Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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I am only 2 weeks PFC, so I'm not expecting much at this point- ha ha! But in all seriousness, I am eager to regrow some hair, as all of you can imagine.
I am looking into a shampoo or product to help with hair growth once it finally starts. I've seen Nioxin and minoxidil mentioned. I don't think I'll use minoxidil because I don't want any hair loss once I stop using it. How about the Nioxin systems/products. Has anyone seen results with these? If so, which products?
Any other recommendations on supplements? Thanks everyone!!
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I chickened out today lol about asking my MO about my uber-slow hair regrowth. I didn't want to hear it if he couldn't say much that was encouraging. I may ask the nurses tomorrow when I go in for my Herceptin infusion.
I have some Nioxin products I was using pre- my diagnosis as my hair was losing a little thickness. Can't really say if it works but at least it tingles nicely
The pieces on the sides of my head are getting slightly longer, the fuzz on the top is filling in a little but still very short and not at all dense. As long as I can see a tiny bit of progress from week to week, trying to stay patient and hope it will get there eventually.
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When I finished my radiation the last week of January, I just had some fine fuzz. All my growth has basically been the past two months. I take biotin daily (1000 units I think)
All of you who posted photos are simply beautiful.
Thx
M
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Dara- the first time I had chemo it was CMF this time A/C and Taxol. With CMF I lost about 90 ercent of my hair.
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kmk40-- I'm 9.5 weeks PFC. I've been using Nioxin system 2 since about halfway through chemo. My hair is growing back although not as thick or as fast as I was hoping. I don't know if it has made a huge difference but I've been using it. I bought this small package first then I have since ordered larger bottles of the same.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009M8Z2EA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also take this supplement. I took it years ago and noticed a difference. I have not been taking it long enough to notice anything
yet. https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Bounty-Solutions-St...=sr_1_1_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1490845729&sr=1-1&keywords=hair%2Bskin%2Band%2Bnails&th=1
I notice you're in Colorado. Me too!
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Hello everyone! I know there has been a lot of discussion about the use of minoxidil for chemo induced baldness or chemotherapy induced alopecia (CIA) regarding the possibility of losing all your hair again once the minoxidil is stopped. I've been using 5% minoxidil every morning since my next to last chemo treatment. My hair has grown back well, and grew back rather quickly PFC and continues to thicken, but then I'd always had a very thick head of hair before my diagnosis. I work with a dermatologist (I run her clinical trials) and she was the one who recommended I use the minoxidil in the first place.
When I read here your concerns of hair loss after its discontinuation I searched online and could only find a few anecdotal accounts, no solid research. My doctor let me do a literature search on her computer and I found 3 studies using minoxidil: one studied hair loss after discontinuation in male pattern baldness (most of them did lose any hair that had grown in) but this does not hold true for CIA because the mechanism of hair loss is different. The others found no evidence of increased hair loss after discontinuing minoxidil for CIA. This is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology from July 2012:
The mechanism of action of minoxidil on the hair follicle is unclear. Perfusion studies on the hair follicle are difficult and do not necessarily correlate with skin blood flow. The drug has been shown to directly affect matrix cells.57 A common limitation to the use of minoxidil is the requirement for daily application. Premature stoppage will result in loss of any benefit achieved. In most hair loss, this requires lifelong application. Fortunately, in CIA, application can be discontinued once normal hair growth has resumed approximately 1 year after the final chemotherapeutic treatment. For hair loss, some dermatologists currently recommend the off-label use of minoxidil 5% concentration regardless of sex.
Even though the article says that you can use minoxidil up to 1 year PFC in patients with CIA, I'm going to stop using it when I finish the bottle I'm currently using (probably in about a month). I'll let you all know if I experience any major hair loss, but I'd doubt it will happen
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Thanks everyone for your input. I love these forums because I learn so much.
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It is so great to see how everyone is doing!!! I am 45 weeks post chemo, one Herceptin left on April 11th and port removal April 21st! I don't get on here as much with being back to work and all, but think of everyone often. Actually starting to feel better too and will be going back to the gym once this final dose is done and port is gone! My hair has not been cut yet, it will get cleaned up next visit and is finally long enough to pull thru a cap for lowlights or something. I find it's really hard to decide what to do with it, colourwise and growing long again or keeping short! Never though I would have this problem!
Today's photo shoot....
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Doc Mama, my dermatologist was also the one who recommended the minoxidil (Rogaine).
Karen, awesome hair!
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Karen - Wow!
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Feeling very down about the hair situation. 10 weeks PFC and no real change in about a month. Very thin in most places and a couple spots mostly bald. Treatment is finished but I still look like a cancer patient. I keep seeing everyone's photos of their gorgeous hair. Mine is nowhere close to being presentable let alone gorgeous. I'm starting to regret doing chemo. I won't dare go out of the house without a wig (even to the back yard or to take out the trash) and when I have it off at home I keep all the doors and blinds shut so nobody outside can get a glimpse of me. In public I feel so self conscious of myself in the wig and sit in the darkest corner of a restaurant and I avoid anyone I recognize in a store. Sad but true. Our vacation is in a couple months. I agreed to booking it with the condition that my hair is presentable enough to go without a wig. I'm pretty sure we will be cancelling. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer tonight but I never dreamed that this part of the cancer experience would be so miserable. It has by far been the absolute worst part.
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seq24, I totally agree. I feel the same as you. I don't want to live without my hair
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Hang in there Seq24. Dont ever regret the chemo, it saved your life. My hair didnt start growing back very quickly either but once it started it filled in nicely. I continue to take biotin and use nioxin hair products. I wasn't able to go without my wig until 6 months after chemo.
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Hello,
My mom did one treatment of AC on March 17th. She was scheduled to have another on March 31st but it was cancelled due to her circumstances changing. She has just started losing a lot of her hair and her scalp hurts. Will this process stop now that she isn't taking any more chemo or is the damage done already and she will lose the rest of her hair? Thanks for any answers
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seq24, I had very,very thick hair before chemo. At 12 weeks pfc I had NO hair. I finished chemo Nov. 2015, I wore my wig until August 2016. After that I wore a top piece that was shoulder length and clipped into the hair I did have. I finally went without anything in Feb of this year. My hair has come back very thin but looks ok. I posted some pictures on this thread. I'll see if I can find them and see if I can find a recent one to post. It is frustrating when it is coming in so slow. I used to get so depressed looking at pictures of everyone else's growth.
Edited to add link to my post with 12 week and 36 week pictures and recent photo.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...
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I know hair is important to all of us but staying alive is more important. Today was the first time I actually had enough energy and felt good enough to play with my grand kids. I haven't been able to do that in going on a year. They don't mind my bald head and the two year old actually put his Mickey Mouse hat on me. My hair was the one thing I had going for me as far as looks but the people I love don't care. Don't be ashamed of being bald. We are all fighting a battle we did not ask for. Be proud of what we have all been through as it was a tough road. Our hair will come back in time so don't waste time worrying. Enjoy every day as they are precious. Hugs to you all..
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Seq and bareclaws, - I, too, am very disappointed in my hair regrowth, but, I don't regret the chemo as long as it works against the cancer!
I agree with Dianarose, Sher, and Lollipop. I do miss my hair, but I want to live, - even if with less hair!!
I dont like wearing a wig, but there are so many nice ones out there. I often wear a hat or baseball cap, and a wig at times.
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Yesterday we were on our way home from a weekend getaway and had been on the road a couple hours and I really needed a bathroom. By the time we found an exit with facilities I had to pee so bad it hurt. I hopped out of the truck and practically ran in. Not until I was washing my hands and looked up did I realize I forgot to put my hat on. There I was with my bald head having to go back in the store. Oh well. I survived. I have a hat that has a ponytail attached to it. Much easier and cooler then a wig
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did 1 of 8 dd AC +T as tolerable as possible. 13days ago. Tomorrow is #2. I know hair loss is inevitable. But there has not been any. My current hair is slightly overgrown boyish cut. I purposely did nothing to any type of hair on my body. I am even waiting to lose my underarm hair which has been leff alone since BMX. Other than two days of short intense scalp pain on day 3 &4 nothing. I dearly hope this is not a sign chemo drugs not working. I am the type if I cannot avoid it prefers to get it over with now than later
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Dianarose, - funny story! (I, do, see women who go without hats and wigs intentionally although I preferred at least some covering when I was completely bald!
Reba, - I was told that my hair loss would start 18-21 days after first dose, and the dr was right.
Hugs to all here.
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I finished AC/T end Dec.
I had and now have back, thick hair.
I lost my hair just before the third AC cycle - it had been cut very short - and I shed it all in one go in the shower - very messy shower but at least I had no picking things off the sheets...
I managed to keep my eyebrows until the last shot of Taxol...and then spent Jan brow less but by then I had got through chemo, taste was back and I didn't care as much.
For me AC was tough - nausea and fatigue, especially the third and fourth cycle (I did dose dense) but Taxol very very manageable.
I had a wig for certain events but mostly I wrapped some great scarfs sold by this American group (I am in Australia, having said that I order my supp from a few US sites as well - great products) called wrapunzel - I found their YouTube videos of how to wrap charming.
Dianerose,
For me you are spot on.
I would happily trade my hair in forever ( and it is good hair ) for certainty of health.
I can be vain but I value the experience of life well above any vanity.
I often forget I had a mastectomy and although I have ( had ) small breasts I will find myself leaving the house asymmetrical - I have learned to look straight at someone and smile. 😊
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What I'm getting from some recent posts is that it's not OK to grieve the loss of hair, which may or may not grow back, and may never look the same as before. Well, I'm sorry, but my hair was a much bigger part of my identity than my breasts ever were. I am living flat and am just fine with that. No hair? Not fine with that. Wigs are not an option. I got two and hate them both. Covering with a scarf is hot and sweaty. I hate it. I may have my life, but if I hide in the house from the humiliation and embarrassment for the rest of my life, what's it worth? So yeah, I do need an attitude adjustment, but there also needs to be a recognition that this is a big effing deal and it has affected my life, and possibly future, far more severely than the loss of my breasts.
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Bareclaws- It's ok to grieve the loss of our hair. It totally sucks! I miss mine every day. This is the second time for me but I am not ashamed. I have a fear of dying bald. Sounds crazy 😜. Staying alive is my focus though. I almost died several months back and it was irrelevant at the time. I hate wigs and don't wear them. Hats work right now. It is difficult for all of us to be bald and we can grieve the loss but for me just feeling good enough to enjoy the little things is so important as o haven't been able to do that in so long. I don't go out in public with this bald head but not because I am embarrassed or ashamed. I don't want to be stared at or have anyone ask questions. I had a meltdown the day my hair started falling out. Couldn't believe it was happening again. I don't feel feminine without my hair. I try not to look in the mirror. I just chose not to let it rob me of doing things as for me time is limited. By all means grieve. I have my days too where I am so tired of it too. I wish I had tried the cold caps sometimes. Hugs to all and may we all have hair by summer.
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Dianarose, thanks for your reply. " ...embarrassed or ashamed. I don't want to be stared at or have anyone ask questions." For me, these are the same thing.
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bareclaws- people say dumb things that really set me off. I have a friend or had a friend who saw me last round with my wig and said, "so I see you are sporting a new look ". How stupid! I just walk away. Or others want to tell you horror stories of people who died from breast cancer. Had one lady ask me if it hurt when the cut my breasts off. What the hell is wrong with people. I try to avoid people right now. I want to look like me again so when I bump into someone and they ask how I am I can say fine and not have to explain anything. Being bald leaves us wide open for stupid questions that I don't want to answer. Hugs...
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Hi all... I'm just so sorry for all of us going through this. I understand completely both perspectives and think we all feel the same. My whole life I've had good hair that I always style, curled, etc. I never went out of the house unless my hair was "perfect." Now, I won't even go out to the driveway to move my car in the garage without my wig on. My hair has filled in nicely, but is still so damn short. I don't think it's grown any in about two weeks and seems almost shorter in a couple of places. I worry that if I sleep on the same side I"m breaking some off on that side, but I can't sleep on the other side as my lymph node and lumpectomy area still get tender.
I know I have a good wig, most people think it's my own hair and are stunned if I say it's a wig, but more and more I just need to rip it off. I will now take it off in the car if I'm driving home in the evening.
It really isn't that any of us are vain, but our appearance is always part of our identity, and the very last visual remnant of our cancer. People and doctors say, "Now go live your life" but until one has experienced this, you don't realize that we can't easily do that. Of course we wouldn't choose hair over health, but I really wonder if in the future, medicine will look back on the poisons we have to put into our bodies as the Dark Ages.
It's like we can get through the surgeries, chemo and rads, and that should be enough. Then we take the hormone therapy and the SEs continue. Every joint in my body hurt, and my dermatologist put me back on the one drug I can now take for psoriatic arthritis. My insurance finally approved it, but my co-pay is $1079 PER MONTH! But it's working! It just seems like things keep hitting us all.
Hang in there sisters! We're strong women and we will get through all this. Feel free to vent to all of us anytime.
(BTW, is anyone else having problems logging in to the community? Moderators have been trying to fix my problems for months. I keep getting the message that my login or password are wrong and I must reset. Annoying.)
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I was told to use a silk or satin pillow case too
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I had cut my hair short two weeks after I started Chemo, then a majority of what was left came out just before my second treatment, which are 3 weeks apart. I had no choice but to shave what was left, or have big bald spots on my head.
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I had my last chemo on March 23rd. I know that it is going to long time before I have hair. I wear a wig to work and scarves or hats everywhere else. Florida is hot, and sometimes in my back yard with no one about I take off the hat and in the house I am going around bald a lot, My family doesn't care. I am tired of the no hair thing and try to count my blessings, but I just want hair again! Now I am hoping for long enough hair to be without a wig or hat by Christmas.
DaraB- " but I really wonder if in the future, medicine will look back on the poisons we have to put into our bodies as the Dark Ages." It would be very interesting, probably like how now a days shock treatments for people sound crazy.
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The pics of me above are about 10 months PFC and it has been tough! I always have had long hair, worn little makeup, if any. I had to go back to work 5 months PFC and that is why I dyed my hair. No bangs...ugh. Not fun at all. Once the treatments were all done having no hair was the hardest. It is a tough wait that is for sure. People tell me to leave it short but I don't feel feminine like this, Hence the makeup now. I would never have cold capped to save it, expensive and way too much work during a hard enough time as it was. I understand the grieving totally
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