Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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Lottie - I have about 4 or 5 eyebrow hairs on each side and no eyelashes. I've made the joke that I need to draw my face before leaving the house. I use a pencil and a brush that looks like a mascara brush for my eyebrows and I use black eyeliner around my eyes (not too thick). Of course it doesn't look like the real thing, but it is what it is. Most people didn't realize I don't have eyelashes until I tell them. I think having glasses helps disguse it a little and I see that you're wearing glasses. Also, my right eye waters a lot - I don't rub the eye so I don't rub off the eyeliner, but I do dab it. I also have back up in my purse if I need a touch up.
I say - Show off your beautiful bald head and great makeup job - then you'll be free..........
Dawn - I'm sorry you're back under the wig. The hair will grow!!! The hair on top of my head is thin and the scalp still shows, but I was just tired of covering my head. I understand not being ready - it's a big step and we have to be ready emotionally.
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Hi jenn3 - thanks so much for the encouragement. unfortunately, my glasses are for reading only, but I do know what you mean about them sort of camophalging the lack of eyebrows and eyelashes. I wish I could go bald all of the time but here in Massachusetts it's way way too cold out now!
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Hi All -
I have been lurking and not posting until now. I am 10 months from last chemo and still wearing my hair as shown in my pic. It didn't really start growing until early summer and was so kinky and curly that I just started going to the barber every Wednesday and having it buzzed to about 1/4 inch. It's full head of hair but I would look like salt and pepper I Love Lucy if I let it grow in so curly. I went commando when I lost my hair so wearing it this short will do for now. But like Lottie - it's cold here in the northeast and have to wear a hat when outdoors. As for lashes and brows - I am now on my third set of lashes and they are thin, thin, thin!!! Lots of mascara and dark brown shadow all around when my eyes aren't watering. I only have a shadow(maybe 4 hairs!!) of a brow so have to draw on my face before leaving the house. I did have that peach fuzz on my face in front of the ear area and scissored it off twice so far. I wish I wasn't so caught up in this hair thing - seems silly after the last 18 months. Is what it is
. Thanks of sharing all your stories - they make me feel not so alone.Bobbi
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Lottie hi! Good to meet you. You are so soon out of treatment, it is very hard to look at anything objectively. As soon as you start to feel better physically, the other things will come. But it takes a long time. I am almost 6 monts pfc and still not close to my old self - I am not sure I ever will be. My eyebrows came out, but they grew back quickly and my lashes are coming out now for the second time! It sucks, but we have to try and work with what we have. You have to feel comfortable in whatever you chose to wear on your head if anything at all. Good luck, we are all here for you!
Dawn - sorry you are back in the wig, but you are so right about living for today!
Thinking of everyone as always and all of you ladies are just amazing! I don't know what I would have done without this website.
Hugs to all for a good evening, Judy xoxox
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Lottie - you're right - way too cold to go w/o a headcovering. Sorry - I didn't pay attention to where you were.
I do have to say - I miss my eyebrows and lashes so very much. I don't think I ever realized how much they defined my face until I didn't have them. I am so impatient - I want to see growth now.
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Jenn - sending the patience fairy your way : ) xoxoxox
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I'm seeing a dermatologist on Friday. I'm hoping he will give me positive encouragement and maybe also give me something that will make my hair grow. My eyebrows and very, very sparce as well so I'm still pencilling them in - very artificial in my opinion .... but I always used to pencil them a bit darker .. it's just now that I pencil them in almost totally.....I'm wearing my glasses because I think they are less noticeable.
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Ladies - thanks for your kind words and encouragement. About eyebrows, I was never much of a pro with makeup. When I wear it, it's a simple light foundation, some blush, eyeshadow and a little mascara. Unless I'm going to work, or out to a special occassion, I rarely wear any make up at all. I bought an eyebrow pencil (really more of a crayon) and it has a tinted wax on the other end that you apply after the pencil. I've heard that kits with power and brushes are better, but I can't find them. Any recommendations or advice? I'd be grateful.
Many thanks again
Lottie
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I just had my seventh treatment yesterday (first had 4 x AC, now having 4 x CMF). My hair all fell out 16 days into treatment, but I held on my eyebrows and eyelashes although my eyelashes gradually thinned a bit. The onc suggested that my hair might start to grow back on CMF as when patients have CMF alone, they typically only have some hair thinning but rarely complete loss of hair.
Anyway, I've not noticed any growth spurt on my scalp, but was surprised in the last week when my eyebrows started to fall out. I didn't expect that at this stage. Like Jenn, I never realized how much they defined my face. I've started pencilling them in but it doesn't look natural. Can anyone give me an estimate for how long it's likely to take for them to grow back? I would be a lot more impatient for them to reappear than my scalp hair.
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hrf - I'm wishing you luck with the dermatologist -I know you've been struggling with the hair regrowth.
Mary/Lottie - I had gotten an eyebrow pencil, with a mascara looking brush attached to the end of it at my Look Good class. I started using it and didn't think it would be better than anything else on the market. When I accidentally broke it and needed to replace it I tried several different brands, less expensive than the one I had gotten in class, but they just didn't work the same. I ended up replacing the one I had, which was Lancome. I found it looks the best, stays on all day and using that brush after drawing on the eyebrows helps it to blend and not look too harsh. I hate not having eyebrows, but I would hate it more without the eyebrow pencil and brush. I went to Sephora and looked at the kits where you could use a stencil to draw and shape, but there is no way I would have the patience for it and I tried the sample pencil and it was that waxy stuff that rubs off really easy.
Mary - I had the same thing happen as you did. My hair started to sprout and my eyebrows and lashes fell out - go figure..............
Judy - thank you - I need the patience fairy.
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Anytime Jenn3 - hang in there!
Helen - let us know how the appt goes.
Hugs to all, Judy x
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Jenn, what is the name of your eyebrown pencil from Lancome. Might as well start with it rather than waste all my time and money trying to find one that I like!
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I all - I saw this woman on Oprah a few years ago and bought her eyebrow kit (well before i lost mine natural ones this past month) and used it every day- it is easy to use and even has stencils. This is the website; www.whatshebuys.com/for-her-eyebrows.html - they offer free shipping and same day shipping.
It is the Anastasia 5 item brow kit that i use. Hope this helps!
Kimberly
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Hi gals. I haven't posted in a bit, thought I'd update my hair growth....it's been 7 months and 2 weeks PFC. I'm getting bangs, and still curly in the back, but starting to straighten a bit on top.. It's taking color better now, too...still a bit reddish, even with an ash dye....I used Unred, that helped alot.
Judy
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gcpommom - What kind of styling products are you using? Your hair looks way better than mine, and I am 8 1/2 months pfc.
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gcpommom - you look just great! So much hair!
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Lottie - for eyebrows I highly recommend Merle Norman's Only Natural Brow Makeup. It's a powder that comes with an angled brush. I used to sell Merle Normal years ago and have used it ever since. I've tried pencils in the past and other types of brow products but nothing compares to this. I'm sure there is probably a Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio somewhere in your area. Smashbox also has a good product that comes with a power and a wax for afterward but I much prefer the Merle Norman stuff.
hrf - fingers crossed you get some results after seeing the dermatologist on Friday.
Judy - your hair looks great. I can't wait until I have some hair to fuss with again!!
Sherri
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hrf --- good luck with dermatologist!
Mary -- my eyebrows hung in there throughout chemo but really starting falling out about 3 weeks PFC (around Thanksgiving) and were totally gone just before Christmas; but by New Year's I had visible brows again (so they seemed to grow back pretty quickly).
Judy -- wtg on the hair! You look great.
Re: eyebrow pencils and powder.. I just went to target and bought a few that had pencil on one end/brush on the other... I'm betting that if you got to Macy's or Bloomingdale's or Nordstrom's or any big department store with a bank of cosmetic counters you can get someone to sell you some powdered eyebrow material and brush (or whatever) as well as show you how to use it. My advice though is that your brows will grow in pretty fast and an inexpensive pencil/brush combo will probably do for the few weeks they are truly gone (as opposed to in-between).
I agree Jenn they do define your face. It wasn't until I lost all my lashes and brows between Thanksgiving and Christmas that I felt like I truly looked like a cancer patient. It sucked. I am relieved to have them back and fingers crossed they don't fall out again.
Lilah
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Judy - love the hair - gives us all hope..........
weety - I'm at work right now - I'll get the name of my pencil when I get home and send it to you.
Lilah - jealous - my eyebrows are not growing yet!
I have heard Merle Norman has great products, but haven't tried it.
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Jenn -- ah but your hair has been growing on your head FAR longer than mine! Speaking of hair on head -- after one week of visible growth I've moved out of 5 o'clock shadow stage into "head looks dirty" stage lol... seriously! It looks like I rolled my head in black dirt (hair is coming in very dark -- darker, I think, than it ever was to begin with)! At this point I'll take any hair. Eyebrows also coming in darker... chemo is so freaking weird!
Lilah
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Thanks everyone for the eyebrow advice. I think I'll saunter by the make up counter at Macys and see if someone can give me some guidance. My hair was white/gray and my eyebrows are very dark with white strands in all the wrong places. Well, at least there still here, somewhat. I wonder why our eyebrows fall out later in the chemo process and then sometimes fall out more than once?
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Thank you for the compliments. JudyNaomi, you look very pretty in your avatar : )
Nodapearl, I use gel and hairspray. I don't like that I have "crunchy" hair, lol, but without the gel, it is too frizzy. I started taking Biotin in late Novemeber, and it has really seemed to make a difference, I had a large amount of hair growth in the last 2 months.
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Hi All, Haven't posted in maybe a year. I've missed you.
Hair, or the loss of it is such a disturbing part of what we have to face. My eyebrows were gone for about a month. That didn't start until almost 2 months after my last chemo tx (6/08). I found an eyebrow powder kit (powder, stencils and brush) at a Sally Beauty Supply Store. Worked well.
I wish I had some lashes. They were never lush to begin with but are almost nonexistent now. I plan to ask about Latisse but worry about putting anything on my eyes as I seem to have very sensitive eyes. And it's expensive. Any success stories?
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I use the Lancome pencil for my brows also. Stays on all day and looks as good as a drawn on lash can! I do like the brush on the other end to blend and take away the harshness. Waiting for these lashes to return has been a trial - they really do define the face ;o)
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Hi:
I have been lurking since the summer during my chemo. This thread has been quite uplifting. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
I had a lumpectomy in late April and started chemo in mid-June. Last chemo was August 17. Started radiation right after Labor Day and completed it toward the end of October. Started daily Arimidex November 9 (for at least the next 5 years). Gratefully, no bad side effects from it at this time.
Had long, thick, beautiful dark (colored to cover gray) hair prior to chemo. Loss of hair was fairly traumatic. It was wavy and I blew it straight. Now at 5+ months PFC I have medium gray hair (no surprise there), very thick (great coverage) hair. Had been pretty straight throughout the regrowth, but is now getting wavy in the back. Top and sides are still straight. All is very soft (my 16 year old daughter loves to massage my head...LOL).
I'm still wearing the shmata on my head (never liked wearing the beautiful wigs that the insurance company paid for...better they should have paid more for my out of network surgeon...don't ge me started on that) when I go to work and out in the community. Now that I have some significant hair (though short, like Annie Lenox), I am thinking it is time to go to my colorist and get back to dark brown. My colorist used permanent color the past several years since the semi-perm didn't always "take." Is it okay at 5+ months PFC to use a permanent color? It would be nice to look younger again!
Did anyone else have the experience of the waves coming in this late in the regrowth process? Did any of you have the waves and then they eventually went back to your old normal hair?
Re: brows and lashes...last them right after the last of my 4 chemos. They came back within about a month or so. This was definitely the time I felt that I looked like a chemo-mom. They have not fallen out again and I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one.
I feel like I know many of you already and, again, thank you for your encouragement and inspiration all these months.
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FridaKahlo: Welcome! I am also 5 months PFC and have just recently started going out without wig or hat. My hair was wavy, and it is coming in wavy in the back, but straighter on the sides and top. My hair came in salt & pepper, and I have colored it with medium brown permanent color (just after New Year's), with no problems.
Lost my eyelashes and eyebrows about 2 months PFC and the eyelashes have grown back, but not as thick or long, and the eyebrows are still sparse, but growing a little bit. Hoping not to have to go through that again--although I'm prepared for anything.
I use an eyebrow pencil and then go over it with a Q-tip to remove some of the color and soften the look. I am going to look for a powder and a stiff angle brush. I bought a mascara that has a tiny brush (Maybelline) so I can capture all of those little eyelashes. It works pretty well.
I've also used a little spray gel and/or wax on my hair to smooth down the frizzies. Hairspray also works. Can't wait to use my blowdryer, hot rollers, and curling iron again...maybe in April?? LOL
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I have been lurking at this thread since I finished chemo in 5/08. So far my hair has come back thicker (good), darker (better than grayer) and curlier (oh, well). Some days I think it's cute and some days I think it looks like a really bad perm from the 70's. For a couple of months I blew it dry and used product before and after, but the curl has gotten stronger and now it looks lumpy when I try that so I stopped. Now I just towel dry and run my fingers through it because I'm afraid if I work with it too much it will just frizz. I hope that not messing with it too much will help it stay healthy and grow faster, but I am thinking that I will wear it shorter than I did before.
During chemo I wore a wig whenever I left the house but I switched to a basball cap about 8 weeks PFC. I was still at the "fluff" stage not real hair, but between the summer weather and the hot flashes from Tamoxifen the wig felt horrible.
As for lashes and eyebrows -- mine thinned througout chemo and finally fell out completely about 3 weeks PFC. I use a new product called Code:AI (they have a website codeai.com). It is not a prescription and it is cheaper than latisse. It helped my brows and lashes grow back quite nicely and stay in. I like the product so much that I did a before/after at their website, but I didn't receive any compensation and I don't work for them -- I was just really glad to get my brows/lashes back.
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kl2260 -
Juist went to the Code:AI website and ordered the brow serum. I am so excited to get it and pray I get good results like you did. Saw your testimonial! Thanks for the tip and I'll let everyone know when I start to use the product. Thank you, thank you.
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Yesterday was 1 year PFC!! I think I am going to get a perm after next payday. I can't do anything with this stick-straight short hair.
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What does PFC stand for? I'm guessing Post <blank> Chemo? Wondering if that's a swear word in there.
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