facial hair

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areomech
areomech Member Posts: 33
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
My radiologist told me that I will permanently lose my facial hair. I would like to know if this is true or not. I've always had a goatee or beard.

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  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #2
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    "Give me a head with hair..."
    I underwent 33 rad treatments (in mask), and can still grow a beard, but cannot grow any on my neck -- that is, below my jaw line. Since it is true on both sides of my neck, I can safely assume that it was not the surgery that caused this but the rads.

    Again, though, I CAN grow hair on my face. It's not as thick as it used to be, but it'll do.

    Hope you experience the same.

    Take care,

    Joe
  • Fire34
    Fire34 Member Posts: 365
    #3
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    Facial Hair ?
    Aero
    I lost my mustache, or shaved it off as most of it was falling out during chemo it grew back ok. My hair which I didn't have much of to start, LOL was more on my pillow than my head. As far as facial hair the lower portion of my neck where the rads were is no longer growing anything. The upper portion above my jaw line is ok, just a little slower growing. Saves on razor blades that way,even though I used an electric thru out treatment and still do today. I am 11 months out now.
    Best Wishes & Prayers on your treatment
    Dave
  • SASH
    SASH Member Posts: 421 Member
    #4
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    Beard
    My radiation oncologist told me I would never have to shave again. He lied. Like soccer said, the hair is thinner and doesn't grow in all the places, but it does grow. I actually have hair all over my face and neck, but not as thick. This allows me to go close to a week without shaving, where before treatment I had 5 o'clock shadow by 3 pm.

    Depending on where they aimed the radiation you might still be able to have a goatee or a mustache.
  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #5
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    Chin hairs
    Haven't had a single pesky chin hair since end of treatment. In my case, that's a good thing.

    Deb
  • fisrpotpe
    fisrpotpe Member Posts: 1,349 Member
    #6
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    D Lewis said:

    Chin hairs
    Haven't had a single pesky chin hair since end of treatment. In my case, that's a good thing.

    Deb

    Chin Hairs
    I love a great posts along with some that make me laugh...
  • RushFan
    RushFan Member Posts: 224
    #7
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    Fire34 said:

    Facial Hair ?
    Aero
    I lost my mustache, or shaved it off as most of it was falling out during chemo it grew back ok. My hair which I didn't have much of to start, LOL was more on my pillow than my head. As far as facial hair the lower portion of my neck where the rads were is no longer growing anything. The upper portion above my jaw line is ok, just a little slower growing. Saves on razor blades that way,even though I used an electric thru out treatment and still do today. I am 11 months out now.
    Best Wishes & Prayers on your treatment
    Dave

    Same as Fire34
    I'm six months out and I'm same as Dave...all of the above. Only wish my ear hair would have been affected, I think it's worse.

    A great weekend to all,
    Chuck.
  • staceya
    staceya Member Posts: 720
    #8
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    D Lewis said:

    Chin hairs
    Haven't had a single pesky chin hair since end of treatment. In my case, that's a good thing.

    Deb

    Hmmm...
    well, possibly TMI...
    I still am best friends with the tweezers and have to do a daily "chin check"..grr
    Stacey
  • fisrpotpe
    fisrpotpe Member Posts: 1,349 Member
    #9
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    No One
    No one in our local head and neck cancer support group of about 15-20 guys over the years have lost all facial hair permanently. I myself had a full beard for 23 years, so bad that I would have blue beard 2 hours after shaving. I have now about 20 percent grow back and slow. I can go 4-5 days before i need to shave. I also have a mustache and chin hair full that grows the same as 28 years ago.

    I do not know how they can say permanently.

    I had a nurse on my second shift after starting chemo that I would loose all my hair and puke puke puke. boy was she wrong. I lost a head of hair but started with two, all it did was thin it. I did not puke either durning chemo or shortly after. Most was from gaging while eating in the first couple months after treatment.

    There is no way they can say those things.

    John
  • timreichhart
    timreichhart Member Posts: 194
    #10
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    fisrpotpe said:

    No One
    No one in our local head and neck cancer support group of about 15-20 guys over the years have lost all facial hair permanently. I myself had a full beard for 23 years, so bad that I would have blue beard 2 hours after shaving. I have now about 20 percent grow back and slow. I can go 4-5 days before i need to shave. I also have a mustache and chin hair full that grows the same as 28 years ago.

    I do not know how they can say permanently.

    I had a nurse on my second shift after starting chemo that I would loose all my hair and puke puke puke. boy was she wrong. I lost a head of hair but started with two, all it did was thin it. I did not puke either durning chemo or shortly after. Most was from gaging while eating in the first couple months after treatment.

    There is no way they can say those things.

    John

    about the hair
    well my radiation doctor said I was going to lose my side burns and facial hair. I did lose the side burns and facial hair and it was just temporary for a month but now after 8 weeks of post treatments I got both side burns and facial hair back and its growing faster then ever.
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #11
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    Hair
    I can still grow my goatee but not a full beard anymore
  • mixleader
    mixleader Member Posts: 267 Member
    #12
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    Facial Hair
    8 weeks post radiation and my right cheek, ear, and about 1/3 of my upper lip and chin are smooth as silk with no sign of any hair growth. I also lost hair on my neck on the right side and on the back of my head. I can see some stubble on the back of my head, but I really don't know about my cheek/chin. I try to make light of it by saying that it sure doesn't take me long to shave now. The one up side here is that I don't have the 'old guy's ear hairs' that I have to trim. I don't know if any of this is permanent or not, but I am prepared to accept it either way.
  • delnative
    delnative Member Posts: 450
    #13
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    mixleader said:

    Facial Hair
    8 weeks post radiation and my right cheek, ear, and about 1/3 of my upper lip and chin are smooth as silk with no sign of any hair growth. I also lost hair on my neck on the right side and on the back of my head. I can see some stubble on the back of my head, but I really don't know about my cheek/chin. I try to make light of it by saying that it sure doesn't take me long to shave now. The one up side here is that I don't have the 'old guy's ear hairs' that I have to trim. I don't know if any of this is permanent or not, but I am prepared to accept it either way.

    Mine came back
    My beard got so thin during rads that I shaved it off. I haven't grown it back -- it's gotten way too gray -- but I have to shave every day. It would grow back just fine if I let it.

    --Jim in Delaware
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #14
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    delnative said:

    Mine came back
    My beard got so thin during rads that I shaved it off. I haven't grown it back -- it's gotten way too gray -- but I have to shave every day. It would grow back just fine if I let it.

    --Jim in Delaware

    two sides
    Haven't shaved on the center and either side of my neck since 1/09, and the whiskers on the left side of my face are few and far between, though my moustache is okay on the left side. Could try my former winter goatee, but a one-sided goatee just wouldn't work. My last rad was in 4/09, FYI.

    kcass
  • Army_Guy
    Army_Guy Member Posts: 53
    #15
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    Facial hair..
    Hey Aero,

    My goatee disappeared during treatment (had 56 raads aand 6 Cisplatin); mustache got really sparse but I never shaved it off. Lost some hair at the back of my neck. I was discouraged after treatment (I'm 10-weeks post treatment)but glad that I didn't have to shave because for the first 3 weeks I felt crappy. All of a sudden it started growing back. Not much below jaw line but cheeks and chin pretty much back to normal. Mustache back in full force; passed on goatee and now have just a "soul patch". I have to shave every day again but any return to normal is a welcome change. Be patient my friend and things will eventually begin returning to normal.

    Dave
  • dennis318
    dennis318 Member Posts: 349 Member
    #16
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    Army_Guy said:

    Facial hair..
    Hey Aero,

    My goatee disappeared during treatment (had 56 raads aand 6 Cisplatin); mustache got really sparse but I never shaved it off. Lost some hair at the back of my neck. I was discouraged after treatment (I'm 10-weeks post treatment)but glad that I didn't have to shave because for the first 3 weeks I felt crappy. All of a sudden it started growing back. Not much below jaw line but cheeks and chin pretty much back to normal. Mustache back in full force; passed on goatee and now have just a "soul patch". I have to shave every day again but any return to normal is a welcome change. Be patient my friend and things will eventually begin returning to normal.

    Dave

    Don'T Cut My HARRRRRR
    The Only thinkg I witnessed was hair loss from the back of neck and under the chin, i kept my moustache, Now if it would have got my ear and nose hairs, I wouldn't have said a word...lol..they seem to grow faster.Dennis in Tn
  • hawk711
    hawk711 Member Posts: 566
    #17
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    dennis318 said:

    Don'T Cut My HARRRRRR
    The Only thinkg I witnessed was hair loss from the back of neck and under the chin, i kept my moustache, Now if it would have got my ear and nose hairs, I wouldn't have said a word...lol..they seem to grow faster.Dennis in Tn

    He John Fisrpotpe
    Quick question. Where are you located? I'd like to find a H&N group like you have. Can't find one in Northern Cal. Hopefully, you're close by...
    thanks Steve
  • areomech
    areomech Member Posts: 33
    #18
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    fisrpotpe said:

    No One
    No one in our local head and neck cancer support group of about 15-20 guys over the years have lost all facial hair permanently. I myself had a full beard for 23 years, so bad that I would have blue beard 2 hours after shaving. I have now about 20 percent grow back and slow. I can go 4-5 days before i need to shave. I also have a mustache and chin hair full that grows the same as 28 years ago.

    I do not know how they can say permanently.

    I had a nurse on my second shift after starting chemo that I would loose all my hair and puke puke puke. boy was she wrong. I lost a head of hair but started with two, all it did was thin it. I did not puke either durning chemo or shortly after. Most was from gaging while eating in the first couple months after treatment.

    There is no way they can say those things.

    John

    sorry for the miss quote. lot of info to absorb.
    I went back and looked at some notes a frend of mine took at the meeting with the radiologist. I made a mistake on the quote from the doc. His exact words were a chance of permanent facial hair loss.

    Mike
  • fisrpotpe
    fisrpotpe Member Posts: 1,349 Member
    #19
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    hawk711 said:

    He John Fisrpotpe
    Quick question. Where are you located? I'd like to find a H&N group like you have. Can't find one in Northern Cal. Hopefully, you're close by...
    thanks Steve

    Champaign, IL
    Illini Land here in east Central Illinois.

    I have for many years wanted to start one, when I was working I just did not reach out and do it. Then I heard of a local cancer center that had one and turned out to be only 2 months running. I have slowly become an strong book end and love it. I suggest you get with a Local Hospital/cancer and talk with Social Worker about working together to start one. I have seen approx. 30 be apart of group and most do not stay. We have about 4-5 who have. Problem is most being treated are 1-1 1/2 hours away and do not want to attend by driving back just for the meeting.

    To help others it has been huge just like CSN.

    Steve what is your status?

    John

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