Did your hair grow back "different"?

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I feel like I've heard anecdotal stories for years that for women who lost hair from chemo, when it grew back it was different from the hair they used to have. I've just spent quite a bit of time perusing hair loss threads and it sounds like maybe the initial re-growth is different, but that eventually it reverts to the way it used to be? I understand maybe it won't ever be as full, but does the original color/texture return? Very curious about your stories.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited April 2018

    >> it sounds like maybe the initial re-growth is different, but that eventually it reverts to the way it used to be

    That was my experience. It's a little thinner, and a little greyer, but I'm now menopausal-ish, so I assume that's why.

  • BellasMomToo
    BellasMomToo Member Posts: 305
    edited April 2018

    I'm wondering the same thing. I had thin, straight hair, but a lot of hair per square inch. My hair was black with occasional white hairs.

    After chemo, my hair grew with my natural colors, but curly. At first, the texture was rough/dry feeling. But now I'm 14 months PFC and the hair is softer, but still a little curly/wavy. The back and top are curlier/wavier than the sides. So far, I had it cut twice. I want to grow it out but it starts to look a little wild with the curls/waves.

    My new hair is sparser -- I don't have as much hair per square inch -- I can tell because my hair part shows much more scalp than before.

    I'm wondering if my hair will go back to it's normal texture. If it doesn't I can live with this curly/wavy hair -- I just have to keep it short.

  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,710
    edited April 2018

    Mine is growing back very slowly, which I hear is common with Herceptin and Perjeta but the color isn’t much darker and it is actually a little thicker than before. The bottom right pic is current, I’ve had the back and sides trimmed but not the top, this is almost 1 year after my final chemo (5/29/17)

    image


  • Ingerp
    Ingerp Member Posts: 2,624
    edited April 2018

    Thanks for the pics, illimae--they are worth 1,000 words!!

  • mustlovepoodles
    mustlovepoodles Member Posts: 2,825
    edited April 2018

    My hair came in super curly, a big change from my Pocahontas stick straight hair. That lasted for about a year, then it calmed down and became looser until it became almost straight again. Color remained the same. The only lasting change is that my hair has more body than it did before.

  • Egads007
    Egads007 Member Posts: 1,603
    edited April 2018

    my MO told me that the initial regrowth is akin to baby hair, hence the need to be cautious about resuming colouring and styling methods. This made perfect sense to me as my hair grew back as curly as it was in my childhood. I read an article once that said it would ‘harden off’, they called it a ‘death stage’ for lack of a better term. Over the years, like the others here, it’s returning to the original pre-chemo state....think brilllo pad! Firestone expressed interest in it as an additive for tires, along with my pot roast 🤪

    So after four years I have road worthy hair that’s a wee bit thinner (thanks tamoxifen!) one day I’ll have to post about my first hair cut post re-growth, ugggg. One other thing I noticed is that the pattern of grey completely changed and never went back. I actually have less grey...ok by me!! At the end of the day I’m so happy to have hair again I can’t complain, even when it drives me nuts!

    Ililmae - great pics! Beautiful hair and face!!

  • Ingerp
    Ingerp Member Posts: 2,624
    edited April 2018

    Egads--as always, thanks for the chuckle.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2018

    Mine is about the same as before. I always had very straight, fine hair. It always tangled very easy. I had my first tangle since it started growing back yesterday!! I was actually excited that I had enough to tangle!!! Lol I had hair nearly to my waist when I was diagnosed, with blond hi-lights, and a spiral perm. I LOVED my hair!! I had just gotten a perm in January and of course, it was the best perm I had ever gotten. My hair was beautiful!! Then I got the diagnosis. So April Fool's Day last year I cut it off short. Then by mid May I was losing it. I had very little grey, just some at my temples that you couldn't see because of the hi-lights and because it was underneath. When it started coming back in it started as mostly grey, blonde or white. I really couldn't tell. Eventually the brown took over and now I only have a touch of grey in the bangs and around my face. So I have natural hi-lights!!

  • bravepoint
    bravepoint Member Posts: 404
    edited April 2018

    I had colored or high lighted my thick straight hair for years so I didn't really know what color it was. At first, it grew back white as snow! Now, I am just over a year PFC and my hair is thick, crazy curly and dark grey. Everyone comments on how much they love the curls. I am wondering if they will stay as others have mentioned that they often don't.

  • KCMC
    KCMC Member Posts: 208
    edited April 2018

    Hi, my hair is growing back curly. I had pin straight hair before this. Just went for my first haircut to give it a shape and I had it colored too, it came in with the texture of a brillo pad and the color of charcoal gray with no shine. Having it colored helped with the texture, so it looks a bit normal now.

    Chemo ended on November 8th and I had quite a bit of hair left because I cold capped. Funny thing though it all fell out in January, oh well! Now I have 3 inches of curly, curly hair. Just happy I have hair!

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