Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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Thank you MinusTwo!
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farmerlucy: sorry I don't have any advice on this.
Formygrandmother: you look stunning!!! I like the earrings and necklace too.
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Beautiful for my granddaughter!!! I am 6 months out and my hair is thicker then before I started. I have decided to keep it short I Love the low maintenance.
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Formygranddaughter: Beautiful photo. PS--Love your necklace too!
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Formygranddaughter--you look lovely! At 4 months you are dong great.
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ok girls..I finished taxotere/carboplatin 9 months ago and finished up my herceptin 2 months ago. I still have to wear a wig. I have some hair but so little that I can't go without a wig. Is there "anyone" out there that has experienced this long a wait for hair to come in? Any suggestions??
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LizA I sent you a PM
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Hi, LizA, I have also been slow to recover my hair. I'm 8 months PFC today and I still wear a wig. My hair is growing, but it is very thin particularly on top. I have also been slow to recover hair on the rest of my body. As you can see from my other posts on this thread and those threads dealing with Taxotere and permanent hair loss, I have done quite a bit of research on this issue and I remain concerned. I saw a dermatologist who specialized in hair last week, but she didn't know the literature about Taxotere and permanent hair loss so she wasn't much help. My oncologist doesn't know much about this either, but said that she has had patients take a full year to recover their hair. How much hair do you have on your head and the rest of your body?
I'm not sure that mine is Taxotere-induced permanent alopecia because it is growing. The top is just over 2" and the back/sides is about 2.5"--but I only have about 25% of the density I had pre-chemo. Another possibility is telogen effluvium (hair loss during the resting stage). Chemo causes anagen effluvium (hair loss during the growth stage), but sometimes it can also cause a switch from the growth to the resting stage which delays recovery. Hormone changes brought on by Tamoxifen and the other endocrine treatments can also cause telogen effluvium which can explain the longer recovery. Also, hormone treatments can also cause androgenetic hairloss which is usually just the top of the head and not other parts of the body.
I share your frustration! Please keep us posted. Best wishes, Jumpy
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thanks Jumpy..I've got some hair but it looks like a balding man. Eyebrows have a shadow, thats about it. Eyelashes are short. Not much hair grows on my legs and there is some that grows under my arms. I didn't know anything about permanent hair loss. This is depressing.
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LizA17--I know it is depressing...and frustrating! I posted a summary of what is known about permanent Taxotere-induced hair loss about a month ago. (Go to Search and search for Jumpy and look under the thread for Taxotere and permanent hair loss). But, TIPA (taxotere-induced permanent alopecia) is usually associated with the symptoms you describe--reduced hair on brows, lashes, underarms, legs, arms, and pubic area. I had that, but my brows and lashes have started to make a come back. And I am getting more hair in the other areas also. My protein levels were down, so I have boosted that in my diet. Plus I have been using minoxidil (Rogaine) and a laser comb for my head.
Feel free to PM me if you would like to chat off-line. I know this is very hard and I wish you the very best. --Jumpy
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6, 7, and 8 months PFC0 -
I just posted my progress; the photos are 6, 7, and 8 months PFC. I have been struggling with slow regrowth and am still "thin" (~25% of the density I had prior to TC chemo. The hair on the rest of my body has also been slow to come back, but there has been improvement in the past couple of weeks. I've been (and remain) concerned that I have permanent Taxotere-induced alopecia, but now I am thinking my slow progress may be some form of telogen effluvium. The hair that I do have is growing. The length on top is ~2" and 2.5" in the back and sides. I'm not sure that the density is improving much particularly in the crown area. I am starting to lose patience with the wig, but I don't think I'm ready to go topless quite yet. Thanks, Jumpy
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if it makes you feel better jumpy..you've got a lot more hair growth than I do and I'm 9 months out of chemo and 2 months done with herceptin. I 'm also taking anastrozole. Don't know if that helps hinder the growth or not. I'm seeing new growth so I'm holding on to hope I'll have hair again someday and this isn't permanent.
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jumpy - your hair is growing nicely - I know you wish there was more but it looks even and nice.. I take biotin and once I started to take that my hair started really growing .. I felt like it filled in first and then took off... you'll know when you can leave the wig off.. I stopped wearing my wig when I had about your length because the wig itched my head so much and started sliding around with that amount of hair under it.... I started not wearing it out on weekends before I had nerve to go topless to work.. and I added a lot of eye makeup and big earrings..
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Jumpy from what I can see your hair doesn't look like taxotere induced alopecia. Granted I am no expert. You just look like a slow starter. Also if you are on an AI that could be having an effect too.
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Thanks, LizA17, IamNancy, and lago! I am glad that there has been progress, but the photos are a bit deceptive in that they don't show as much scalp as can be seen in person. I'm keeping up with the minoxidil, laser comb, biotin, and protein. My body hair growth (legs, arms, and underarms) has just seem to kick in, so I'm hoping my scalp hair will follow soon.
Lago, one of my working theories is that the Tamoxifen or the Tamoxifen-radiation combo triggered a telogen effluvium in me delaying my regrowth. Or, more likely, there is a little of several things at work simultaneously: some Taxotere-induced permanent alopecia, some Tamoxifen-induced androgenetic alopecia, and some telogen effluvium.
Thanks, again, for sharing your thoughts! ~Jumpy
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jumpy..did you try the Nioxin products?
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Hi, LizA17, Yes I was using Nixon and am still using it until I use it up. But, I don't think shampoos do much and that is what the dermatologist who specializes in hair said also. However, she did prescribe the Rx strength of Nizoral which you can buy at Walgreens (the Rx is called Ketoconazole 2%). These are believed to have some anti-androgen properties. She told me to use it 1-2 times per week.
I would hardly consider myself a poster-child for hair growth, but among those factors that I have control over I would say that minoxidil and eating 100g of protein/day is what has helped the most. The minoxidil 5% foam 2x/day increases the blood supply to the follicles. My protein levels were a little low during chemo and radiation even though I was eating 65-80 grams of lean protein per day (a lot of salmon, turkey, eggs, etc.). So, I boosted it to 100g. After all, hair IS protein. Once my protein level were back to normal is when I started to notice additional hair growth. I also take biotin, D3, and a Centrum (w/o iron). And, I use a laser comb. I hope this helps. BTW, what part of IL are you from?
Take care, Jumpy
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Jumpy, may I ask what laser comb you are using, and if you feel it has made a difference?
I am a month shy of TWO years from PFC, and I don't have enough hair to go without a wig. What I have, I need to cut periodically so that it doesn't show from under my wig, but it is very, very sparse. I keep telling myself "rather no hair and alive", than "lovely hair and a recurrence"..... But, sure didn't expect this result when my husband shaved my head two years ago! ;-(
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jumpy are you actually in the city like me?
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Yes (but I'm out of town at the moment).
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Karina,I know how you feel,just wanted to let you know that I started taking prenatal vitamins in Dec. Before you could really see my scalp on the top of my head and on the back of my head. The top is starting to fill in and am hoping the back does,too! I don't know if it is the prenatal that is helping or if my body is finally starting to get back to normal from the chemo and radiation. I also started taking biotin,after I noticed the new growth. I am taking 1-5000 mcg twice a day with meals. My picture is before chemo,I used to have really thick hair. My last chemo was Jan 17,2012,radiation the end of March,2012.
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Hi, Karina, I'm sorry you have also experienced slow/incomplete regrowth. I use the Hairmax Laser Comb. It cost me about $500. There is some scientific evidence that it promotes hair growth, but not a lot. The consensus among the dermis I have consulted is that it is safe and it might help. So, I have added that to my regimen. I started using that about a week after I started the Rogaine (on 19 Nov 2013) so I can not tell what is having the greatest effect. But the both work differently so can actually compliment each other.
Have you had blood work done to rule out other causes? TSH+4, zinc, Vit D, iron, protein, etc?
I'm still wearing a wig but I dye my hair the same color because I can't keep some natural hair from showing. Plus, I can mark my growth rate by the length of my gray roots!
Good luck. ~Jumpy
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My hair started to grow back about 5 weeks after chemo ended. My eyebrows and lashes came back very quickly, and I have heard others that say it took theirs a longer time. Like they say, everyone is different. But my lashes and brows are even better then before! I am now a little over the 2 month mark post chemo, and hair is about 1/2" to 1" long. I stopped wearing my headcovers just this past weekend, and I wear my look with great pride as I am feeling very blessed to be alive and well. With what we go through during treatment, we have much to be proud of! I just know that it feels so awesome to feel good again!
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jumpy..I am from So. Illinois.
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Thank you Belleeast and Jumpy for your imput. Jumpy, I had watched a news segment on a TV station in Phoenix about a company that offers laser hair treatment that they claim really works. Part of what they say is that they have devises they can send home with you, if driving to Scottsdale is too far. We have a home in NW Phoenix. Hmmmm....I am ready to try anything! There are several Hairmax combs, of varying costs, I see. Belleeast, I have been taking multiple vitamins..not prenatal, though. Is there reason to take prenatal? I am 62, so I would never have thought to do so. ;-). I have been taking biotin, but only one 5000mg per day...perhaps I should bump that up to two.. Blood work has been "normal". I should add that my eyelashes are about 1/8th inch long and so blond, you can't see them. I try to put mascara on, only to stab my eye and make a mess of black...lol...I look like I have been in a fight! --- and my eyebrows have about 3 hairs each. Thank God for eyebrow pencils! I have a box of minoxidil in the bathroom..haven't started with that yet. Again, so happy to be alive!
K.
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Karina51 more doesn't always mean better. To much either will not be absorbed and your body will just pee it out (wasting money) or create a problem with an in-balance in your system. Also always check with your doctor to be sure that none of these suppliments interfere with any conditions or meds you are currently taking. BTW I am taking 5mg. Are you sure you're not taking 500 mcg.
5mg=500mcg
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lago, you are right, it should have read mcg, not mg! Sheesh!
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Lago - I'm too old to do metric, but i think 5 mgs is 5000 mgc - not 500. Please let me know if I have my zeros wrong again.
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MinusTwo that's what I meant. My keyboard skips a lot
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