Information on HAIR

enjoylife

Please ladies any input would be great I am going to my 4th chemo (ta ta juice) treatment in 2 weeks and 3 weeks ago I had a friend take the clippers to my hair. It never all feel out it looks like a mans wiskers now can anyone tell me about how long it is before it comes back and if he gets to come back quickly once it starts. Yes I am anxious the wig gets to be old especially in the summer and I am not a hat or scarf person. I can tell in 3 weeks the hair is coming in a little and the doctor said it would probaly come back in about half way through the plan. I just wanted to know what others expierance were. I am hoping I have enough by christmas to not wear a wig. The hair dresser said we would shape it before actually ever cutting it what did you do? Well I know there is no dumb questions and every ones hair grows back at a different pace, my hair normally grew fast from my lips to his ears ha its amazing how much we miss our hair more than the boob they could at least put a expander in for the boob but no expander for our hair and I love it when a man says I never lost any hair whats up with that ha ...

Thanks for any information and have a nice 4th and many more ...

Maura

Ixia

Hi Maura,

 

I think both hair loss and re-growth depends somewhat on what kind of chemo you are on.

 

My hair started falling out after the first dose of AC. I shaved the rest right off, and had "stubble" for a couple of weeks, but it all fell out - including eyelashes, brows - you name it ;-)

 

After completing AC, I was on Taxol, and toward the end of that, white fuzz was growing back.

 

At this point it's 6 months since I was done with chemo, and I have a full head of hair back - short but cute ;-) Initially it grew in white and curly. Now it's closer to my original dark blonde with some gray. Still curly.

 

Ixia

paulalazar

After my third set of treatments (taxotere) almost ALL my hair fell out. I had no choice, a wig was essential. But, in about two months I was able to get a "G.I. Jane" haircut and it's been coming in grayer and very wavy. I've always worn short hair and it seems that once it starts to grow, it grows pretty fast

sftfemme65

My hair came out 2 weeks after my first A/C and started to regrow a little in about 4 weeks then the taxol caused it to fall out again.  I had 12 weeks of taxol and about week 8 it started to grow again.  I have been done with taxol now for 5 weeks.  It came in kinda kinky and white....looked like pubic hair, not attractive, so I shaved it a week ago.  Oh and my eyelashes and eyebrows came out 2 weeks AFTER my last taxol....I have no idea why but I wasn't thrilled. 

Teresa

enjoylife

Has there every been anything on the market that helps your scalp and hair come back faster? I know dumb question but there is no dumb questions.... My hair is ruff like a mans beard I keep it covered at night with the fan above my head it gets cold ha My dad was bald all my life poor guy he is gone now but I feel for him now that I look back ...

Anonymous

My hair started growing back the month after the date of my last infusion.  After six months I had a nice, short hair do.

vhqh

I was on TCH, last treatment was in mid February.  By mid March my hair was coming back and I quit wearing a hat about the 1st of May.  My hair is now nice, thick and wavy.  Like you I didn't loose all my hair, what I had left gave me a bit of a scraggly look for a while, being longer than the new growth.  Now I have a pretty nice frosted look going on, lighter on the surface and darker underneath.  I've been putting off doing any touch up trims for fear it will leave me with a not so even frost.

LorenaB

Enjoylife, I have been using a product called Nioxin which supposedly helps with thinning hair (a lot of balding men use it).  Someone on this board recommended it so I decided to give it a try -- I bought the cleanser and the scalp conditioner a short time after I finished chemo.  Honestly, I have no idea if it is helping, since obviously I have nothing to compare it to (never been bald before!).  It has a strong medicinal sort of smell so every morning in the shower, I feel like I am doing something proactive for myself, LOL.  I am 2 months out from my last chemo tx and I have about 1/4 inch of dark hair along with a fine peach fuzz that is grayish-white.

ninel

I am soooo not looking forward to losing all my hair. I have thick long eyelashes. I'm afraid they won't grow back the same. Is this so?

On the other side...does that mean I won't have to shave my legs??

Ninel 

Ixia

ninel:

 I lost every hair on my entire body on AC/T. No need to shave anywhere! Even the tiny hairs in my nostrils fell out, leaving the inside of my nose feeling dry and runny at the same time...

I penciled in brows, but really missed my lashes. They grew back, nice and full, but not as long (yet?) as they were. (6 months since I finished chemo)

enjoylife: 

I used Neem oil (look in the health food store) on my hair and scalp to make the hair grow. Not sure if it helped or not, but I do have my hair back!

I also went to Aveda and got some luxurious shampoo, conditioner and textureizer . So - the short hair I do have looks great, and I feel good about myself :-)

Ixia 

vhqh

Ninel - I had long thick eyelashes too and they came back just fine, it was really quick also.  You will generally lose ALL your hair but unfortunately that did not include all my leg hair, I still had hair on my shinbones, also my armpit hair continued to grow throughout chemo but all of it was very thin and fine.

edited to add - Keep an eye on your nose, I was horrified to discover a couple of nice big thick nose hairs one morning which I have never had before.  Fortunately this appears to have been a one time fluke, I plucked them out and they haven't returned.

Sashiko

Hi from Australia,

I too lost every hair on my body and it grew back slowly and dead white!! It took a good nine months to even start growing back.

Now on Aromasin, I have "hair thinning" especially on top so I keep it very short.  I bought myself a pair of clippers and I need to shave it every second Sundday, just to keep it looking neat. Grows like a weed, but not in volume.

I was pretty bold and went bald on many occassions, especially when people told me I should not. Then I painted a dragonfly on my skull!! My grandies were out from N.Y. and they loved it. Baldness did not bother the young, only the insecure!!

I wish you well,

Sashiko

Ixia

I like the dragon fly idea. Good for you, Sashiko! :-) I'm keeping my hair short also - I really like it this way. If I have to loose my hair again, I'll get some pretty Henna tattoos.   

Best wishes to you also :-)

Ixia