Hair Hair Hair - Another question
Comments
-
Lago: you mean it took 1.5 years to come back?? I'm in the same boat. I finished chemo 7/10, had bilateral mast. left, few rads (stopped for burning), port removed and cataract surgery. Didn't start back until many months later and I still (3 yrs. post dx) have bald spots, thin soft hair and about 40% to date. Still have to cover, but still have fuzz on scalp where more is coming in. What do you mean 'your real hair', did you have something different than now in the beginning?
Thanks, Bubbalu
0 -
Lago: P.S. Had 4AC & 4 taxotere
0 -
mommytomygirl........I miss the old me too!!!! HUGS
0 -
I actually like my hair short. I don't like the curl/wave thing going on in the back but I can't see it (I can feel it, though), so I have decided not to worry about it. I have gotten a ton of compliments on my new "haircut". I want it to grow a little more on top, but like Lago, thinking about keeping it short. I have a very small face, so I think the new do is okay for me.
0 -
Funny that you and lago say that....I was trying to let mine grow in and be all one length and DH keeps saying that he liked it when it was shorter ....jeez, can't win!!! The longer it gets, the curlier it becomes.
0 -
thanks Emma!
(((hugs))) to you too
I just saw an add in a magazine about a new shampoo called "Plantur 39".
It says it's for women over 40 who may have decreased levels of estrogen. (thanks to tamoxifen that's me)
It has caffeine in it. If I can find it in the stores I will give it a try.
0 -
I'm 11 weeks PFC and my hair is starting to grow in mostly salt and some pepper. I am suddenly looking at a lot of women's hair and seeing a lot of very short hair. Some of these hairstyles might be shorter then my hair, but their hair looks like a hairstyle mine looks like I recently had chemo. A lot of women really rock the gray hair look but I think I will dye my hair. The difference may be the quality of the hair or maybe the thickness, I'm not sure.
The thought of it taking another year before it looks good is distressing.
On an upbeat note the eyelashes and eyebrows have never looked better and I am putting mascara on to honor their presence.0 -
No emma not 1.5 years to come back. I was topless at 13 weeks. It took about that time to get my natural texture back. Before the texture was more fur like than hair texture. It also wasn't as shiny… I always had very shiny hair. It's back to being shiny.
schatzi my husband likes it both ways but my mom likes it short… maybe because I now look even more like her with the short hair. I save about 30 minutes a day having short hair. That's 15 hours a week, 7.5 days a year.
0 -
Nkb - I tried to let mine grow in natural color too but decided I was too young to be grey! I had it cut (not much) and colored professionally and now I feel like my hair being short looks like I did it on purpose, not because I was growing out chemo hair. Amazing how a little shaping and color can make you look differently at it. It's hard to take that first step and get it cut since it seems like it takes soooooooo long to grow.
0 -
lago...well when you look at it THAT way...LOL
0 -
I'm coming up to 1 year PFC... hard to believe the year has flow by so fast. I haven't had a hair cut since Sept. of 2011. The chemo curls/waves have relaxed as my hair has become longer. I now have longer hair than many ladies who choose to have short hair. The pain about growing it out is the in-between stages. I'm sure some of you recall growing bangs out when you were a teen. Heck, I grew out a perm 20 years ago and that was tough. Anyway, it's amazing how one week I can look stylish and fit and then the next week I'm frumpy. Sometimes it's hard to tell what I see in the mirror and whether it's a true reflection or just my perception that day.
Well, off to wear a hat today!
0 -
Just an FYI I know it feels like forever waiting for hair to grow. I had full coverage and was topless at 4 months. Granted I looked kind of like GI Jane. At 6 months I had a very nice short wavy look. Ir looked very grey at first but got darker as it grew in. It is thicker and healthier than my prechemo hair.
0 -
This may not be the best thread for me, but I didn't find one that fit any better for my question/request for support. I'm looking for a thread with women who can give me tips regarding wearing a wig with confidence. My situation is different from those of you who have lost hair due to chemo. I have genetically superfine and superthin hair and with tamoxifen the thinning is becoming very noticeable up front. I've tried wearing my hair piece two or three times in public and each time I was extremely self conscious and felt like people were 'feeling sorry for me'. Which is weird because if anything my naturally thinning hair is probably more disturbing. Do you eventually get more confident? I like to think of myself as a reasonably confident person and I know it shouldn't matter if people know it's a wig. Part of my problem is that I've had thin hair for so long now that having hair that is not at all fine or sparse feels very unnatural to me. I may try having it restyled. advice and moral support welcome.
0 -
Hi ladies, What is PFC? I am guessing post final chemo? Also, I am seeing on here that Herceptin slows the growth of hair??? I asked my onco about this and he said no, but now I'm worried! Last question, has anyone found any products that helps hair come in quicker? I once read something about beeswax shampoo, but that's probably a scam...My last chemo day (not including the Herceptin) is in 2 weeks and I am VERY eager to get my hair back. Thanks for your help!
0 -
zsterling I don't have your problem but I know many women here that are dealing with hair thinning from hormone therapy (most AIs not that it matters). You might try this thread: http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/78/topic/790338 It's about Anastrozole/Arimidex but I know there are several that have thinning hair.
BTW I use Minoxidil and I believe it saved my hair from thinning on this drug.
As far as confidence. It's something that you have to work on. Personally do you really care if strangers are having an issue. Your friends will eventually get used to it. I remember when I grew my hair back one of my friends couldn't get used to it being so short. Now, a year later she doesn't see me as the gal with a long bob and prefers the short now. People eventually get used to change.
0 -
@zsterling- It's funny that you asked that question because just today I went to the dollar store (I very rarely go there) and I remembered that the last time was I was there was the first time I wore my wig out in public. And I remember being sooo self conscience that I literally would not go into ailes with people in them and would not make eye contact with anyone. What a horrible way to feel! But it does get easier! I'm still not crazy about wearing a wig and mostly go scarf when I'm at home or getting treated, but I teach first grade so I wear it every day to work and you just get used to it. One of the many sucky things that are just part of the "new normal". Best of luck to you!
0 -
zsterling - some of us (me included) had a really difficult time with the wig. Mine was much better after I had it thinned. Most wigs have too much hair in them and therefore can tolerate some thinning (make sure the person has worked with wigs before letting them thin it). I also had it restyled twice before I was reasonably satisfied...though I admit I never really liked mine. I know other people have liked their wigs so it is really an individual perspective.
I just went topless officially this weekend when I was 'outed' by a neighbor who saw me without my wig. I decided that it was just time to deal with all the questions I'll be getting like 'what made you decide to cut your hair (so short)?' I am having a tough time with it...I just don't feel like me and I would never, ever get my hair cut this short. BTW I am 5 months PFC and have about 1.5 inches when straightened. Tons of chemo curls.
0 -
kelly - Welcome, from one Kelly to another! You are correct about PFC although some of us substitute final with an expletive! I finished 3/22/12 and so I am about 10 months PFC but still on Herceptin. My MO told me it does slow the regrowth some. I have had 2 haircuts and color already and going for my 3rd Monday. It is the hardest thing in the world waiting for that damn hair to come back....it goes so quickly! Hang in there!
0 -
I took my hairdresser with me to the wig store she is a good old friend of mine,when I went to look for wigs. She also said that most of these wigs have too much hair and need to be thinned and that's why they don't look natural.
I bought a baseball cap with hair which was the same length as my usual hair when I wore it people really had no idea it really looked like me with a baseball cap on. That didn't work as well for being inside.
I also bought a wig which I felt really weird wearing, and eventually I started wearing it more and would often forget that I had it on. One of the first times I wore it, I was in the mall and a salesperson said" I really like your hair " and I said "it's not real" then I wondered to myself why did you have to say that I couldnt you just say "thank you."
Since then, random people say I like your new haircut I really don't think they know it's a wig and I say thank you although it feels weird, and usually I had forgotten I was wearing a wig.
I am 11 weeks PFC in about a month plan to have my hairdresser color it and style it if she can do it only taking one micron off and see how it goes. It Will really be short still. It will be a relief not to run for a hat or hair when the doorbell rings.0 -
Thanks for the advice/insight. I used minoxidil for about a year before I even knew I had breast cancer. It didn't work for my brother or husband either. I may try the scarf idea. I actually don't care what strangers think so I'm not sure why I imagine all the things they are thinking (as though I am the center of the universe!). I also agree with what my mom says which is even if they know it's a wig, it still looks much better than my normal hair!
0 -
I never wore my wig at all...was more comfortable with scarves. Now that I am 36 weeks PFC, I find my hair totally thinning...I blame the Arimidex. The only difference from before BC is that I don't colour it now.
0 -
zsterling I wore my wig twice… the weekend of my nieces bat mitzvah and that was it. I was too big, hot, shiny and itchy. I wore scarves. Ironically I just came back from the tiny grocery store around the corner. Was chatting with the check out woman and mentioned that I felt worse after the flu shot than I did on chemo. She was "what you did chemo?" I said remember when I was wearing the scarves? She said Oh Ya I just thought was the look you were going for. You looked so good I never knew.
The thing is people look at your face more than you think. If you think you look sickly just put on more blush. Trust me, I can look good even with the flu if I put on some make up.
0 -
I think a lot has to do with the construction of the wig. Mine was a monofilament top where my scalp could breath. We had just started our cooler weather last September when I started to wear it so the warmth was nice. The other thing was that I found a wig that was similar to my hair, but had some cool red and blonde streaks in it. Everywhere I went I had compliments and therefore my self-esteem was being uplifted from wearing it. It did take a while to say thank you when someone said something nice. Many times I wanted to tell them it was a wig, but I learned to smile. I miss my wig. The in between stage I'm going through right now stinks. By the way, below is a MODEL wearing my wig. Someone once thought it was me :-).
0 -
Is there a picture forum for hair regrowth pics?
0 -
SLKsMom a few of us do post here. This is mine: linky
There is another forum not run by bc.org. You need to contact nowwheregirl. It can take her a while to answer because she works fulltime and lives in Japan (different timezone).
0 -
zsterling
I remember feeling really self concious wearing the wig out for the first time. I felt like everyone knew and that it looked aweful. But guess what? I overheard these two ladies talking (I didn't know them) and one said "she her, THAT's how I want my hair". My DH was standing there too and heard them as well. LOL! I felt so much more at ease right then and there. The last time I wore it to a party in September some of the ladies I was talking to were shocked it was a wig. Even a BC survivor! It wasn't an expensive wig either. So my point is most people don't even notice and if they do, oh well. You'll get more comfortable as time goes on.
I too am on Herceptin until sometime in January 2013. I think its slowed the regrowth somewhat but I'll never know for sure.
0 -
I bought my 1 wig, paid almost 1400.00 for it and it looked really good ( On the stand) LOL never wore it, Had a few others I found at the hospital and never wore those either. They all had names though My expensive one was grizelda, the other ones were Cybill and ezmerelda HAHA.. I went topless all the time and if it was chilly I wore a hat..... Bald or Not. we are ALL BEAUTIFUL............
0 -
I still hate my wig..but I get compliments on it every time I wear it. I usually wear it when I go to work or tests because I work at the hospital where I am getting radiation. I wear hats or scarves to just go to the grocery store. At home I wear nothing..on my head..it was a HOT summer. I started chemo in May and finished in August. Generally I found anything on my head was hot and itchy. It is really itchy now that I have hair coming back..it is too short to measure and it is white. I had never colored my hair and I used to say I was prematurely white, but now I am 63 and it is just white. The guy who ordered my wig saw my hair before and he did an amazing job matching it. I told him I wanted to look like me and many people just say they like my new style. With the weather getting cooler, I need to find snuggly things to wear....it will be quite a time before I go topless. You can get through this part, it helped to read others hair problems on here. We are all pretty tough. For me chemo was the worst part, if I can do that I can get through this hair stuff.
0 -
While watching the CMA's last night, I decided my hair was the length of Kelli Picklers. Mine doesn't stand up on top like hers all over, just in spots! I thought she looked really cute! Any ideas how to make the top work like hers?
0 -
I think part of Kelly Pickler's hair is that it's all growing in at the same time whereas for me some hair began growing in a couple months ago and some just adding now and it's not not nearly as thick as hers. mine did stick up a lot at the beginning but it was more whispy..
She looks adorable!0
