang in there ladies....once it starts coming it grows fast. When I look back at pics from a month ago I can't believe how much it has come in. I wore my wig to Madonna and when I took it off at the end of the night my hair was messy. I now wake up with messy hair in the morning too.

My lashes are coming in quickly too. My bottom ones all fell out and have come back. Probably took 2 weeks for them to grow. Not all my top lashes have fallen out and my new ones are coming too. So I was never totally lashless.

I have been taking Biotin as well.

Peachy2

DeeRatz, how was Madonna?

Will have to check out IT Cosmetics brow pencils! I bought Bobbi Brown before my brows started falling out because one of the online reviewers wrote that she was a chemo patient and it stayed on for 14 hours as advertised. It's too expensive for just filling in the blanks and defining.