Eyebrows

4thefather

I dealt with losing my hair and my skin getting wrinkled and my nails turning colors. I have always had very thick eyebrows. Now there is hardly anything left of them. I have only 3 Taxol treatments to go. I was not expecting to lose the eyebrows. It must be the Taxol doing that? At least when I wear my wig the eyebrow area is camoflauged. I am going to the mall to do Christmas shopping today. I may ask someone at a makeup counter if they have a way to make me look like I have more eyebrows. I have never had to deal with that before.

Cathie

artsee

Yes, unfortunately we do lose our brows and lashes. I just used a brow pencil to color them in and that works just fine.

Now for the bad news....They fall back out every three months and don't really know how long that goes on but I have friends that it is still happening to after two years.

irishdreama

I had taxotere, but they're pretty closely related. I don't know what if any, other kind of chemo you've had, but most of them do make you lose ALL your hair-EVERYWHERE! In fact, my eyebrows are just starting to come back, and I finished chemo a year and a half ago. However, everybody's different, and your hair (and eyebrows) may grow back much quicker than mine. I looked like one of those old ladies who draws their eyebrows on (Cuz that's what I did!) for months. Good luck to you! Jeri

peapot

My eyebrows came back and it stayed.  They aren't as thick as they were but I'm thankful for that.  Unfortunately my eyelashes came back scrawny so I have to wear mascara.  It was nice not having to shave my legs.

my3girls

I had A/C and taxotere. My last tx was Aug/07. My eyelashes and brows fell out before the last tx. They started coming back in around Christmas of 07. I have not had any problems with losing them again. My eyelashes look just like they used too...long and full. My eyebrows are just a tiny bit sparser then before.

Good luck!

Lisa

lisamed123

Once the brows start coming in, they come back super fast.  I used a product from Benefit cosmetics call Brow Zings.  They have a web site or they sell at higher end department stores and Sephora.  You can try Amazon.  I went from nothing to getting them waxed all within about 2 weeks.  It was amazing.

Lisa

cmb35

Cathie,

I'm right there with you, I was OK with losing everything else, but when I started to lose my eyebrows, I lost it. (Actually, as I type that, I realize I was pretty freaked out when my fingernails and toenails started to fall off to. Oh well...) I think the eyebrow thing was hard for me because I looked kind of "tough/cute" bald, you know, sort of Demi Moore in that army movie. But without eyebrows and eyelashes, you just look sick, or like Yoda.

There is a great product you can buy at Sephora called Anatasia (I think?) It's a brow kit that isn't cheap, but works really well, and I still use it to this day (3 years out from end of chemo) to fill in my brows.

I was lucky, mine grew back in slowly, but stayed once they came back.

Another trick is to take a mascara wand, wipe off most of the mascara with a tissue, and then kind of run it along where your eyebrows should be. There are tiny hairs there that the mascara will pick up, and it does sort of look like eyebrows (you know, if you don't look to closely.)

Hang in there!

4thefather

What do these kits do? I wish I could just get some stick on eyebrows that lasted for months. I am not doing a very good job at drawing these in. I am sure I will get better. Good to hear that they could grow back in quickly. I just want to look "normal" again.

Cathie

unique

Hello Eyebrow Challenged Ladies,

Here you are ~ http://www.headcovers.com/11297/realistic-eyebrows-15/

I still have my eyebrows and lashes, but not much hair!!!!!!!!!!! Chickie fluff only!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a tremendous site, I have gotten hats, scarves and stuff and I love everything I ordered.

4thefather

Wow, that is cool!!! They are a little pricey, but I am considering it. I just wish there was a way to know how long it will be before they grow back. I only have 3 chemo treatments left.  I hung onto my eyebrows all the way through AC and most of the Taxol treatments. I didn't even notice it much until about a month ago. Now there are only 12 or so clinging to each eyebrow. I honestly never thought I would lose them. They were SO thick!!

Has anyone used that lotion while going through radiation? I have seen other posts about lotions people use during radiation to less the side effects.

Cathie

gmakidd

unique,

Thank you! I can handle my hair falling out and the eyelashes but for some reason my eyebrows were freaking me out! I sent your site to my sister who was just diagnosed. She has always been a very beautiful woman and the thought of losing her natural hair is hurting her so much. I know she will love that site.

Thanks again

gmakidd

4thefather

We endure so much. This is quite the journey and quite the humbling experience, at least for me.

Cathie

bbmom

I didn't mind the hair going, but when the eyebrows and eyelashes fell I had a hard time looking in the mirror. The eyebrows have come back pretty much the same but my eyelashes are no where near as thick or long as they were before (never had to wear mascara before bc).

bee5467

Hi Ladies!

I found the eyebrow pencils did look harsh.  But I found this in Walgreens . . . It's called Ardell Brow Defining Powder.  It comes in a little round screw top container,  and it comes with a little tiny angle brush.  It's much softer and more natural looking.  I got the Taupe color . . . It's a light warm brown, and adds just enough shape without being real noticeable.  Very nice.  It's costs somewhere between $5 and $7.  And it will last me way past when they all trickle back in, LOL. 

jdg1

I too had a hard time losing my eyebrows and eyelashes.  I just used  pencil to shape my eyebrows.  I purchased an eyebrow kit, but unfortunately I didn't use it because it was the wrong color.  I am almost 11 months post chemo and my brows are still very thin and my eyelashes for whatever reason keep thinning.  I am using Revitalash.  I don't know if it is helping, but I still have them.  As far as nail problem when I noticed my two big toes starting to turn brown I went to GNC and they recommended Biotin along with a couple of woman from this site.  I only lost the two toe nails and it seemed like it did stop the rest of them from having issues.  

June