Cold Caps Users Past and Present, to Save Hair
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hi all. My Onc would not give me Latisse. I started using apple stem cell serum with lots of success. I buy it from Makeup Artist. I have seen very little thinning of my brows. I gently brush on the serum on my lashes. I just finished TC4 so I will keep everyone posted on the results of the serum. It's less expensive and a natural. I have been putting it on my thin hair areas too. Can't tell if it works but my side burns are having some stubbles.
not sure if function of the close to end of treatment growth or the serum itself. 0 -
For those who's eyebrows and eyelashes thinned. How long PFC did they grow back? I'm 10 days PFC and started getting regrowth on my head for my last taxol, but nothing for my eyebrows and eyelashes.
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Jbandkb,
My eyebrows and eyelashes thinned toward the end of chemo but about half of the lashes hung on doggedly for about 3 weeks pfc. Then they went "adios!" it seemed like overnight. I got Latisse and they started growing back very quickly. I was only totally lashless for about 2 weeks at the very most. Within a month they had filled back in enough so I looked normal. At 2 months pfc, still using Latisse, they were thicker and longer than they ever were pre- chemo. That stuff really works. I put the latisse on my brows as well. Since I've always had skimpyy brows, being light haired and all, I didn't notice as dramatic a difference with the brow regrowth.
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http://www.amazon.com/Argireline-Production-Wrinkles-Neutralizes-Rejuvenates/dp/B00W0E0ZPE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1447438274&sr=8-3&keywords=apple+stem+serum is this the apple stem serum you're talking about?
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Hello Ladies,
Thank you for all the info! I didn't even think about eyelashes or eye brows. 👿
@aj93 - did your doc say why he said no to Latisse?
@malonejen - Ty! Will check it out!!
I feel today I need a full work day and work through the weekend to catch up and will start following up on Monday with all bc info.
Happy Friday Everyone☀️
Cheers,
Michelle
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Malonejen- Like you, I had dose dense ACT. I started shedding about the same point and never really stopped. I did not, however, ever need a wig or hair piece. It was incredibly stressful each day I saw more hair come out. I wish I would have taken to heart the advice to focus on what was still on my head. Hang in there and try to relax
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MB12: they said no Latisse bc they have limited experience, did not want to add something oN top of my regimen, and concerned about staining. It was a bit of a lame answer. I respected it but my sister who is a natural buff gave me apple stem cell I gave been using it for 1+ month. My Onc was surprised I still had thick brows when I last saw her. So I guess that is a good sign. I told her it was not Latisse that I was using.
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I had my third AC Thursday and today was the first day I would say I truly shed "a lot". I stopped capping about 20 min early because I was having an emotional meltdown. Anyway, I use chemo cold caps and for those that don't think they work, I offer evidence that they do....at least for me. This ziplock represents hair loss since the day of my first infusion. I don't know what tomorrow will bring and I have 1 more AC and then 12 weekly taxol. I am looking forward to the shorter capping time!
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Wow LRF, that is amazing, especially for 3 AC's and using Elastogels. Whatever you are doing, keep it up!!!
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thank you! I know I still have a long way to go but I am happy today
I expected more loss since we did quit early, and I am losing more but nothing too terrible yet. I still say everyday I have hear is a day I wouldn't have bc I don't want to get my hopes up0 -
Hi ladies - I am 5 weeks PFC and still shedding - not a lot but every morning there is hair in my brush. I am just wondering when it ends???? I still have no hair on my legs, underarms. So when I that starts to grow back, I can assume the same is going on on my head? I am thankful I have hair...a person who doesn't know me wouldn't really notice. But I notice. My ponytail is like a feather. I am just wondering when the hair loss will end and the regrowth will start! Someone just told me chemo can stay in your body for 6 months. My MO said shedding should stop 3 weeks after final chemo.
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I am three weeks after my first A/C treatment. Using Penguins. Started to shed a lot the past two days. Scared. I've had two AC treatments, two to go, then Taxol.
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Suzanne50,
I dont know how accurate your MO is about only shedding for 3 weeks pfc. I am 12 weekd pfc and have only now slowed down shedding this past week. That seems to be a common time frame for several cappers I've talked to.
I first noticed regrowth around 8-9 weeks pfc in the form of little black specks that apeared in my part and in the thin spots (which I guess are hair follicles regerating). At 12 weeks pfc I can now feel, more than see, new growth on my head when I feel around lightly over my head. It feels like a sparse, lightly prickly buzz cut mixed in with the longer hairs.
I have a pretty thin ponytail, too. I totally get your axiety to see new regrowth. I lost probably 50% of my hair on the same chemo you had. Just hang in there for a few more weeks and you should start noticing the specks and feeling the bristles at some point - we're all a little different as far as the time frame. I know it was a big relief for me to finally feel the new hair coming in!
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Thank you Wildflower2 - my MO was totally off base. I don't think they have too many people who cap at their office. 12 weeks is a long way off! I am hoping my hair hangs in there. But I like hearing 8-9 for regrowth. That is right around the corner. I appreciate your input. I know it is short term in the grand scheme of life. And again, thankful to have hair on my head....no matter how thin!
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I am starting TC this coming Friday. I am planning to do cold cap therapy. Any suggestions to make it more successful
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Mkhtx, please see the FAQ's on this thread, then come back here and ask any additional questions! Welcome!
I have also bumped that thread.
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Suzanne50, three weeks is totally normal for PFC shedding and a sort of ridiculously optimistic estimate on the part of your MO. (Chime in if anyone was that lucky, but the drugs are still working their way out of your system at that point. For those who just never shed that much, that might be the case, but not so for most of us I think.) My capping was very successful and I only stopped shedding around 5.5 months PFC. It had slowed WAY down, but I was definitely shedding more than prechemo for longer than I expected. (I was also plunged into menopause, which didn't help.) I'd say I'm back to a normal shedding pattern now at 7 months PFC. And while that sounds dreadful, my hair looks fine and is getting thicker at the base all the time. I cut it often (1-2 inches at least four times since my last chemo because it's been growing so fast since it ended). And at a couple of inches below collarbone length there's only about a 4-5 inch difference now between most of my new and my prechemo hair. Anyway, don't worry. You have more hair than you can possibly imagine and it works out. If you have very thin spots anywhere visible like the crown, then just use Toppik hair fibers to fill it in while your hair regrows. Also, the fastest-growing hair falls out the fastest (i.e., your brazilian), and the slowest growing falls out last (apparently eyelashes, etc.). I think the same goes for regrowth. You will probably see the fastest-growing hair come back first. And remember hair regrowth means from the follicle out. There's a lot going on in there before you actually see and feel it.
Re: Latisse. See if you can get Lumigan (a less expensive alternative with the same active ingredients) approved by your insurance with a note from your MO saying that it's for chemo-related eyelash loss. With a little persuasion and a note from your doc your insurance company may reverse its decision and cover it. It's a higher copay (mine was $40), but totally worth it. I tried using it during chemo, but it isn't effective at maintaining lashes (and doesn't claim to be). It will, however, jumpstart regrowth like crazy. I also have much thicker lashes than prechemo after using it. Don't be surprised if you experience a second thinning (less severe than during or at the end of chemo) about two months out. It's just your body recalibrating and it will self-correct within a couple of weeks. (It's disturbing, but just keep using the Lumigan and try not to stress over it. It's expected and worrying will only bum you out. It won't change anything. I don't think this happens to everyone, but I know a few who have experienced it.)
malonejen, I'm no expert on AC, but shedding that starts at 18-21 days is the magic number. As long as the shedding is diffuse and didn't start earlier than three weeks give or take, you are on the right track. You will shed. That's the deal. But I kept 65% of my hair and nobody had any idea I'd gone through chemo unless I told them. (Most people are too self-absorbed to notice if you're a few hairs short. And since we're heading into the holidays, I'll go back to the tried-and-true party analogy. When everyone gets too drunk at a party, they worry about how they acted, not you!) You can check out my pics in the success stories section. (Seriously, almost 6 months PFC shedding and that's how it came out.)
Jbandkb1, I think it took about three weeks give or take for lashes/brows to start coming back in. They were downy at first, very light. I started using Lumigan again (I quit when it didn't work during chemo) and that very much hastened the regrowth. I don't know if it made them darker faster, but once it started, it went pretty fast. I know it's hard to be patient after having been through all the capping and everything, but have faith! (And try either to get your hands on Latisse/Lumigan or try that natural product that was suggested above!)
Mkhtx, the tip sheet is awesome on the newbie thread. And I think people have seen the most success using Penguin caps. They are adjustable and that allows you to get the best fit. They unfortunately are the priciest, but you may be able to get a grant to help subsidize the cost and sometimes "seconds" are available for significantly less. I used seconds (which means there may be an ink mark, stain, or tiny tear along a seam) and did fine with them. They were 300/mo.
Anway, good luck everyone! You can make it!
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How would you characterize "diffuse shedding"? I get four to five hairs coming out at a time.
And how do you know 18-21 on AC is the "Magic number?" I never heard this and it gives me hope, but wondered where you got that info.
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Thanks pch for all your great advice. Also, your success pics are great. Can't tell you how much we capper newbies appreciate vets like you.
I am Day 25 of my chemo, my first AC was 10/23. Started shedding like clockwork on Day 21, but I have some hair! I think I need to stop conditioning it though, it's making the crown greasy. Good luck to everyone out there... getting healthy is #1 and getting healthy while keeping some hair is a wonderful bonus.
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For comparison - I am almost 6 months PFC and still shedding, but even though I am aware that my hair is thinner, I don't think anybody else can tell. Definitely nobody would have a clue I went through chemo from just looking at me. I also see about an inch of curly growth above my ears and on the nape of my neck where I lost most hair from the cold caps not fitting perfectly there. Also, at this point, my shedding might be caused by Tamoxifen, menopause, etc., and not just chemo.
I lost my eyelashes and eyebrows about a month PFC. I ended up using Latisse for a couple of months and brows and lashes came back nicely. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that they're thinning again and today I have about 50-60% of my eyebrows, and the lashes are almost completely gone - so, I'm one of the unlucky ones who go through more than one cycle of losing them. I did not buy Latisse this time, because I already can see plenty of short lashes making a come back.
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BB, that's heartening to me. I went through many more than the normal number of months shedding too. Chinese water torture shedding. Not like at first, not heavy, but relentless. I don't know how we can still look decent, but somehow we do. I had the second eyelash/brow shed as well. Slightly demoralizing, but like you, it all came back. There comes a point (I call it the f--k it all point) where you just can't freak out anymore. Right? We're here. We're standing. We made it. We have weird cowlicks. But whatever. All you gotta do is watch the news to put things in perspective, eh?
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You got it, pch!
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Malonejen I had my last chemo 2 weeks ago. I was on DD ACT. 4 rounds AC and 4 rounds Taxol. I started shedding day 22 after first chemo. Not sure where the numbers 18-21 or 14-21 days after first chemo does hair lose start, but that seems to be how it works. I've read that else where too. I shed a lot but evenly and obviously more so on wash days. I noticed regrowth right before my last chemo.
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Thank you everyone for your responses. I guess I just have to wait and see. My hairdresser recommended I use a "wet brush" which I bought and used this morning. It was very gentle and very little hair was on brush.
And I agree with you pch....shedding is small potatoes. Cancer = big potatoes. What is really on my wish list is to be cancer free for the rest of my life!!
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BBwithBC45 and pch can I ask while you where shedding for so long did you still find that your hair was thickening up during this time?
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Oh yeah, it was growing back in. So the crown and the part and all that that makes everyone so nervous was filling in.
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More than anything I want to be cancer-free for the rest of my life. Trying to save my hair had provided a little bit of a feeling of control over a tiny part of this experience. On 9/10 I was a competitive runner training for a marathon; on 9/11 I became a cancer patient. I know I will get back to my athletic self when this is all over...I want more than anything to be 100% healthy.
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I didn't mean to be a buzzkill about our hair and the news. I think wishing to live and be healthy is the given. Getting to keep our hair is awesome and more powerful than we imagined. And worth it. Worrying about every single hair that falls out of our heads? Well that'll just make you crazy. That was all I meant. Rock on, ladies.
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Thanks pch
I'm still shedding at almost 16 weeks and even though my part and crown have filled in nicely the nape of my neck is the problem just hoping that it will grow quickly to thicken up my long hair. Also is it too much at this stage 16weeks PFC to wash hair every 3 days? I've be doing it every 4 but the 4th day I can't leave the house because I look like a crackwhore its so thin now my hair looks oily quicker.
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Aussie-girl, I've been washing my hair every 2 or 3 days since I was about 14 weeks PFC; however, my shedding had really slowed. How much are you shedding? If it's not much, I would go ahead and wash more frequently but just be gentle. I was losing about 10 hairs during my morning comb-out at that time although on wash days, it was a couple more.
I'm 20 weeks PFC now and I'm still washing every 2-3 days but I have lots of new growth sticking through everywhere. The pieces over my ears are the worst. I've got tufts of hair about 3-4 inches long that don't pull back into my ponytail, rather they stand straight out over my ears like horns out the side of my head. I wet them & gel them to stick them to the side of my head before I go to the gym. Fun.
Malonejean, I too am a runner and totally understand. Cancer changes your perspective on everything.... Now I'm happy on days where I log 4 or 5 miles even if I have to walk some of it. Last year that would have been unacceptable to me. I'm slowly getting my mileage back although radiation is starting to take its toll now. You'll find yourself back & stronger once this is over!
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