Does hair grow back in a uniform manner?

jewels5
jewels5 Member Posts: 57
in Breast Cancer #1
I had my last round of chemo 5 weeks ago today. I'm sure like most people, I am watching my scalp for any sign of hair regrowth. I have been pleased to find some peach fuzz, but just noticed today there are patches around my face where my scalp is still completely bare. Is this normal? Just wondering if it all grows back at once or if it comes back in patches, kind of like when it fell out.

Thanks so much!

Comments

  • grams2jc
    grams2jc Member Posts: 756
    #2
    Mine didn't
    For a while I looked like I had male-pattern baldness. My last Taxol was the end of April and just 6 weeks ago (first week of August)I stopped wearing my wig. Still REALLY short at that time but thick and DARK everywhere. The sides grew back in first and then the top, in fact I had to have my stylist cut the sides to match up with the top so I don't end up with a mullett, LOL!

    Good luck, I know I can't wait for a ponytail and I wish the same for you,

    Jennifer
  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #3
    Not mine....
    I am on a new chemo and my hair has been growing back for about 8 weeks now and it cracks me up. It is long on the very top. I have a really reseeding hairline in front. And the back, like the top is about an inch, but the sides are 1/2 inch. Once it grows a little more, I will need to go and get it evened out. But hoping that it gets a little thicker so that it keeps my head warm in the winter!
  • gami43
    gami43 Member Posts: 281
    #4
    camul said:

    Not mine....
    I am on a new chemo and my hair has been growing back for about 8 weeks now and it cracks me up. It is long on the very top. I have a really reseeding hairline in front. And the back, like the top is about an inch, but the sides are 1/2 inch. Once it grows a little more, I will need to go and get it evened out. But hoping that it gets a little thicker so that it keeps my head warm in the winter!

    I finished chemo the middle
    I finished chemo the middle of April and it still is
    not long enough to go without a wig. Mine is coming
    back like Jennifer's; as if I have male pattern baldness.
    I saw my hairdresser last week and she said in her
    experience the hair grows the way it came out and that my
    bald spots did have a bit of fuzz and would eventually
    fill in. She did even it up a little bit. It is
    probably 1/4 to 1/2 inch now. So, I guess I'm just a slow
    grower,but eventually we should fill out all over. Good luck!

    Teresa
  • smalldoggroomer
    smalldoggroomer Member Posts: 1,184
    #5
    I had my last chemo Oct 12th
    I had my last chemo Oct 12th 2010. My hair kept trying to come back the whole time but it was just fuzz. It started growing back about 8 weeks after chemo was over. It grew back evenly and thick but my hair was very thick to start with. At first it came back very soft like baby hair. I was hoping it would stay that way ( wishful thinking ). Mine did came back just like it was except it came back grey, it was salt and pepper before mostly pepper. It was about 8 months before I had to get it cut at that time it was between 3 and 4 inches long. Good luck Kay
  • jewels5
    jewels5 Member Posts: 57
    #6
    gami43 said:

    I finished chemo the middle
    I finished chemo the middle of April and it still is
    not long enough to go without a wig. Mine is coming
    back like Jennifer's; as if I have male pattern baldness.
    I saw my hairdresser last week and she said in her
    experience the hair grows the way it came out and that my
    bald spots did have a bit of fuzz and would eventually
    fill in. She did even it up a little bit. It is
    probably 1/4 to 1/2 inch now. So, I guess I'm just a slow
    grower,but eventually we should fill out all over. Good luck!

    Teresa

    Thank you so much for all of
    Thank you so much for all of your replies. I am missing my hair so much and it scared me to see there were bald patches still. You would practically need a magnifying glass where it is coming in, but I'm just so happy to see *some* of it and hear there is hope!

    Best wishes to all of you!

    Thanks again,

    Julie
  • skipper54
    skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
    #7
    smalldoggroomer said:

    I had my last chemo Oct 12th
    I had my last chemo Oct 12th 2010. My hair kept trying to come back the whole time but it was just fuzz. It started growing back about 8 weeks after chemo was over. It grew back evenly and thick but my hair was very thick to start with. At first it came back very soft like baby hair. I was hoping it would stay that way ( wishful thinking ). Mine did came back just like it was except it came back grey, it was salt and pepper before mostly pepper. It was about 8 months before I had to get it cut at that time it was between 3 and 4 inches long. Good luck Kay

    Mine started on top first
    It was kind of wispy at first too so when it finally got long enough I had it trimmed up to even the length and get rid of the baby fine wisps. It's now been cut for real 4 times. It came back in as thick as it was to begin with, which was pretty thick, but darker and wavey. It was kind of a flat color - always had red and blonde highlights before. It's now coming "back to life" with highlights but is still wavey instead of poker straight. Don't know how long that will last.
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #8
    skipper54 said:

    Mine started on top first
    It was kind of wispy at first too so when it finally got long enough I had it trimmed up to even the length and get rid of the baby fine wisps. It's now been cut for real 4 times. It came back in as thick as it was to begin with, which was pretty thick, but darker and wavey. It was kind of a flat color - always had red and blonde highlights before. It's now coming "back to life" with highlights but is still wavey instead of poker straight. Don't know how long that will last.

    Oh the curls...
    Mine stated as peach fuzz all over, last chemo was Jan. 7th 2011. Longer and thicker in the back and slower growing on top. Within a couple of weeks I developed a dark 5 o'clock shadow. Almost looked like a football helmet. Once the hair popped through the scalp the growing seemed quite rapid. Each week I'd see about a 16th of an inch hair growth. Now I am sporting a cute little pixie with curls. It's a fun thing to watch....

    Hugs,
    Lorrie
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #9
    Mine didn't
    either. When I thought it was long enough (very curly) I went to my hairdressers and had her cut it short. The next time I had her trim it and she said I had 3 different types of hair. I colored it and it still doesn't look like my old hair.
    {{hugs}} Char
  • mamolady
    mamolady Member Posts: 796 Member
    #10
    It does grow back different.
    It does grow back different. I had male pattern baldness when my hair started growing back. I thought I would just have to live with it but it finally filled in. Also one side grew back faster. I had it trimmed when it got real noticeable but I hated putting scissors to my new hair!

    Give it time.
    Cindy

    my biggest excitement was when I could feel the wind blow through it!
  • ldpettit
    ldpettit Member Posts: 128
    #11
    Hair regrowth
    Mine has been trying to grow back now for about 7 weeks. Mine too was longer on the sides. My left side fans toward my face, my left lays down. The middle is some sort of funky faux hawk... the back is still trying to catch up in length. It's really a hot mess, but I'm SO glad to have hair again.
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #12
    ldpettit said:

    Hair regrowth
    Mine has been trying to grow back now for about 7 weeks. Mine too was longer on the sides. My left side fans toward my face, my left lays down. The middle is some sort of funky faux hawk... the back is still trying to catch up in length. It's really a hot mess, but I'm SO glad to have hair again.

    1st "male pattern baldness," then the "faux hawk"
    I found growing my hair back in to be WAY more frustrating than just not having any hair. Growing back, I first had the "male pattern baldness" (very attractive), then the top grew much faster than the rest, so I had the "faux hawk." At that point, I had a meltdown at my hairdresser's, and she had to talk me out of just shaving it all off again.

    I did 4 rounds of T/C, and my hair actually starting growing back a little toward the end of chemo -- by about 3-4 months after finishing, I had my pre-chemo short haircut (what you see in my photo) back again. The back still grows in a little different direction than it did before chemo, but I have a full head of hair.

    Traci
  • BMS
    BMS Member Posts: 127
    #13
    TraciInLA said:

    1st "male pattern baldness," then the "faux hawk"
    I found growing my hair back in to be WAY more frustrating than just not having any hair. Growing back, I first had the "male pattern baldness" (very attractive), then the top grew much faster than the rest, so I had the "faux hawk." At that point, I had a meltdown at my hairdresser's, and she had to talk me out of just shaving it all off again.

    I did 4 rounds of T/C, and my hair actually starting growing back a little toward the end of chemo -- by about 3-4 months after finishing, I had my pre-chemo short haircut (what you see in my photo) back again. The back still grows in a little different direction than it did before chemo, but I have a full head of hair.

    Traci

    Finished in March
    I finished chemo in March and by the beginning of June was ready to go wigless! Now I have a cute chemo curls haircut, but a full head of hair. It grew back faster in the back and sides than on the top and I did go early on to have it evened out.
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #14
    BMS said:

    Finished in March
    I finished chemo in March and by the beginning of June was ready to go wigless! Now I have a cute chemo curls haircut, but a full head of hair. It grew back faster in the back and sides than on the top and I did go early on to have it evened out.

    Yes
    I had a male pattern baldness issue too. It was like a receeding hairling at the temples. This prohibited me from going without my scarf for 6 months. My hairdresser says that some people grow slower on the crown, and top and faster in the back. That is what happened to me . I had to cut it to give it a symetrical look. I would have ended up with a mullet also. My hair grew back very dark and curly. I was blond and had stick straight hair. for a while i was pretty frustrated with the chia pet look. That was until I found the right products then I embraced the ease of the wash and go do. TMI: the hair in the nether regions fell out first came back first and was the opposite. Eyebrows fell out once more, eyelashes fell out three times after, but they grow in quickly. I dont have to shave my underarms very much or legs either. Hope this wasnt TMI. the hairdresser says its a process and it was.
  • Tkitty
    Tkitty Member Posts: 56
    #15
    carkris said:

    Yes
    I had a male pattern baldness issue too. It was like a receeding hairling at the temples. This prohibited me from going without my scarf for 6 months. My hairdresser says that some people grow slower on the crown, and top and faster in the back. That is what happened to me . I had to cut it to give it a symetrical look. I would have ended up with a mullet also. My hair grew back very dark and curly. I was blond and had stick straight hair. for a while i was pretty frustrated with the chia pet look. That was until I found the right products then I embraced the ease of the wash and go do. TMI: the hair in the nether regions fell out first came back first and was the opposite. Eyebrows fell out once more, eyelashes fell out three times after, but they grow in quickly. I dont have to shave my underarms very much or legs either. Hope this wasnt TMI. the hairdresser says its a process and it was.

    I had a few "bionic" hairs
    I had a few "bionic" hairs that never fell out, but I was thrilled when my hair started growing back in. I was a strawberry blond, but I've lost the red color. It is about 1/2 inch long now. Can't do much with it, but glad to have it back. It is growing faster on the top, or maybe it just sticks up more on the top. It didn't come back curly though, still straight.
  • mckevnic
    mckevnic Member Posts: 71
    #16
    Tkitty said:

    I had a few "bionic" hairs
    I had a few "bionic" hairs that never fell out, but I was thrilled when my hair started growing back in. I was a strawberry blond, but I've lost the red color. It is about 1/2 inch long now. Can't do much with it, but glad to have it back. It is growing faster on the top, or maybe it just sticks up more on the top. It didn't come back curly though, still straight.

    patchy, yes
    My chemo ended in Aug 2010 and I could not wait for hair to come back. It seemed to take forever. I remember looking in the mirror every day and thinking...is that tinge of color on my head actually hair? Then the tinge got a little darker, yahooo I'm not imagining, it really IS hair! It took a long time to finally look like strands of hair and they were patchy, long in some spots, near nothing in others. Fast forward a couple months, and by Dec I was able to go with the wig. Oh what a feeling!! It wasn't til April that I got my first haircut. She did a nice job evening things all around and giving me a nice style.

    Good luck with your hair growth and don't panic, I'm sure it'll come back fine!!
    Chris
  • Lighthouse_7
    Lighthouse_7 Member Posts: 1,566 Member
    #17
    mckevnic said:

    patchy, yes
    My chemo ended in Aug 2010 and I could not wait for hair to come back. It seemed to take forever. I remember looking in the mirror every day and thinking...is that tinge of color on my head actually hair? Then the tinge got a little darker, yahooo I'm not imagining, it really IS hair! It took a long time to finally look like strands of hair and they were patchy, long in some spots, near nothing in others. Fast forward a couple months, and by Dec I was able to go with the wig. Oh what a feeling!! It wasn't til April that I got my first haircut. She did a nice job evening things all around and giving me a nice style.

    Good luck with your hair growth and don't panic, I'm sure it'll come back fine!!
    Chris

    Mine grew back faster in the
    Mine grew back faster in the back too. I compared it to a baby's hair because one doctor said it is brand new growth which makes it different from your original. That's why it felt like mink at first, soooo soft.
    I remember my children's hair as it grew in and they always had less on sides and top in the beginning.
    So interesting. For a while it was easier to be bald than deal with the unruly hair, but all is back to normal again and actually my hair is thicker now.
    Also, I never lost my chemo curls.
    Hugs,
    Wanda
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #18
    Lighthouse_7 said:

    Mine grew back faster in the
    Mine grew back faster in the back too. I compared it to a baby's hair because one doctor said it is brand new growth which makes it different from your original. That's why it felt like mink at first, soooo soft.
    I remember my children's hair as it grew in and they always had less on sides and top in the beginning.
    So interesting. For a while it was easier to be bald than deal with the unruly hair, but all is back to normal again and actually my hair is thicker now.
    Also, I never lost my chemo curls.
    Hugs,
    Wanda

    wow i wish i wouldnt lose
    wow i wish i wouldnt lose the curl but think i will. another thing i remembered is my hair seemed to grow in fits and starts. someone would see me one week and then next would remark how it had grown in one week. I noticed too. sort of cyclical.you will have you hair in no time.
  • laughs_a_lot
    laughs_a_lot Member Posts: 1,368 Member
    #19
    die hard
    I have always had a 5 o'clock shadow since the beginning of chemo. However, the lower back part of my head was as bald and soft as a baby's bottom. I am about 10 days out of chemo and where I have always had "the shadow" the hair is of varous lenghts all over my head as if they were taking turns dying off from chemo treatments. It will be interesting to see what happens to the "Cow Lick" I have always had at the crown of my head. I am nearly totally grey but I half expected that. I have always had hair that was thick and acted like I used "Miracle Grow" as a creme rinse so once it comes back I wonder if I will have to get a hair cut as often.
  • jewels5
    jewels5 Member Posts: 57
    #20
    laughs_a_lot said:

    die hard
    I have always had a 5 o'clock shadow since the beginning of chemo. However, the lower back part of my head was as bald and soft as a baby's bottom. I am about 10 days out of chemo and where I have always had "the shadow" the hair is of varous lenghts all over my head as if they were taking turns dying off from chemo treatments. It will be interesting to see what happens to the "Cow Lick" I have always had at the crown of my head. I am nearly totally grey but I half expected that. I have always had hair that was thick and acted like I used "Miracle Grow" as a creme rinse so once it comes back I wonder if I will have to get a hair cut as often.

    Thanks to all!
    Thanks everyone for your replies. I wish I had more time to "hang out" here. The support is so heartwarming.

    Hugs,

    Julie

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