Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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MaryNY: Timtam is in Japan, and is also overworked and overstressed so some of us on BCO are helping her get people to the picture forum. If you PM me I can help!
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tnbcRuth: You look great in red! It looks like that could be your natural color
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tncbruth,
hair looks fabulous, how many week of growth??
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What about eyebrows??? My hair has started back, veryyyy slowly, and have some weird clumpy eyelashes, but no eyebrows at all. Can anyone give me a time frame for eyebrows? Are they last to come back?
I was a natural white blonde with some darker tones underneath- looks major salt and pepper coming in to me. Hard to say cuz still so short. Hoping it will pick up speed because hot weather is here and the wig thing is sure hot!
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3teacher My eyebrows thinned on chemo but I was never without. About 5 weeks later they started falling out pretty quickly but again I was never without because they filled in pretty fast. My eyelashes have been much slower but are finally growing, although slowly.
Granted my head hair was the first to start growing. It seemed things got a bit better after 4-5 weeks as far as growth really taking off for me… but everyone is different. Someone here had hair growing back down south before they ever saw anything on their head.
tnbcRuth Love it! I was dying my hair dark auburn prior to chemo. I'm just waiting till the top fully fills in before the dye job. Once it does I think color and topless will happen
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Christine- my last chemo was October 2010, so 6 months...I am not sure about the intensity of the color, tho. I might like dark auburn better. She put a lot of copper in it and it all but glows! Thanks for the support What a crazy ride this is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 0
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tnbcRuth: If you like the red color, you'd LOVE henna! I gotta try to get some pictures to show you what henna looks like. Gonna work on that now...0
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Can anyone tell me how to start measuring weeks from chemo as it relates to hair regrowth? Is it from the day of last infusion, or from the last day of the last cycle, which in my case of T/C would be 3 weeks AFTER the day of last infusion? My last infusion was February 4, 2011, so the end of the last cycle would be February 25. In any case, not one single new hair has appeared on the top of my head. On the contrary, the little hair that remained throughout chemo in the form of male pattern baldness has just started FALLING OUT as are my remaining lashes. Can anyone enlighten me? Will my hair grow back?? When? Thanks for any info.0
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Chrissy my eyebrows and eyelashes started to fall out big time 5 weeks after chemo… and started growing 2-3 weeks after. I started counting from last chemo but never really expected anything to happen in the first 3-4 weeks. Everyone is different too so just because you don't have hair yet doesn't mean it won't happen.0
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Thanks for the info Iago and Nancy ... I saw that growth progression - but it doesn't say WHEN THE FIRST HAIR SHOULD, ON AVERAGE, APPEAR. If my last actual T/C infusion was on February 4th, of a 3-week cycle, when should I expect to see even something as simple as FUZZ on top of my head? When should I start to worry for real? I don't want to seem crazy, but I'm freaking that on April 2, there is not a molecule of growth. Thanks again.
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Chrissy, my chemo binder says it should start 4-6 weeks after chemo but that isn't true of everyone. I know one gal that just started hair growth 2 weeks ago. She ended chemo at least 2 week before me so that's at least 2 months till she started to notice hair growth!
I will admit I have always taken biotin and started women's monxidril (rogaine) as soon as chemo ended. I'm still thinner on top but it's filling in. I know other women that didn't have this thinness at 11 weeks. It really can be different for everyone.
1 more thing. It does take a while for chemo to leave your system. I had that awful nail lifting/nail bed pain. I think my toenails have finally stopped lifting but my fingernail beds are still a little sore…still after 11 weeks!
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Chrissy my last chemotherapy was feb 1 and I only have very sparse growth. In the mirror I still look totally bald so don't feel bad. What I have is white hairs very far apart so I would not count that as anything to be excited about. I did start taking biotin and ordered some nioxin hoping to jump start the process! I did taxotere and carboplatin along with herceptin and am still on herceptin. But lago did exact same thing and has awesome hair only 2 weeks ahead of us so really a very individual thing. I think those getting hair are more likely to post those pics so I am telling myself all the gals like us without much or anything are out there...
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Lago I always thought I was a dark brunette - although I had been dying my hair for years (different colours) and kind of forgot my real colour.
When my hair started growing in after chemo I was not surprised by all the white but was unhappy with the overall colour effect of the gray look ( the white mixed with the dark hair).
It looked really dull and lifeless although my hair was very healthy. I had lots of dark hairs too - my original colour I suppose - but they looked like black hair as opposed to brunette. There wasn't any "warmth" to it.
Now that I've dyed it a dark brunette I can really see a difference. Not only did I get highlights where the dark brown coloured over whtie hair but also the overall effect is more vibrant and warm. There is an area that I missed at the back of neck where the hair still looks dull. It's almost like comparing a black and white photo to a colour one.
My eyebrows fell out after chemo and grew back quickly. I used Rapid Lash. But they are a lot lighter than the hair on my head and so I use a pen to fill them in.
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Someone mentioned hair coming in a different color after chemo.
Mine was reddish brown before - really cool color.
It came back very dark brown with no red at all. I have colored it twice - the do at home stuff that lasts about a month. Hoping over time it will go back to the before chemo color, but if not, will deal with it. Just happy to have hair again.
Very windy in St. Louis today - yea, got to feel the wind in my hair!
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Hi Everyone, Been reading this thread since the beginning, and love it. My hair started growing back while still in chemo. I had very curly hair and i was hoping it would come back straight but no such luck. It's not very long but very thick. It is very white on top and very black in the back. I have been coloring it for so long i wasn't sure what the real color is. I don't have the nerve to go topless yet maybe in a month (don't really know what to do with it
) But very thankful to just have some hair. Before chemo i had alot of hair, enough for two people, so i'm hoping it thins a little. Everyone is different, so for you guys that don't have much yet be patient it will come and once it starts it comes in fast. Lago- I have problems with my two big toenails also.. At first i thought they were going to fall off and now they look like they just stopped growing. hmmmm.....I really don't want to go back to the foot doctor, so many doctors yada yada yada .But i might have to. Any suggestions? Anyway just wanted to say hi and i love seeing all the pics, i would post some but have no idea how. I hope everyone is having a great weekend.
Pam
P.S. My last chemo was Jan 13th and my last rads will be April 13th. I'm hoping the number 13 will be lucky for me!
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I have been taking Biotin for 1 week. I am 4 weeks PFC, and my hair started with the colorless fuzz while I was on Taxol.
Maybe it is coincidence, but I *swear* my hair has grown faster over the past week while using the Biotin. I am taking 5000 mcg a day. It seems longer, and my head definitely has more dark hair; it is about 1/2 long on average. And I got the shock of shocks today - after my shower today I noticed 1/2" of hair on my legs. I know it doesn't make sense that it grew that much in a week, but I swear last time I checked there was just stubble.
Now if it would just help my eyebrows grow!!
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Lago and Pam: I've got the black toenail thing, too! A gift from Taxotere. Wish the blasted nail would just fall off. And I, too, do not want another dr. visit. My fingernails survived, though one is a bit odd. Two other toenails are yucky, but will be okay, I think.
What's PFC? I'm a blonde, so a bit dense. (blonde joke)
Wait....no, I'm not a blonde anymore. This very short bit of growth is major salt and pepper, leaning more to salt. So much for my natural white blonde hair. Hate the thought of having to color my hair. At least it has started to grow back. My late chemo date was Feb. 7th. Hoping in 3 more months to have enough to be brave and toss the wig.
You are soo right about the leg hair! I rubbed my leg today and I swear, it must be 1/2 long! Good grief- get out the razor.
Oh, how I long for eyebrows- any growth would thrill me. I think the lack of eyebrows gives me that "look". Even more so than sparse hair on head.
I have always taken Biotin, but stopped during chemo. Not sure why. Started back up after chemo. Will check to see the strength. Maybe stronger would help.
So appreciate all your info. Really helps me!! Support! 2 more rads and then 8 boosts and then preventative hyster/ovaries out in early May and then donedonedone well, Herceptin till Dec. but that's so doable.
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Lucky Pam, I think the toenails that don't seem to be growing might be doing what mine did...Every finger but my 2 pinkies lost its nail...there was another new (icky looking) nail growing underneath, so the top one didn't appear to be growing...because it wasn't. As the 'new' nail grew, it pushed the old nail off, but wayyyy to soon...lots and lots of raw cuticle. I used bandaids to hold the old nails on as long as I could, once I figured out the fun process. Keep them cut as short as you can, holding them down while you do to keep them from lifting. Good luck!
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3Teacher, PFC = Post Final Chemo. I know what you mean about the eyebrow thing, I got real tired of looking like a muppet, I was thrilled to have them grow back. Now I am thinking that it is time to get them waxed, but gosh darn it, I almost hate to do that to the little suckers. BTW, I finished chemo in August.
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My eyebrows came back in looking strange..sticking out here and there; thick and thin. I also didn't want to pull anything that took so long to return...so at my salon, where I was getting my hair dyed RED last week, they offered to color my eyebrows for a better match...and wow do they look great! It picked up the gray? eyebrow hair, evened them out and now that I have sufficient brows, I don't mind trimming them back some. Anyone else have odd brow syndrome? lol
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tnbcRuth, Thanks i think your right. I keep wishing they would just fall off already, but i guess the longer they stay on the better. My eyebrows seemed like they took forever to grow, but once they started they came in fast. Now i need them waxed, but just can't pull any hair off my body yet. I have had to shave my legs though.:( I also have some hair on the sides of my face that i didn't have before. I sure hope that falls out or i will have it waxed or i will shave it. LOL First no hair, now hair, hair, hair everywhere.
Pam
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Sorry i don't know what i did to make the font so big and my name so small. ha ha ha!!
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I kept my nails painted the whole time and only had an issue with one wee-wee-wee-all-the-way-home toe, and it was only purple on the bottom. It never fell off and is the right color growing under the purple now. The cosmetician at the Look Good Feel Better class said it was better to keep the nails polished because they lose less moisture. That's not why I kept doing the polish, but I didn't have issues.
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Here is my first pic of hair growth. I finished chemo March 18th, my hair started coming in around the time of my last round. My eyebrows left the building last week. Right now there is some new growth there, but only half the eyebrow. They look like short, fuzzy caterpillers. I am taking biotin and massaging my scalp with olive oil. I have no growth around my forehead, if that continues I may try rogaine.
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Pumela, 3 teacher the black nail thing doesn't mean you will lose your nails. If the nail bed hurts typically your nails will lift and you will get the ooze that tncRuth describes. I unfortunately have this issue with every fingernail and most of my toe nails.
I never did lose any fingernails although you can see the new nails growing underneath… so far no falling off. My toe nails more of a headache. One large nail had to be removed. My other large nail lifted so bad that my podiatrist cut it back really far. It's almost like not having a nail. I lost a few others too.
If anyone is interested here are some pictures when my fingers/toes where at their worst. Note that some of these pictures are not for the weak of stomach, especially the toes.
fingers 1: http://alturl.com/8jthb
fingers 2: http://alturl.com/ipemz
fingers 3: http://alturl.com/dtr9ftoes 1: http://alturl.com/ob8tn
toes 2: http://alturl.com/8m48n------------------------------------------------------
OK back to the subject of hair. I too am a bit cautious about plucking my eyebrows. I have to admit though they are more filled in since before chemo. All that over plucking in junior high has been repaired. I get a redo!
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I was just about to post about my nails, and then looked at lagos photos. Yep - that's what I had in varying degrees. Only on my hands though. My big toes turned black and blue but didn't get oozy. My hands are back to normal - I never lost a nail, and they grew out. I still have to wear dark polish on my toes.
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Lago, that is seriously unfair! I hope that clears up for you as quickly as possible.
Everyone is different. I wore black polish on my fingernails and iced them during some of the treatments. I was lucky: nothing happened except a little brittleness.
The hair: not quite so lucky. Finished chemo September 14, and it wasn't until December that I really had anything I'd call hair (not fuzz). It took a really long time to fill in, and now it is starting to grow. But for me, at 7 months PFC, I still am about 1.25 inches. And curly. Today I'm getting a trim, I just hope the gal can do something with it.
Eyebrows and lashes are totally different. My eyebrows are so thin, and my lashes short and weak.
Well, I don't know anyone who walks out of chemo completely unscathed! But I am grateful to be alive and well.
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sunflower,
This is so encouraging, you started with some growth with your last chemo? What type of chemo did you have? I still have 2 rounds to go, I want hair soo bad, keep posting, gives me hope.
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Fighter_34 has hair YIPPIE....
Visible hair I brushed it with a baby brush and massaged it with olive oil. I am now starting to feel like myself again. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully I can go topless by Jun/Jul...
Now if I can only kick the blah feeling I am having today...
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Fighter: I am so happy to hear you finally have hair! woot!!!
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