Hair Hair Hair - Another question
Comments
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I was wondering if anyone knows what I could use to thicken my hair. My last chemo was Aug 22, 2013 and I still have extremly thin hair. Before my hair fell out it was very coarse and thick and I thought by now it would have at least thicken up a bit but it hasn't. Any good products that you could recommend? Has anyone else had an issue with their hair growing back?
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Batcatlady,
I finished my chemo in Oct. 2013. I had also been a long haired girl, so I got a few beautiful long wigs, and enjoyed wearing them. When the "cute curls" came in I stopped the wigs and learned to like them. Now, a year later, I have to go through chemo again! Yesterday, while shampooing I lost over half of my hair!! Luckily, I kept those long wigs. I need new ones because I wore them out, but they are ok until I can find a couple of new ones. I can't afford to spend a lot of money, but I like wigs and HATE scarves.
Maybe you could go to a stylist and show her pictures of what your hair was like before chemo and she could shape it to grow back like it was. At this point, I would like to have those curls back instead of being bald. Some stylists really enjoy helping you get your look back.
Good luck to you!
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Birdlady,
Just wanted to say you are amazing! Even though this is your second round, you're still so positive. For me, I think throughout this battle, it's the little things that gets me emotional. It gets very annoying that hair is growing faster anywhere, but the head. Grrr! It's like I'm being put together slowly, but it's just not the same before BC.
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Well my wonderful thick lashes are falling out again! They do come back right? My MO said that I should wait until my hair is 2 inches long before I color. It's about an inch and I'm almost 5 months PFC! It's getting Curley which I was semi curley and wavy before. I see her on February 6th and I'm going to ask if semi perm color is ok.
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6 months PFC. It almost looks intentional now! I took these last week. This week my colic is standing straight up like Alfalfa. LOL Never in my life have I had such thick hair. I sure hope it stays this thick when I start Arimidex in a few weeks. I can't wait until it gets long enough to pull back.
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I JUST WANT MY BANGS TO GROW
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Well ladies I had to buy another wig, my first one is old and a lot of the hair came out from using it so much. Now I only wear it when I go to the gym. The new one was costly and a little longer than my real hair was. But im to the point where I dont care if people notice it's not my hair. I am 1+ years PFC and my hair is a only 4 inches long and I have about 3 different textures....so frustrating so im still wearing an wig.
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hi ladies
I'm 2 months Pfc and have seen some growth. The hair I do have on my head is about 1/3 inch right now, but it's not as thick so I can still see the scalp. I wanted to ask, when does it start filling in fully? As soon as it is about 1-2 inches and in regular thickness I am planning on getting extensions. It's just frustrating they all are not coming out at the same time
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candi - is there a reason you did not consider extensions? I've not gotten them before but looking forward to getting them during the awkward phase. I wanted to see if there was a reason I don't know and should consider. Thanks
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candi - when you are home do you still wear the wigs? I am wondering how much air your scalp gets.. When my hair got to be about 2 inches I took off the wig.. it wasn't a perfect style but my hairdresser helped me and shaped it to look like it was a style... I kept it short and still do even though now its no longer chemo curls/testure and is definitely my own old hair..
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I have been a hairstylist for 25 yrs and putting a semi permanent color on your hair will hurt NOTHING in my opinion. I would NOT perm or bleach, but a semi permanent color would be FINE!0 -
I agree haircolour won't hurt (my onc. said so) but I would question extensions - think they might damage very new fragile hair - I've had trouble for the last six years getting hair to fill in - some of us on taxotere never get the "fill in" hair back - damaged cells I am told - I wear a wig on occasion even now and am reliant on hats most of the rest of the time - at home I just go natural but it's not attractive because of so many "bald" spots.
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Candi, If you hair is uneven, a good stylist could even it up for you - at 4" at the longest, you have plenty of hair length to do that. I had a trim at less than 2" because mine was also uneven and loved the result. You are far enough out that a stylist could also give you the color of your dreams. I'm now almost 6 months PFC and only a little over 2" growth, but more and more, I'm going without my wig. If it wasn't so darn cold, it would be more often:-). The wig looks great, but I'm sick of wearing it, and I'm sure you must be too. You didn't mention if you have some spots where your scalp shows, so maybe that's why you still need the wig? The new normal takes some getting used to, but it can be liberating. Hang in there.0 -
wind girl, yes I've worn extensions for the past 5 months, which I think contributed to the hair growth. However I don't like to wear the extensions because it hurts my scalp and it's hard to wash it. I never feel like I'm getting my scalp clean. The extensions get to be expensive because they only last about 2-3 months and you have to pay to get them tightened.
IamNancy, I take the wig off when I get home to allow my hair and scalp to breathe plus it gets really hot. I like being able to take the wig off so I can take care of my hair. I just wash and condition it, I haven't put any heat or chemicals to my hair I let it air dry since it is so short.
mommom, it's not that my hair is uneven my hair has three different textures, the front is semi straight the middle has really tight curls and the back has loose curls.
I'm very grateful for the hair growth I have just wish it was faster and one texture.
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Hi everyone, so while I don't know 100% that chemo is my next step, I am pretty darn sure it will be, based on my conversations with my Dr. Can anyone tell me how long after I start treatment, I can expect to start losing my hair? I have already decided to embrace my baldness, and will just wear hats and scarfs, which I have plenty of, and do-rags of course. So, I'm feeling ok about it, at least right at this moment. But how I'll feel when it actually happens--I'll have to wait and see. One positive is no helmet hair for me this riding season
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Bikerbabe: When you lose your hair really depends what chemo meds you're on. I was on Taxotere and Cytoxin (TC) and my hair started falling out on day 14, which is pretty typical for that regimen.
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Hi bikerbabe. You can see below what chemo I was on. I started losing mine around day 17 or so. At my second infusion (day 21) I still had enough hair that it looked normal, but I started out with really thick hair. Sometime during round two I buzzed it to about half an inch because it was really starting to shed and bother me. I never lost all of it, but I lost nearly all of it. I still have a few hanging on that are about an inch long!
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I noticed someone mentioned "fill in" about Taxotere. I have written here before that I really think it is murder on fine hair. I have very fine hair, always have--but I used to have a ton of it. Taxotere burned out the temples where I used to have very fine hair. I think people should be aware of this going in. My friends who had course hair didn't have any problem.
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LtotheK - Sorry about your temples. Just one more example that every single one of us reacts differently & has different side effects. I always had baby fine hair. I lost it with Taxotere & Carboplatin, then had to go through Adriamycin & Cytoxan since the tumor wasn't eradicated. Then had more Herceptin to complete a year, which I believe slows down the growth. I'm 13 months post the "heavy" chemos and 4 months past the last Herceptin. I have 4+" of very fine hair, but very thick. There don't appear to be any sparse places and my hairline doesn't seem to have changed.
I've had one hair trim but won't decide on a final style until a full year past the last of the chemicals, since I understand both hair and nails take that long for the roots to be 'uncontaminated'. I was a discouraged at my derm appointment last week when she said the nail changes might be permanent & might always lift from the beds, but I'm trying to be patient.
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Before dx my hair was starting to thin out mostly in the front. I too have always had fine hair but a ton of it. I'm hoping that the bc had something to do with the deterioration of my hair. It was losing body etc. it is still very short, maybe an inch and it's been almost 5 months PFC. More gray then I thought too! I get mixed signals from everyone on coloring my hair. I have an appt with my mo on the 6th but I want to color with a semi perm color now. Lol. I'm really hoping it comes in like it looked before it started to lose body etc
It actually looks healthier and thicker
I never had a problem with my nails though my lashes and brows fell out. They are both a little sparse again.
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Taxotere is noted to be particularly hard on soft, fine hair like eyebrows and eyelashes. My eyebrows look like moths went after them--but I actually prefer the look I have painting them back in. Much more polished and feminine. The eyelashes, oh well. I have big blue eyes, so it's stupid, but not the end of the world. I do miss what I was, I certainly didn't appreciate it when I had it.
But it's not really any different than getting older--so much changes. And some things very much for the better.
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HomeMom, that's strange what you said about the bc and your hair thinning. Years ago I met a Swiss professor who was involved in the health and beauty industry who told me that the state of your health could be analysied from one single strand of hair. I totally forgot this and then thought to myself that it was weird how my hair had been falling out for quite some time before BC dx. I had really long thick hair and the hair loss wasn't noticeable. I was under a lot of stress at the time and put it down to that but decided to have a good few inches chopped off to see if that made a difference which it didn't. The really weird thing was that AFTER my surgery and before my hair fell out with the chemo, it STOPPED falling out!! Has anyone else had a similar experience?0 -
My hair started to recede several years before diagnosis. But it has nothing to do with cancer diagnosis. Both my mom and sister have the same issue. My hair came back, even the parts that had receded, after chemo. It receded again when I started the AIs
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My hair is still too short to know if it is better or the same. My mom is 80 and had better hair then me. My sister has great hair but mine was always better then hers. My dad had gorgeous wavy hair I always thought it was my thyroid, but blood work showed no problem there.
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Mine's just coming in, but it seems to be filling in without patchiness. I had very thick, somewhat coarse hair before chemo and never paid much attention to my hairline, but it seems to be coming back in along the same lines. I'll know more in another month or so, I think, when it's had more of a chance to fill in.
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Candi 07 I had my last chemo treatment 2/5/2014 it was about eight weeks before I had any new growth. When it did start to grow I also had 3 different textures. I had always had very straight thick hair but it came back curly on the bottom, wavy in the crown and straighter on top. I have found conditioner to be my best friend. I never used it before chemo because my hair was normal to oily. I now use it every time I shampoo and I also use a leave in conditioner. I find it really helps me to be able to make my hair look more normal. I also use a straightening iron to get it a little smoother. I am almost a year post chemo and my hair is finally getting back to normal. It is still thick and is about 6 inches long. if your not using a leave in conditioner you might try one to see if it improves the texture.0 -
haven't posted a hair pic in a while. Here's most recent status. Finished chemo 4/21/15 9 months ago. Had curly hair before and still curly. And all this gray was underneath and covered by coloring , light to med brown (my natural color before gray). I'm liking the gray although sometimes it still surprises me in the mirror. I was a slow grower. Nothing for 5-6 wks. I've had it trimmed 3x just back and sides and tiny tiny bit off top and front to get rid of that fine first hair. It's actually 3-4" if I pull out the curl. I get lots of compliments on my hair lately. And my family husband and friends love it and even strangers will say they like my hair. It was just 1 yr since I had my head shaved, on 1/27/14 on the morning if my 2nd chemo, 14 days after first chemo. Really thought id never have hair again. Wore 2 hats on some days last winter it was do cold! Had lots of pretty scarves, abbey caps and wore wigs on certain days. Hang in there new hair forum girls. It will grow even if you don't think so and you'll get to try a new short style which looks great and trendy on so many of us
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Lisa, your hair is lovely!
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Looks great! Mine seems to be coming in the same color as it was before (mainly dark brown with a little gray here and there), but it isn't even long enough yet to measure it's length.
I'm about 6.5 weeks PFC.0 -
Lisa, - looks great! Love your hair!
(and your kitchen, too! 
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