Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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SDM000 I use Minoxidil, generic Walgreens kind. Less oily. I used to use the womens 2% once a day but switched to mens 5% once a day. I don't use the foam. I find the Walgreens brand less greasy than Rogaine. Also note that it can take 3-6 months to start noticing growth. My hair grows fast so for me it was about 3 months.
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Thanks Lago and Noonrider. I think I'll try the liquid once I finish this batch of the foam. It does seem like it would be easier to get onto the scalp that way.
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I have to share photos from this summer. I got married and had sparse, white hair with lots of shiny scalp beaming through. For the wedding, a hair stylist friend came up with the idea to use the dry spay-on shampoo for the wedding. What a difference it made for my special day!
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How soon after chemo starts do you lose your hair? My onco is talking about a 12 week regime with and infusion every 3 weeks. I want to visit an elderly relative that doesn't know I have BC and I wondered if I could see her within a week or 2 of starting therapy without alarming her
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I lost mine between the 2nd and 3rd week after the first treatment. I was hairless when i went for my second treatment, but they had told me that when i started chemo
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15 days after chemo my hair started to fall out. I have thick hair. So then next time I went to chemo I still had hair and didn't need a scarf or a wig but my hair really thinned and looked kind of dead. Third picture from the left is me at 19 days after my first chemo. Do note that I first cut my hair short then the Saturday after my hair started to come out the wig place thinned my hair so I could see if the wig fit. (When it all fell out the wig ended up being too big.)
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Thanks for info. Who would imagine pre-BC that we'd we dealing with all this stuff!
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chloesmom- it really depends on which chemo you are receiving. Are you getting AC
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I shaved my head a few days before starting chemo. I wanted to have some control. Had a little party to say goodbye to it. (I blogged it if you're interested in reading that post. ) So anyway, day 12 my nose hairs fell out. I started sneezing and was getting tissues full of hair. Very weird. Day 14, surprise! My pubic hair fell out. I hadn't thought about that! LOL Two days later my armpit hair along with the hair on ONE leg and the next day the other leg went along with both arms. On day 16 I noticed some hair from my head if I rubbed my head, and the next day I had patches gone. My eyebrows hung on until two weeks after my THIRD round.
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Lost the hair on my head 17 days after first chemo and had had it buzzed the week before - a friend didn't buzz her hair and when it started falling it hurt her (each hair being pulled) so she warned me to get it buzzed and it worked fine - other hair seemed to fall out all at once except for eyebrows and eyelashes - they fell out later at least twice.
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I'm glad to hear of good outcomes. My hair grew quickly pre BC but now it seems to slow down and not as thick. I'm 3 mo post chemo, but also just started Herceptin for targeted therapy the other day. Someone suggested using Vit E on my head. Anyone tried that?
Also, this might be a stupid question, it seems my hair is growing fast in all other areas but my head, any input on this? I even noticed darker hair growing on my MX area, now I'm noticing a side burn. The hair seems to be more pronounced in face and chest. Now I'm starting to look like a man, what else will BC ruin? I don't know if I'm just being overly paranoid, but when I compare chest area on good side, hair is not dark or noticeable. Ahhh! Just frustrated, can't go back to work looking like this.....
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izzyfran, same thing here. I was reading that your hair will grow in at different rates on your body and head. I have pretty good coverage at my sideburns, some decent growth at the top of my crown but the hair line at my forehead, very sparse. I'll be wearing wigs for awhile yet, but am glad that I've got growth already!
I've heard of the vit. e but results are mixed.
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On the topic of hair growth/products I wanted to share the above link. A lot of the products for hair contain harmful, damaging and cancer causing ingredients. You can look up the products via the link above to research and compare. It's well researched with cross links to specific ingredients.
I want my hair back, I really do, but I decided I am going to use mild low toxicity hair and skin products to keep my scalp and follicles healthy as possible plus good nutrition (whole foods, staying away from processed foods as much as possible) and hope for the best!
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Not sure what the plan is yet. Waiting for oncotype to factor it all in. It's easy enough hide a BMX from a 96 year old but not losing hair. Will know what is happening when I talk to onco in 2 weeks
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chloesmom, my story is similar to lago's. It started falling out around 17-18 days after my first infusion, but because I had such thick hair to begin with, at infusion #2 it still looked normal.
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I got a wig and had my hair cut just like the wig. That way when i started wearing my wig, no one noticed anything different. Also, the day my hair started to fall out, i had my hubby buzz cut my hair. I wasnt going to deal with the mess of hair laying around everywhere. It didn't bother me at all because you know its going to happen and you can't change anything.
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In case it is useful to those of you wanting to start hair colouring after chemo, there are some tips on my blog: http://iameclectica.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/colouri...
Pictures of the results of my hair colouring experiments and hair regrowth are also on my blog: http://iameclectica.blogspot.co.uk/p/chemo-hair-re...
Good luck with the regrowing!
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So I've just started T/C chemo and decided to preemptively shave my head and start wearing wigs. I left work on Friday with my hair and will return monday wigged out. I've gone head cover crazy- hats, beanies, wigs. I have short curly hair and never had a chance to experience diverse styles- I'm using this opportunity to try a bunch of styles, including long hair.
My big conundrum was what to wear swimming and I think i've found a solution that I want to share- NAMMU hats!! Stylish, UV protective, visor, cute ties!
just wanted to pass this along! I have no financial ties to the company by the way,
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Bmp - that NAMMU hat looks like an great product. Let us know how it works when you start swimming with it. Wish I'd found it the months I was without hair. Thanks for sharing.
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Good one Bmpntherd. I see that they will also give a free hat to anyone currently undergoing chemo.
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I lost my hair 21 days from the start of chemo. My hair growth is slow everywhere, don't mind not having to shave my legs and under arms. I'm a little leary of trying different products to speed up the process, so I be a little more patient and let nature take its course.
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ok girls, question (hope not tmi). The hair on my head is fine, almost 9 mo pic, but what's this with loosing pubic hair, leg hair and under arm hair? both underarms so not just from rads to the L. And also extra facial hair. At dx I was 10 mo since last my period so was in early menopause but my leg hair and pubic hair came back as before after chemo but now pretty much gone. I'm 54 so expected to be in menopause so assuming that's it with the hormone changes and the body hair loss and facial hair gain but hair on my head seems ok now. Also know stress, adrenal fatigue, low cortisol levels can also lead to hair loss. Just wondering if any of you have similar se. Also taking metformin, not for DM but for TNBC will have ro check SE of that but don't think that's it. It's a minor symptom but still wonder why.
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Hi Girls, I've been using minoxidil (thanks to the wonderful advice I have received here). Question I didn't ask is " Is it ok to use while you are on Herceptin"?
Thanks
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Lisaj514, in regard to body hair, mine has decreased considerably. I am almost four years from PFC, the hair on my head is very long, the hair strands are thinner and I have less quantity compared to before BC, but I still have a lot of hair.
The hair on my body is another story, I got a couple of bikini laser hair removal sessions in the past, now I do not have to. I shave my legs every couple months and there is one hair here and there. The hair in my arms is very thin, hardly noticeable. The only hair that still grows and is thick is the one under the arms, since my workout involves lifting my arms (Bodypump), I shave almost everyday.
My face got hairy right after finishing chemo, so I had laser done, probably did not need to, but it bothered me so much. These days I get electrolysis on my upper lip about once per year for maybe 30 minutes. Overall, It is nice not worry about body hair.
I am 52 so it might be a combination of menopause and all the stuff we have been through. In the past I have always had lots of thick dark hair everywhere, the woolly mammoth would have been envious.
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Gretta I used it while on Herceptin. Be sure to let your oncologist know though.
lisaj514 and islandmom after menopause you will have less pubic, underarm and leg hair. I too went through chemopause. (Finished chemo 2 weeks before I turned 50). Not sure about the light hairs all over my arms, back, neck and face. That is new and never went a way.
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All this talk about thinning body hair after menopause has me actually looking forward to getting my ovaries out next month. But only if the hair on my head stays. LOL
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Thanks Lago, for the advice re minoxidil. I appreciate it.
Just wondering what girls are using to keep the skin on their face looking good. Like BosomBlues I feel that this treatment has really aged me. The skin on my face is much thinner & doesn't have that glow. Just wondering if you girls have any recommendations for facial skin care.
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Almost 9 months pfc-had my hair cut short today on the sides and back as was looking very poodle like with my gray curls . Well, told him to cut it short and he did, lol. Curls still there on top but sides and back are straight. Wearing a thin hat inside my house as my head feels cold and my house is working hard to stay warm inside on frigid day. Wow reminding me of last winter and that's weird but this time it was MY choice and it will grow as we all now realize. It's been bitter cold here in upstate ny, high of 8 degrees yesterday. Maybe I should have waited a few weeks to get a cut. But still just so thrilled to be able to get a haircut, and to have enough to cut. Short hair really shows facial features I think like pretty eyes, nice smile, cute ears (lol), and seems to enhance cheekbones. I've used retin A for a few years, also started using the clarsonic Mia2 battery operated facial cleanser. Got it for free after look good feel better class and filling out a questionnaire after finishing, it was sent to me. Maybe it's helping get rid of dry flaky skin.
Greta, bosumblues, maybe go for a facial to get rid of all the dead skin left behind from chemo and learn how to care for this skin. Treat yourself. Then ask what moisturizer you should use. I use Olay and also Clinique dramatically different moisturizing lotion
You girls just starting treatment, look for a LGFB class from ACS. lots of great free stuff and feels good to pamper yourself and try makeup techniques for this challenging time. During treatment my skin was so dry, like the Sahara desert, no moisture, anywhere, even eye dryness, mouth dryness. I think everyone looks amazing because we are all just amazing women who have powered through a lot and the beauty and strength shines through
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Three dermatologists and my OB/Gyn all recommend CeraVe - lotion & cream - for all skin issues. I used it for several years before the chemo & rads. It's non greasy, no fragrance, non-comedogenic, etc. and you can actually wash your hands 3 or more times before you need to re-apply. I also purchased the cleansing lotion. I don't have stock in the product but wish I did. I've found it at WalMart and CVS Pharmacy.
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The best thing you can do for your skin is drink plenty of water. Seriously when I don't I look like crap.
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