tender scalp with hair loss?

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kimber3006
kimber3006 Member Posts: 586
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I can't seem to find it (though my head is in such a fog today I'm not sure I could find my way back to the house from the mailbox).  Anyway, did anyone else experience a really tender scalp, sore from just the slight friction of a cap, when your hair started to really come out with the chemo?  My DH gave me the GI Jane look with the clippers last night, but it was sore even before that.

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  • weesa
    weesa Member Posts: 707
    edited December 2009

    Yes, ditto for me, just what Sherri said.

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  • mke
    mke Member Posts: 584
    edited December 2009

    Yep, it hurts.  Once you are bald it will be better, but get some caps because your head will get cold.

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  • Diana63
    Diana63 Member Posts: 773
    edited December 2009

    I read about it here before it happened and thought no not me, but yes it hurt to lay my head on my pillow at night. After you shave it off, it stops hurting.

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  • Katiejane
    Katiejane Member Posts: 789
    edited December 2009

       Oh I do remember that feeling!!!!  I experienced the pain as well.  I live where it's quite windy in the summer and when the wind would blow, I had to go in the house as it made my hair "hurt" !! I later found out it was the chemo affecting the hair follicles. I immediately shaved my head and once all of the stubble fell out,the discomfort was gone.

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  • kimber3006
    kimber3006 Member Posts: 586
    edited December 2009

    Thanks all!  Here's hoping my stubble goes quickly because my head is already freezing but the caps make it sore.  I'll probably run the hot water out in the morning trying to help it along.  :)

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  • Estepp
    Estepp Member Posts: 6,416
    edited December 2009

    YES MAM.. OUCH!

    What worked for me... a lint roller.... no joke...:)... got those hairs out faster with less pain... kinda felt good!

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  • Diana63
    Diana63 Member Posts: 773
    edited December 2009

    I tried a lint roller but then I got the heavy duty duct tape out :)

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  • Ihopeg
    Ihopeg Member Posts: 399
    edited December 2009

    I remember that feeling too. It felt like someone was pulling my hair hard. As soon as I shaved it, it went away.

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  • tamlyn110
    tamlyn110 Member Posts: 195
    edited December 2009

    Mine hurt and also itched alot.

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  • laggy
    laggy Member Posts: 7
    edited December 2009

    Oh yeah - my scalp ached and was tender to the touch.  Just another really weird thing they don't tell you about.

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  • apple
    apple Member Posts: 7,799
    edited December 2009

    and so it begins..  i kind of like the GI Jane look.  (i had a shortlived mohawk as well).

    hope your hair comes back soon.  thank goodness it doesn't hurt when it comes back in.

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  • Bugs
    Bugs Member Posts: 1,719
    edited December 2009

    Yeppers!  I had it clipped very short then as the stubbles were coming out my 8 year old and his friend took packing tape to my head.  They thought it was a riot.

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  • Beverly11
    Beverly11 Member Posts: 443
    edited December 2009

    Yes, I had a tender scalp for a couple of weeks.  Had to lay down very slowly or it would feel like thistles. 

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  • Beverly11
    Beverly11 Member Posts: 443
    edited December 2009

    Duct tape Diane?  You are a brave woman. 

     Estepp - I used a disposable lint brush a bit too.

    I am getting my hair back now and have my 1st hair appt on Dec 23rd which is the day that I had my surgery last year.  I am pretty excited but nervous too.

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  • carol1949
    carol1949 Member Posts: 562
    edited December 2009

    Yes, the scalp gets tender and tingles.  I also suggest being sure you have some soft caps to wear and do a gentle massage anytime you can.  Try not to use any harsh chemicals.  I changed to an organic shampoo with no sulfates in it.

    Sulfates are actually detergent and are not good for our hair or scalp anyway, but they make suds!

    This too shall pass!  My hair is back and I have had to cut it several times, as the curl is kind of uncontrollable.

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  • KerryMac
    KerryMac Member Posts: 3,529
    edited December 2009

    Bev - enjoy every minute of the Hair Appointment! What a way to celebrate that milestone! And we will want photos!! LOL!

    Kimnber - as the others have said, once the hair is gone you will feel better.  Mine never actually all fell out, it was always a bit wispy.I was bald all last winter too - easier than in the summer when hats/wigs would be so hot. By next Christmas you will be complaining about your Chemo Curls.

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  • somanywomen
    somanywomen Member Posts: 872
    edited December 2009

    FYI....I believe I read that organic virgin coconut oil may help soothe scalp and help with hair regrowth...Please do research before trying and consult your doctor....good luck....

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  • somanywomen
    somanywomen Member Posts: 872
    edited December 2009
    FYI....I believe I read that organic virgin coconut oil may help soothe scalp and help with hair regrowth...Please do research before trying and consult your doctor....good luck....
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  • jenn3
    jenn3 Member Posts: 3,316
    edited December 2009

    Yes, my head was itchy and tender too.  My sister came over one night during that time and massaged it with lotion.............oh it felt so good.  I use a grapefruit shampoo from Whole Foods, inexpensive without chemicals.  I also didn't wash my scalp everyday, as I didn't want to dry it out or irritate it more.  

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  • Diana63
    Diana63 Member Posts: 773
    edited December 2009

    Beverly have fun on your hair appt., yes I used duct tape nothing else worked :(

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  • Faith316
    Faith316 Member Posts: 2,431
    edited December 2009

    Yep to the duct tape.  Me, too!  A weird thing was that eventually the "prickles" as we called them quit coming out and I was just left with some stubble on my head.  My friend used to take a pair of tweezers and pick out my prickles.  It was kind of funny.  We did this a few times every week for several weeks cuz I did not want those prickles in there!  Sounds stupid, I know, but if I was gonna be bald, I wanted to be bald.  Not stubbly!  It didn't hurt a bit because they weren't attached.  They just slid out.  My friend would do this very patiently.  You know somebody loves you if they will pick your prickles for you!  LOL!  What a memory!

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  • lvtwoqlt
    lvtwoqlt Member Posts: 6,162
    edited December 2009

    When this topic came up at the local support group, the facilitator thought that the woman who mentioned her hair hurting was crazy until all the other women who had gone through it verified that their hair hurt as well when their hair fell out. We now make sure to tell any new members about the side-effect of hair loss, hurting hair.

    My mom went to the beauty shop the next morning after her hair started falling out that evening and her beautician washed out most of her loose hair before she cut the rest of it off. Then she took the clippers to my father, he lost his long grown comb-over and has kept his hair cut short since.

    Sheila

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  • kimber3006
    kimber3006 Member Posts: 586
    edited December 2009

    Okay, so do I use shampoo on my scalp even when my hair is gone?  Didn't think of that until now......

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  • LRM216
    LRM216 Member Posts: 2,115
    edited December 2009

    Yes, my scalp was extremely tender until I lost it all.  I have about 1/2 regrowth since my chemo ended in September, and sometimes my scalp feels tender again.  It was not tender at all after all the hair was lost, but it's doing the same thing at times with the hair growing back in too.  Weird!

    Linda

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