Hair loss

Barb5454
Barb5454 Member Posts: 125
in Anal Cancer #1

I finished radiation Jan 14. I finished chemo Dec 14 (went through 2 cycles) My hair is very very thin and continues to fall out. It is really dry. When my hair stop falling out. My pubic hair was completely gone but i's going back, but the hair on my head is still thinning. Does anyone else have this problem?  Thanks for your help

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Comments

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #2
    Hair

    My hair continued to thin for some time after my treatment ended--I would estimate for a couple of months.

  • LaCh
    LaCh Member Posts: 557
    #3
    mp327 said:

    Hair

    My hair continued to thin for some time after my treatment ended--I would estimate for a couple of months.

    hair thinning

    sorry, I posted a similar question a short while ago without seeing this thread.  I'm 9 weeks post chemo and the head hair is still falling at a pretty rapid rate.  Hair south of the naval is gone.  I'm not bald on top but at this rate, if the hair loss doesn't abate, I soon will be.

  • danchi
    danchi Member Posts: 4
    #4
    LaCh said:

    hair thinning

    sorry, I posted a similar question a short while ago without seeing this thread.  I'm 9 weeks post chemo and the head hair is still falling at a pretty rapid rate.  Hair south of the naval is gone.  I'm not bald on top but at this rate, if the hair loss doesn't abate, I soon will be.

    It was 3 months after my last

    It was 3 months after my last chemo before my hair stopped falling out and started to grow again. It was so thin on top I wore a hair piece to cover a couple bare spots I had. My hair was very thick to start with.

  • Barb5454
    Barb5454 Member Posts: 125
    #5
    LaCh said:

    hair thinning

    sorry, I posted a similar question a short while ago without seeing this thread.  I'm 9 weeks post chemo and the head hair is still falling at a pretty rapid rate.  Hair south of the naval is gone.  I'm not bald on top but at this rate, if the hair loss doesn't abate, I soon will be.

    LaCh

    My hair is still falling out after 3 months. My hair is really dry. Does anyone know of a good conditioner too

  • AZANNIE
    AZANNIE Member Posts: 445 Member
    #6
    Barb5454 said:

    LaCh

    My hair is still falling out after 3 months. My hair is really dry. Does anyone know of a good conditioner too

    Barb5454

    A hair stylist suggested Nioxin shampoo and conditioner. It comes in a kit or separate. I used it and it seemed to help my thinning hair. My hair also felt dry.

    Ann

     

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #7
    Barb5454 said:

    LaCh

    My hair is still falling out after 3 months. My hair is really dry. Does anyone know of a good conditioner too

    LaCh

    I used a shampoo and conditioner with a brand name of Jason, which I found at GNC stores.  It comes in a combo-pack.  I think it worked pretty well.

  • Lime Flamingo
    Lime Flamingo Member Posts: 15
    #8
    danchi said:

    It was 3 months after my last

    It was 3 months after my last chemo before my hair stopped falling out and started to grow again. It was so thin on top I wore a hair piece to cover a couple bare spots I had. My hair was very thick to start with.

    Hair falling out.

    I am curious.  I had mytomicin and 5fu for 1 week.  Radiation so far for 3weeks.  I will go back to the mytomicin on April 8. Continuing radiation all the time for a total of 7 weeks.  What is it that makes your hair fall out the chemo or the radiation?

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #9
    Lime Flamingo said:

    Hair falling out.

    I am curious.  I had mytomicin and 5fu for 1 week.  Radiation so far for 3weeks.  I will go back to the mytomicin on April 8. Continuing radiation all the time for a total of 7 weeks.  What is it that makes your hair fall out the chemo or the radiation?

    Lime Flamingo

    It's the chemo.  However, radiation can cause the hair "down under" to go too.

  • Lime Flamingo
    Lime Flamingo Member Posts: 15
    #10
    mp327 said:

    Lime Flamingo

    It's the chemo.  However, radiation can cause the hair "down under" to go too.

    Hair falling out.

    I did not see anything with hair on the first round of chemo.  With all the radiation burns, losing my hair doesn't come with pain, so not to worry.  The burns, itching, and general feeling like a truck ran over me kind of takes hair out of the worrylist.

  • LisaMMiles
    LisaMMiles Member Posts: 38
    #11
    mp327 said:

    Lime Flamingo

    It's the chemo.  However, radiation can cause the hair "down under" to go too.

    mp327

    Yes the hair down under does go... Will it come back, or be gone for ever?

  • Marynb
    Marynb Member Posts: 1,118
    #12
    LisaMMiles said:

    mp327

    Yes the hair down under does go... Will it come back, or be gone for ever?

    Lisa
    For me, I never lost hair on my head, but am now sporting the Telly Savalis look down below. You are probably too young to remember him......bald as a bean.
  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #13
    LisaMMiles said:

    mp327

    Yes the hair down under does go... Will it come back, or be gone for ever?

    Lisa

    My hair came back, both upper and lower!

  • LaCh
    LaCh Member Posts: 557
    #14
    mp327 said:

    LaCh

    I used a shampoo and conditioner with a brand name of Jason, which I found at GNC stores.  It comes in a combo-pack.  I think it worked pretty well.

    hair loss

     

    Hair loss from chemo begins in the follicle so shampoos/conditioners don't help with that. Dryness might respond to topical treatments (shampoos/conditioners) but there are no guarantees. I'm 9 weeks out and still shedding hair at a pretty fast clip.  If this doesn't reverse course pretty soon, I'll be as bald up top as I am down below.

  • Barb5454
    Barb5454 Member Posts: 125
    #15
    LaCh said:

    hair loss

     

    Hair loss from chemo begins in the follicle so shampoos/conditioners don't help with that. Dryness might respond to topical treatments (shampoos/conditioners) but there are no guarantees. I'm 9 weeks out and still shedding hair at a pretty fast clip.  If this doesn't reverse course pretty soon, I'll be as bald up top as I am down below.

    LaCh

    I know what you mean. My hair down below is growing back but I'm still losing my hair on my head. It's really freaking me out. I guess I should have shaved it.

     

  • LaCh
    LaCh Member Posts: 557
    #16
    Barb5454 said:

    LaCh

    I know what you mean. My hair down below is growing back but I'm still losing my hair on my head. It's really freaking me out. I guess I should have shaved it.

     

    hair

    Well, I can't say that I'm freaked out (my freak-out bar is set pretty high) but it sure is getting annoying.   People keep telling me that it'll grow back, and my response to that is, it has to stop falling out first. 

    How long are you post chemo? 

  • Red Sox Fan
    Red Sox Fan Member Posts: 9 Member
    #17
    LaCh said:

    hair

    Well, I can't say that I'm freaked out (my freak-out bar is set pretty high) but it sure is getting annoying.   People keep telling me that it'll grow back, and my response to that is, it has to stop falling out first. 

    How long are you post chemo? 

    hair

    I'm two and a half years post treatment.  I lost about half the hair on my head and it is now back to normal.  As for down below, I lost it all and only about 20% of it has come back.

  • LaCh
    LaCh Member Posts: 557
    #18
    Red Sox Fan said:

    hair

    I'm two and a half years post treatment.  I lost about half the hair on my head and it is now back to normal.  As for down below, I lost it all and only about 20% of it has come back.

    wow

    20 % you say?  wow.  well, it doesn't bother me really that it's gone and I'm just 9 weeks post chemo.  I've lost a lot of head hair but I had a lot to start out with.  But ... well, I'm ready for it to reverse itself. 

  • islandgirlculebra
    islandgirlculebra Member Posts: 155 Member
    #19
    Barb5454 said:

    LaCh

    I know what you mean. My hair down below is growing back but I'm still losing my hair on my head. It's really freaking me out. I guess I should have shaved it.

     

    Shaving Your Head

    Barb: This chemo doesn't typically cuz people to lose ALL their hair....... I ended up with very thin hair with a couple of bald spots. It was ugly and I got my hair cut short and wore a wig when I went out in public for a while...... When the new hair filled in the bald spots in about three months or so, it just looked like I had a very short hair cut. I was really glad I didn't shave my head; it would have added more trauma to an already stressful experience!

  • Barb5454
    Barb5454 Member Posts: 125
    #20
    islandgirlculebra said:

    Shaving Your Head

    Barb: This chemo doesn't typically cuz people to lose ALL their hair....... I ended up with very thin hair with a couple of bald spots. It was ugly and I got my hair cut short and wore a wig when I went out in public for a while...... When the new hair filled in the bald spots in about three months or so, it just looked like I had a very short hair cut. I was really glad I didn't shave my head; it would have added more trauma to an already stressful experience!

    islandgirlbulebra

    Thank you. I use to have extremely thick hair and now it is so thin. I will try and be patient. I did get my hair cut but not real short just enough where I can cover some of the bald spots. I think I might invest in a wig. Thanks again

  • jbug2
    jbug2 Member Posts: 73
    #21
    Barb5454 said:

    islandgirlbulebra

    Thank you. I use to have extremely thick hair and now it is so thin. I will try and be patient. I did get my hair cut but not real short just enough where I can cover some of the bald spots. I think I might invest in a wig. Thanks again

    Thinned hair coming back

    I had chemo the first week of Dec., 2012 and the first week of Jan., 2013, concurrent with radiation.  Radiation ended in January 18, my hair still didn't look to bad when radiation ended.  However, by end of March my shoulder length hair was getting pretty thin and stringy looking, however, I had about an inch of fuzzy WHITE growth near the scalp ... I ended up getting the shoulder length blonde hair cut back to nearly equal length of my new WHITE growth.  It doesn't look bad if I use a 3/4" barrel curling iron to curl the ends under occasionally. 

    Oh, the WHITE pixie haircut is still a shock to see when I am washing my hands and glance up at the mirror, sort of like a stranger staring at me.  I am beginning to get a lot of black hair woven into the white.

    I did purchase a wig, also wore lots of hats and scarves.  My balder areas near my old side part and the back of my head are pretty much covered with new fuzzy growth, so I can blend (curl) my hair and it doesn't look to bad.  However some of the new growth also seems to be falling out, now.  :(  I grieved the loss of my hair PLENTY!!!

     

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