Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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Funny story: Saw the MO today for 2 month checkup. Last time I was in, I asked her and her nurse about Biotin. Their response: "Oh, no, sorry, that hasn't been proven to work."
Desperate for functional fingernails (you know, the kind that can peel a clementine), I started taking biotin anyway about two weeks ago. Still too soon for a sense of whether it works, but I did mention it to the MO and nurse today. Their response: "Oh, we're so curious about that. Let us know how well it's working!"
Go figure.
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I read it didn't work but I can't really tell. My hair is growing and my nails are in good shape. Who knows if it is from the biotin?
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I have been taking biotin...my nails are definitely harder...not sure about the hair...
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I am 8 weeks PFC and just had my exchange surgery this week. So now my brows and lashes decided to leave me. WTH? Having a bad week.
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myspaulding-I lost my lashes at 12 weeks PFC. They were quick to come back. They didn't totally fall out. My new lashes pushed out my old ones. I loaded mascara on the remaining ones so I didn't feel so naked. Hang in there...it will get better...trust me. I hope your exchange surgery went well.
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mvspaulding - Had my eyebrows until SO late in the process - it sucked to lose them. I have been surprised at how much has grown between weeks 8 and 10 (now). My eyelashes seemed to regrow overnight and brows are slowly filling in. Hang in there - it will start to come back soon.
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Hi, ladies. It's been several years since I posted here. My hair loss was in 2011 and since it grew back I only revisit those bald days in my thoughts once in awhile. My brows took a hit from the chemo, grew back but are thin. My eyelashes took a hit, too. For a year or so I used that prescription (Latisse?) to make them grow and it worked and was fun and then I got over it.
The past six months or so, I felt kind of blah about my appearance. Then, a weird thing. Yesterday I bought a different eyebrow pencil to replace a soft color gel pencil id been using. I also bought new eyeliner.
The new, inexpensive eyebrow pencil was a shade darker than the old one (and it wasn't a gel pencil, either) and when I sketched some onto my brows, suddenly my face didn't look so blah! My new eyeliner is darker and waterproof, so it doesn't rub off leaving me looking washed out. I don't use mascara, just eyeliner on the top lid and this time, I applied it super close to the waterline of the lower lashes, too, and it really made a difference.
Just mentioning all this to say, play around with your look and see if different shades of cosmetics make you feel and look better. It really lifted my spirit to feel more attractive and I realize I needed a slightly more intense shade of makeup to counterbalance my washed out appearance.
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DevineMrsM..........my daughter was talking to me about microblading. One of the nurses at work had it done, daughter showed me a picture and I struggled to not drool. My eyebrows were always on the thin side, but I can now count them if I tried hard enough !
It's not tattooing and last from 2- to 3 yrs. From a Hoosier (transplanted to TX) to a Buckeye.
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mvspaulding- I'm always right there with you in this process. My eyebrows just started thinning and falling out too. Monday will be my 8 week mark from the last chemo.
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lost my eyelashes and brows about 8 weeks after final chemo, lost lashes a second time, but now they are all back. At one point I was like that guy in a clockwork orange, one eye had lashes, and the other didn't. My bottom and top lashes fell out at different times each side doing its own thing. Still get a few lashes that want to turn down. But at least they came back.
Eyeliner and brow pencil provide camouflage, nobody ever noticed, or if they did, nobody said anything.
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my eyebrows are still sparser than pre-chemo, but I've never been into makeup so just pretend to the contrary.....hopefully they will be fully back some day.
Meanwhile, my hair has just reached the point where it looks like it could be intentional, and I am getting lots of compliments (though admittedly, most of them are from folks who know the reason for the short hair). Pic soon, but I just wanted to pop into say that I am finding that having the hair back and feeling comfortable going out with out a hat is making a HUGE difference in my sense of well-being. I knew losing my hair would be hard, but I would never have guessed just how hard. Starting to feel like myself again, and that is SO nice!
Octogirl
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NormaJean65: My eyebrows were pretty sparse too. I actually had microblading done 2 months before my diagnosis. It is wonderful! Technically, I have about 3 eyebrow hairs left, but it looks like I have eyebrows still. Friends always comment how I haven't lost my eyebrows yet, and I just laugh and tell them they're not mine. It helps me feel a little bit more normal for the last two months of chemo! I'm trying to talk my mom into doing it too. If you do it, make sure you go to a good person. Look at pictures of their work and make sure that they're reputable.
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Thanks everyone. I just was surprised that I kept the brows and lashes all this time and then they decide to leave me. Nebraska, we have followed the same path haven't we? How is your hair growth coming along?
Happy for you Octogirl! Can't wait until the time when I can go without a hat or wig.
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Love all the stories about late eyebrow/eyelash loss and sparse eyebrow return - my experience too!
I have very short hair and thin eyebrows at 10 wks PFC. Decided to try my first no-hat outing today. Didn't get any out-and-out staring, but caught most women glancing, looking shocked and then determinedly looking away.
My take: some might be offended by the GI Jane look. But I think most flash on CANCER OMG THAT WOMAN HAD/HAS CANCER and are extremely uncomfortable. Unsure whether I'll go hatless again until I've achieved a decent pixie in a couple of months. But it was an interesting experiment.
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A little before 8 weeks... my eyebrows here have a little bit of coloring on them. Ready for the next 6 weeks so hopefully it all fills in!
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Love it that you publicly showed off your baldness : ) I've done it too & you're right....some people get upset. But hats, wigs & scarves can be painful at times and their reactions are their problem, not mine. Xox
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Totally agree with you QueenElizabeth! I only wore my wig twice and I only wear hats when it's cold out. People definitely stare but overall I get more positive comments than negative. I figure people only stare because it's not the norm. I hate not having hair, but I'm even more uncomfortable in a wig and I'm not going to wear a wig because it makes others more comfortable! Besides, not everyone without hair has cancer
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our hair looks very similar too Nebraska. Your eyes are beautiful! I am just going to have to use more eye liner I guess.
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Veronica31.....Thanks for the advice on the microblading. I have seen what DD friend at work had done and honestly, the eyebrows are amazing. Even when I was young mine never looked that good. DD is making a appt for both of us to go together to her stylist as I HAVE to do something with this hair. It looks light brown with highlights BUT underneath it's almost white but at least it is wavy. A couple of yrs ago I cut it into a wedge in back and when I let it grow out that's when the wavy hair began. Maybe I just need to "buzz" my head & see what would happen.
All of you ladies that have bald heads now I applaud you. I never wore anything when I was bald and yes I know the looks you are talking about but it was MY journey, MY life and if they had negative feelings about I decided that was their problem. If I was purchasing something they still took my money regardless hair or no hair. I had a lot of compliments on how perfectly my head was shaped. I took that and ran with it. It won't be forever.
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My brows and lashes are still out of synch. They mostly hung on through chemo, then dropped five weeks after. Now I'm 5 months pfc, and just as everyone said they would, they are both thinning. Glad I have some RevitaLash left!
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15 weeks PFC. The back is thinner than the top but it's coming along. My eyebrow hairs are sticking out every which way. My top eyelashes are back to about 2/3 their normal length. Bottom lashes are still mostly non-existent.
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Oh, the microblding sounds fabulous, but pricey. I definitely have eyebrow envy, I always notice them on others
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Oh Twiggy ... you look amazing ... I haven't been following the posts for a month or so .. Taxol is kicking my butt.
As your picture scrolled down on my computer .. I literally growled .. LOL .. I so wanted to run my fingers through your hair and mess it up .. Congratulations .
Okay ... starting to sound a bit weird ... Nutmeg out!
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hi hair ladies. I just got my hair colored for the first time today with permanent color after 4 months pfc on April 9th. Posting a before and after pic. I also had my stylist lightly snip any straggly ends to even out my growth. And I have noticed that my brows are thinning at 4 months. And twiggy gal lookin good.
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Fantastic Shopgal! That looks great, and you are inspiring me! Thinking I need to pull out the box of hair color that I purchased a year ago.
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Looking great shopgal! Can anyone explain why the brows do a disappearing act again later? Is it Tamoxifen?
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I have heard that the brows and lashes are on a shorter growth cycle than the hair on your head. Normally, you don't notice it, but when they come back after chemo they're all on the same cycle at first, so they tend to fall out at the same time as part of their regular growth pattern.
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Excellent explanation, rainnyc! I haven't lost all of my brows or lashes, though I am back to needing brow pencil again.
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I've discovered that I actually have eyebrows and lashes, but they are sooooo fair you can't see them. I use pencil and mascara now to prove they exist.
edited to add that my lashes and brows never completely fell out, but when they did thin it was well after final chemo. I'm almost 6 months pfc now.
edited again to add that I have Sloan curls too. I'll post a pic maybe tomorrow.
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I am almost 6 months PFC. I'm pretty sure my eyebrows are thinning as well as my eyelashes. My bottom lashes were really quite long but now seem short all of a sudden. When I put pencil on my brows, hairs fall out. I can handle my brows and lashes going again but the hair on my head better stay put. I have decided to keep the back and sides very short. I will grow the top out a bit. It is now long enough that I can use a tiny hair straightener on it. It is very wavy/curly....if I let it grow it would be very Kramerish. Getting my second cut and color on Thursday. I no longer look like a cancer patient, thank goodness!
Shop gal-you look great. It feels so much better once it is dyed and trimmed.
TwiggyOR & Nebraska917-It's coming. Yay!!!! Love the progress.
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