Hair Loss

mes1227

I'm concerned about hair loss from chemo. How does everybody deal with the loss of hair? Do you all wear a wig or a scarf (or go bald)? I feel as though I may lose a sense of my current feminine identity...

suzieq60

Oh sweetie - it's not nice, but it grows back - unfortunately sometimes very curly. I didn't get a wig but used Buffs www.planetbuff.com .They are great and breathe no matter what the temp. They have some lovely designs for women and you can tie them all different ways. They even have a cancer pamphlet on their site. I guess I got them as they are not cancer head wear but rather a sporting thing. I figured I could use them later for other things.

I also had a brown sun hat I used to go outside at home. I didn't wear it when going out though.

I did have trouble (after chemo was finished) to finally take off the covering. Once I did, I was fine. I do remember my first day back at work, I felt so self conscious on the bus but I got over it. Now several hair cuts and a couple of colours later, I'm still very curly but it's slowly relaxing.

Sue

dlb823

As Sue said, we all get through it.  I used scarves at home, a wig when I went out.  Some health insurance plans cover wigs (mine didn't).  Some women also look great going commando, but it wasn't for me.  I actually found a Raquel Welch wig that was a much better color for me than my own, salon color at the time, so that turned out to be a nice surprise.  And good quality wigs look exceptionally real these days.

There's also a thread here about the Penguin Cold Cap.  It's a way some women have avoided hair loss, but it's very pricey and the procedure sounds pretty complex.  But you might want to research it (start here with search feature @ upper left) for information about it, to see if it's right for you.

Good luck with your chemo!   (((Hugs)))   Deanna  

Mimidi

My hair loss hit me harder than I thought it would.  I so want to get through the next 7 chemo treatments so it will start growing back. 

thePuppetLady

yeah, the hair loss is a huge hit, but I got used to it and now don't think about it as much.  I don't do wigs but rather wear the buffs---it gives me a biker-babe sorta look which fits with the Harley in the garage

I finished my chemo late January and the hair took a bit to get restarted but once it got going, it filled in quickly.  I still wear the buffs as my hair is only about 1/2" but I figure in about a month I can do major bedhead, lol

suzieq60

Hey PuppetLady - good to hear someone else liking the Buffs - I just loved them!!! Much nicer than the standard scarves for cancer wear. I got one with New Zealand silver ferns all over it (I'm a Kiwi) - that was my favourite. I used to do the Pirate style



Sue

poodleluvbug

Loosing my waist length hair was the most difficult part of everything I went through....but it has grown in now and seems to be growing very quickly. I wore a hair piece that I found when I googled
"hair for hats"...it is hair that I can wear any hat with. I bought hats in all colors and styles and had fun with them.

Junebug40

Loss of hair was tough. Losing hair and breasts can certainly do a job on a womans feelings of femininity. As soon as I was finished with the AC it bagan growing back very quickly. I had a great wig but found the turbans much more comfortable. It seems insurmountable when you go through it but when you look back it wasn't as bad as you thought it was going to be. Lots of great websites with different hats/hair/turbans/scarfs etc.

Mimidi

I have a nice wig and wear it when I go out but while I am home I either go bare or pop on a baseball cap. 

leftfootforward

First, I cut my hair from long to a short pixie cut the week I started chemo. This allowed me to adjust to having shorter hair and made the transition to no hair less drastic for me.  Week 3 into AC treatment, I shaved my head. I made it a family experience and my two sons shaved their heads with me. This made it a positive experience for me.  I won't lie, it was a bit jolting to see myself without hair at first, but I adjusted.  I had also gone wig shopping prior to losing my hair. I would recommend doing this. I purchased 2 wigs. My sister-in-law purchased two cheap colored wigs for me, one purple and one blue.  I actually have never worn my real wigs. I have worn the purple one quite a bit.  I had to approach the whole thing with a sense of humor.  I figured everyone in my life that mattered knew what i was going through and new I had no hair.  I wanted to smile through the process. The purple wig broke the ice and made both me and those around me more comfortable. After a while,  I chose not to wear a wig at all.  I am a low maintenance type of person. I also found wigs very hot. I have lots of different style hats I have and wear to keep me warm.  Otherwise, I choose go bald.  I  have a pair of bangs that I can wear and put on under a hat so I don't have to wear a full wig. YOu might want to explore that option as well.   

 You will find what makes you the most comfortable. Losing your hair sucks. I wish you the best as you figure out the best solution for you.  

Mimidi

Yorelh you are so right losing your hair sucks.  I don't know if I will ever work out anything comfortable about it.  Since I stay at home most days except to go out to get chemo only my family sees be bald.  They are O. K with this and this helps me.  When I first lost all my hair my 6 year old grandson came in one day and I had a cap on.  He asked me to put on my wig.  This made him feel better.  He has since grown accustomed to seeing me hairless.

pixelsupply

I have to say, losing my hair was more of a concern than the side effects of chemo. I was blessed with thick curly hair and to see it shed everyday was devastating.  I waited until I couldn't hide the fact that my hair was falling out, which was about 6 weeks into chemo.

Then I just shaved it off. Mostly because I could wear a wig easier with a bald head then with scraggly hair sticking out everywhere. I am also about 80% grey so that was showing as well.

I went to WIGS.com. They have wigs for under $100 and be sure to register for sales. I picked one that was my natural color and one that was easy to put on. DON'T try the lace front, human hair all that nonsense (it tried them all)...just find something that is as close to color of what your hair is now, and something you can put on easily, (REVLON has some cute short cuts, check out the popular short wigs)

I chose one that was shorter and it worked really well.  Longer wigs are just a pain to deal with -- and yes I tried to mimic my shoulder length hair and tried long hair wigs and we are talking EPIC FAIL.

I went with the short wig to my appt and my oncologist thought I just got a hair cut and couldn't believe I had that much hair still when I saw her! LOL

I felt confident in front of strangers, so going out for coffee or shopping was now not a big deal. Also its not as hot as you think. I went to art fairs in the middle of a chicago summer and was fine.

Growing back your hair will be dependent on your own body. But my experience has been that the first 4 weeks from chemo I had no growth. By the end of the second month I had about a 1/4 inch on top of my head and 1/2 inch on the back of my head and neck. For some reason it grows faster on me there? By the 3rd month 1/2 to 1" hair covered my  head and I could now feel comfortable going without a wig, however it was winter and ended up wearing hats even in the house cuz my head was freezing! I am now almost 6 months from my last chemo and I have about an 1" to an 1" and a half ... think pixie cut -- which by the way are VERY IN right now. 

I was lucky in that I work mostly from home so could hide away. It is hard to loose your hair. And I know that saying it will grow back is of little solice when your in the midst of all thats happening to you, but believe it or not it does grow back! And my hair grew back healthier and softer. Like when I was a teenager -- something to look forward to...

citykitty

At home I'm bald most of the time, including sleeping.  I read something about bald heads getting cold at night but I never had that problem, even in winter.  I bought a couple of scarves but have rarely worn them. 

I'm pretty particular about my hair, and losing it didn't change that -- so I virtually never step out the door without my wig, just as I virtually never step out without my makeup.  It took me a long time  to find a wig I could be comfortable with -- and sadly, a lot of money, too, but in the end the sense of feeling like myself was priceless, as the credit card commercial says!

suepen, thePuppetLady -- Can you please tell me more about the Buffs?  I looked all over the website, but couldn't find a single picture of one that was big enough to see!  Is it basically a fabric cylinder, or is it more like a hat?  It looks like something I might want to use for running (one of the few occasions I don't wear my wig!).  Thanks!

somnia

I almost lost all my hair (I am at the end of my first chemo cyscle FEC-T). I still have some of it and it's not a pretty picture. When my 9-year old daughter is home I am wearing a scarf. I am planning to wear a wig and hats (I ordered a few special hats) outside. When I am completely bold I will show it to my family, make some jokes about it and then go bold at home. I am not stressing out about losing hair.

maltomlin

I too didn't stress out about losing my hair. It was just part of the treatment and I just battened down the hatches and got on with it. I didn't like it but having a great wig helped. But each to their own. I know some people just go for scarves etc and that's great, but I didn't want people to know (other than family). My wig was great and so many people asked me where I'd had my hair done.

It came back really curly (like cork screws) and I just couldn't cope with it. That was more depressing than when I had no hair.

I'm now over 2 years from chemo and my hair is shoulder length, thick and STRAIGHT.

Don't let the loss of hair get you down. It will grow again and you'll soon be back to how you were.

All the best

mal

stillsane

I am so sorry you are going through this.  I started chemo on March 31/11.  Although I know  my hair will grow back, the thoughts of the loss of my hair would bring me to tears like nothing else could. I bought my wig prior to my first chemo treatment and let it set on the shelf just dreading the day my hair would fall out.  It started falling out about 10 days after my first treatment and at that point I had enough and had it shaved off.  To my surprise, it wasn't that bad getting my head shaved as I thought it would be and I actually felt much better after it was gone because the dread of losing it was no longer there.  I am still me and always will be, nothing can change that.  I know my hair will grow back and it will be glorious when it does!