Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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Hi ladies, speaking of curls, I am 14 1/2 weeks PFC and in the past 2 weeks, it has started to go crazy with the curls! While I had wavy hair pre-chemo, I did not expect it to be this curly so soon! I guess I better embrace the head of shirley-temple curls and smile...at least its hair!!
By the way, colour not natural, it got a helping hand from my hairdresser!
Am using the biotin, dont know if it is helping, but figure it isn't doing me any harm...
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I have only one more chemo treatment. All my hair is gone and I am wondering the same thing everyone else asks. When does the hair begin growing back.
Yes Amy M. Looks great if that is a wig it is perfect.
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TreadSoftly: You have a lot of hair for 14 1/2 weeks! Did the hairdresser take any special precautions when applying the color? It looks like a very natural auburn.
Miss_Scarlet: Mine started growing back even before I had the last treatment. Just a few hairs ... but still it was hopeful. But my last four chemo treatments were CMF, which is kinder on hair. I think after the taxanes (Taxol or Taxotere) growth is likely to be slower.
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I started with Taxotere, but reacted and they changed me to Taxol. One treatment broken into thirds. I do have fine peach fuzz now. It is all so traumatic.
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You really have been through the grinder but you just have one more treatment to go and you will be finished with the awful chemo. If you already have fine peach fuzz before you've finished treatment, that's a good sign.
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Treadsoftly: Wow your hair looks great. Well I am starting the growth of my hair over again as my hair was coming in as peach fuzz 9.5 weeks PFC, so last week towards the end of the week I went and had it shaved off. Now that it wont hopefully be coming back as peach fuzz, I hope it will come in as nicely as yours and someone else that showed their hair this past week.
Today I picked up a bottle of Biotin 300 Mcg and hopefully this will help with the growth. I have read on the net that Biotin can also sometimes help with returning hair to its natural color and/or it has done with some people.. hmmm
Charmaine
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I gander there are some of you using the 'Biotin' Vitamins to help with hair growth. I wonder if there is more than one kind of Biotin? I went to my local health store and purchased a bottle of it and did research on the net about it last night and it stated the minimum dosage a person really needs of this vitamin per day is 300 mcg. So I purchased a bottle of which is 300mcg.
On the side of the bottle it says that it helps the body to metabolize fats and carbohydrates and on the net when I did research of it, it said it was to help with hair growth,suprised there was no mention of this.
'Natural Factors' is the brand of the Biotin.
Charmaine
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Hi Charmaine - I purchased my Biotin at a health food store. The man helping me was trained as a Naturopath and the bottle he sold me was 5,000 mcg. I'm taking it once a day but might double it when rads are done (though, the rads onc did say it was okay for me to take). I can't speak for others but I'm pretty sure there are some on this thread who take 5,000 twice daily. Perhaps someone else can chime in on what they're taking.
Sherri
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Hi, ladies. Coming up on the 1 year mark of shaving my head (April 17) and almost 1 year PFC (April 23) and want to report that the eyelashes still fall out at the 1 year mark!!! Noticing that the bottom row of lashes is getting short and stubby again - just to let you know what and how many times it happens (a LOT).
Hope everyone is doing well - Helen, sounds like you are making progress!
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I had 2 A/C's - hair fell out,had my head shaved, fingernails short and brittle. Then did 4 Taxotere/Herceptin - after 2nd tx of Tax, hair started coming in as peachfuzz and the fingernails growing like weeds. Is this unusual? I thought the tx's were supposed to prevent hair growth and fingernail growth.
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I had 2 A/C's - hair fell out,had my head shaved, fingernails short and brittle. Then did 4 Taxotere/Herceptin - after 2nd tx of Tax, hair started coming in as peachfuzz and the fingernails growing like weeds. Is this unusual? I thought the tx's were supposed to prevent hair growth and fingernail growth.
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MaryNY - no special precautions were taken at hairdressers, the standard colouring was used. Im glad the colour has taken so well, it looks like my natural pre-chemo colour!
MissScarlet - I had taxotere and cyclophosphamide x 4 cycles, last one was Dec 30th 2009. I had the peach fluff shaved 4 weeks later, and my hair started growing in soon afterwards. I had no noticeable hair growth until approx 3-4 weeks post shave (i.e. 7 -8 weeks post chemo, then it started growing rapidly...when it starts growing, it does so rapidly!
Charmaine - thanks for the nice comments! I really hope the shave does the trick - seemed to work for me....
I take biotin 1000mcg daily.
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Thanks for the update, Chelev - although discouraging. Ugh. I'm finishing up my second eyelash cycle. Guess I'll be dealing with it for a while....
Your hair must be getting long - or are you keeping it short? And how are the curls - are they starting to relax/grow out at all?
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My hair started growing back at 8 weeks post Chemo and grew in a Mousey Brown and Grey AND was growing out straight! Now at about 6 months post Chemo it has A LOT of Curls and of course I had to color it myself at 4 months post Chemo! Ready for another coloring soon:)
I have had 2 hair trims to get rid of Chemo hair and am really liking the curls--So EASY to fix!! Wash and Gel and Run Fingers Through and Done!!
The only thing I don't care for too much is the fact that I started getting facial hair post Chemo-- almost like Cotton Candy-- I attempted to shave this hair and find myself having to shave weekly to stay smooth! I Guess it could be Worse.....
Happy Growing Everyone! (Speaking of Hair---LOL)
Loretta
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Oh gosh, I LOVE the cotton candy reference to the hair on the face. That describes it perfectly! I did finally shave it off about 2 months ago. It did grow back somewhat, but not nearly as wispy and cotton candy-ish as it was. Plus, it felt so neat (the stubble) that it gave me something to do while I was waiting for the rest of my hair to grow in LOL!
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I am 18 weeks post chemo and my hair is coming in coarse and curly. I had the white peach fuzz trimmed 5 weeks ago and a little shaping up this past w/e. It is getting darker and thicker. I had body before chemo but the curls are great. Can't wait for it to be a little longer.
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Hi Ladies! I love the pictures of hair and new hair growth. I had been waiting for what seemed like forever, then I woke up last weekend and was surprised to see that I had my hairline back! Not only that - my scalp was no longer shiny. All of a sudden, overnight, I have dark fuzz growing on my head. My hair is finally back!!! I am almost 9 weeks PFC.
I was so worried that my hair was never coming back. After my first Dx, my hair grew back a month PFC, and it was thick, dark and curly. So when it did not come back right away the second time around, I felt very disheartened. Someone on another thread did remind me that I had 6 rounds instead of 4, and it may take longer.
Brenda
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MaryNY: I think your hair looks fabulous!!! Good for you!! Oh, you are an encouragement, and I wish I had that much. I am just 2 weeks PFC and see just a dark cast across my scalp. But I can feel the hair when I rub my head. Can't wait to have hair again. My wig is SO hot, as are the scarves and turbans. How many eyebrows would I raise if I went to work topless (no hair, that is!)????
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I'm taking 5,000 mcg of Biotin twice a day. I don't know what difference it has made in my hair since I've never had to grow a head of hair from nothing before, have no reference for comparison. However, hair and fingernails are made of the same thing -- and my fingernails are smoother, shinier, and stronger than they have been in years -- so I would conclude that the Biotin has probably helped my hair.
I am 28 weeks post-chemo and still have not uncovered my head in public, though I go topless at home. I didn't get the white fuzz until about six weeks post-chemo. Hair in the crown is only about 1/2 inch and some scalp still shows there, but the hair in the back is probably at least 1.5 inches long. I have noticed my hair getting thicker in the last couple of weeks. It's straight and is the same salt and pepper color I had before.
It's a test of patience, isn't it? A bit of an adventure, too!
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Marm: I did 4 A/C and am doing Taxol and Herceptin now. In between the two, I had about a month layover for scans and heart test, I started growing peach fuzz during that time. I have finished 9 T/H and I have 1/4 inch of mouse fur on my head. Still lots of scalp showing but there is quite a bit of coverage.
I don't know if it matterd, but I have gone topless during most of my baldness, no wigs and scarves only 10% of time. I wore hats when I was out since I was bald in Dec, Jan and Feb and the noggin got cold. I wonder if there is any connection between how much time I spent without anything on my head and getting my mouse fur so quickly.
I have infomed my children that if they refer to me as rodent-mom one more time, I will shave it off immediately! LOL, it is a joke in my house since I absolutely hate mice!
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Here is the state of my mouse fur head, I did 9th Taxol/Herceptin yesterday. As you can see from my avatar, I was bald, bald during A/C.
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Melinda41: My family rarely sees me with anything on my head - I've had intermittent hot flashes throughout, so bald is the norm around here! If going topless helps the hair grow faster, then I'm good to go!
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Marm: How many T/H's have you had? The nurses said if mine was going to fall out again, look for it around Tx #4. My nails seem strong, but I am keeping them short during chemo and I don't have to clip them as often as I used to. So the quality of my nails hasn't changed, just the rate of growth.0
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Melinda41: I had my 4th (and final) Taxotere on the 31st March - my nails, like yours, have grown and appear very strong. Leg hair - yup, needs to be shaved again! The hair on my head is starting to grow in - very soft and downy. Now, the hair in that OTHER place...never did lose it all, but if it never grows back, WHO CARES!!!!! lol
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Hi everyone: I pop in here every once in a while to see how you're all doing. It brings back so many memories of my own hair obsession.
Re Biotin: I started taking it (10,000 mcg daily) shortly after finishing tx (FEC and Taxotere) because my hair was taking "forever" to grow back in. I don't actually think it encouraged hair growth but it surely did help my nails! I had lost both thumbnails thanks to Tax, and Biotin helped them grow very strong. I still take 5,000 mcg daily (almost 2 years post-tx) and all my nails have never been in better shape.
Bravo to all of you -- it's a tough row to hoe but you have each other, and that is SO wonderful thanks to BCO. Wishing you all Good Hair Days, if not today, then in the very near future!
Hugs, Linda
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chrisct - yes, it is discouraging to keep watching them fall out, but it doesn't seem to be as en mass as the first few times. I keep hoping that as I am almost a full year from last tx, that it should be waning somewhat!
I am growing my hair out, though I doubt I will get to the length I was at dx, midway down my back. Looking at old photos, it really wasn't the most flattering, so I am thinking more of a shaggy bob, chin length or a little longer. My stylist said it could take another 6 months or so before I see any great length - the top and sides are growing out and the curls aren't so bad (but I also blow dry and flat iron) and have had several trims, the last one being about 4 weeks ago, to get the fuzzies off. The bottom part, where it was very kinky curly, has relaxed some too. It's getting better - looks more like a short hairstyle rather than a supershort style, so that's some consolation. It is very dry, don't know if that's just my new texture or what, but if I put a moisturizing mask on weekly, and have a conditioning treatment with color (I just put a very dark brown on, was doing more light brown with highlights and had gotten very faded from sun) and it is very shiny now. Bangs are getting long - I can trim them up and they reach my glasses. Still not long enough for much else, but I have been experimenting with headbands and such, and it's nice to have some options. A year ago, I was shaving it off because it was hurting and falling out at work. Time is a great healer.
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Melinda: You have way more hair than me, I'm jealous. I don't wear anything on my head while at home as it's been hot here. Mine is not so noticeable as there's a lot of silvery white colour - starting to see some darker ones coming. I never lost it all anyway but it was pretty thin.
Sue
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Melinda: Your avatar looks beautiful. If I looked like that bald I would go topless too.
Brenda
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Chelev - can you post a pic? I am a little behind you. My last chemo was May 1, 2009. I have having loads of problems with this chemo curly hair. My curls are soooo tight. I am really at a loss as to what to do with it.
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OK...For those of you who have shaved your head how did you care for it? Shampoo, lotion, wig caps, irritation of your head?
Any and all words of wisdom would be appreciated!!!!!Many thanks in advance!
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