Hair Growing Back Between Treatments

Kvdyson
Kvdyson Member Posts: 790 Member

I am happy that my hair has started to grow back on my head, eyebrows and eye lashes but... it's also growing back with a vengeance on my face! I have this facial fuzz all over my cheeks and long side burns. Beggars can't be choosers but, wow, this is crazy.

Has anyone else had this? If so, how did you handle it?

Comments

  • Yes to the fuzz on the head.

    I was somewhat concerned that my chemo wasn't working because my hair started growing (fuzz) after my first chemo.  My chemo nurse said that's common for some, and although that's the only place it was coming back, it hasn't grown much (or any) the rest of the time.  There's no color to it, so I look bald anyway, but my last chemo is scheduled for March 31st, so I will be looking forward to seeing signs of "springing" hair sprouts after that.  I didn't have the facial fuzz so can't help you out there.  Hugs Nancy

  • Gardena
    Gardena Member Posts: 102
    Kvdyson

    I love your new pic! Wo meaning to sound weird, you look hot! Your short "do" looks fresh and modern and you're glowing. I'm only 4 weeks out from carbo/taxol so still waiting for my hair so havent experienced the face fuzz. Maybe it's like w babies when first born they have face fuzz and then it sloughs off? I haven't read about facial fuzz on this forum. .. you might be starting a trend! Glad to see you looking so healthy! 

  • TeddyandBears_Mom
    TeddyandBears_Mom Member Posts: 1,814 Member
    Gardena said:

    Kvdyson

    I love your new pic! Wo meaning to sound weird, you look hot! Your short "do" looks fresh and modern and you're glowing. I'm only 4 weeks out from carbo/taxol so still waiting for my hair so havent experienced the face fuzz. Maybe it's like w babies when first born they have face fuzz and then it sloughs off? I haven't read about facial fuzz on this forum. .. you might be starting a trend! Glad to see you looking so healthy! 

    I didn't have any hair

    I didn't have any hair growing back between treatments. In fact, I ended up with a shiny bald head by the end of treatments. And, I had zero body hair along with that bald head.

    I have noticed light fuzzy hair on the sides of my face now that my hair is coming back post chemo. I thought it was my imagination! lol  I hope Gardena iis right and it will just go away.

    Also, my lashes and brows are growing in all kinds of directions. I'm hoping once they get to their normal length, they will get back to normal.

    Love and Hugs,

    Cindi

  • It happened to Me
    It happened to Me Member Posts: 206 Member

    I didn't have any hair

    I didn't have any hair growing back between treatments. In fact, I ended up with a shiny bald head by the end of treatments. And, I had zero body hair along with that bald head.

    I have noticed light fuzzy hair on the sides of my face now that my hair is coming back post chemo. I thought it was my imagination! lol  I hope Gardena iis right and it will just go away.

    Also, my lashes and brows are growing in all kinds of directions. I'm hoping once they get to their normal length, they will get back to normal.

    Love and Hugs,

    Cindi

    No hair growth

    for me until after my chemo. was done.   When it came back, not all my eyebrows came back.  My hair on my arms are thin.

  • EZLiving66
    EZLiving66 Member Posts: 1,483 Member
    Yup, I have this fuzz all

    Yup, I have this fuzz all over my face too.  I took a razor and rubbed it along my cheek and it was almost like dust that came off.  I have a few hairs on my legs and arms along with pubic and underarm hair although not much.  My left eyebrow that lost all the hairs except ONE (I used it as "comb-over" brow - LOL) has also come back although it is whiter and not as full or long as the right one that I didn't lose.  Same with my eyelashes - the left eye is much less thick and shorter than the right one. 

    What is crazy is the hair on my head.  It's about half an inch and is pure white, soft and growing in circular patterns.  I always knew I had a bad cowlick on the right side by my forehead but my whole head is full of cowlicks!!  I was born with a full head of hair and I've always worn it long so the weight of it negated the cowlicks.  It's pretty cool!!  As soon as it gets long enough I'm going to have it dyed back to my blonde.  That way, when I wear one of my wigs, if it sticks out, it will be ok (at least that's what I'm telling myself - ha ha!)

    Love,

    Eldri

  • Lou Ann M
    Lou Ann M Member Posts: 996 Member

    Yup, I have this fuzz all

    Yup, I have this fuzz all over my face too.  I took a razor and rubbed it along my cheek and it was almost like dust that came off.  I have a few hairs on my legs and arms along with pubic and underarm hair although not much.  My left eyebrow that lost all the hairs except ONE (I used it as "comb-over" brow - LOL) has also come back although it is whiter and not as full or long as the right one that I didn't lose.  Same with my eyelashes - the left eye is much less thick and shorter than the right one. 

    What is crazy is the hair on my head.  It's about half an inch and is pure white, soft and growing in circular patterns.  I always knew I had a bad cowlick on the right side by my forehead but my whole head is full of cowlicks!!  I was born with a full head of hair and I've always worn it long so the weight of it negated the cowlicks.  It's pretty cool!!  As soon as it gets long enough I'm going to have it dyed back to my blonde.  That way, when I wear one of my wigs, if it sticks out, it will be ok (at least that's what I'm telling myself - ha ha!)

    Love,

    Eldri

    Hair

    It may not stay white.  The Times mine came back in it started out almost clear and then changed to darker sometimes almost blond with darker undertones. I was a redhead!  Also very curly ringlets.  I always had straight hair.  A lady at church told me I was very lucky I did not have to pay for my curls.  That is the one comment I haven't been able to excuse.  Hugs and prayers, Lou Ann

  • Kvdyson
    Kvdyson Member Posts: 790 Member
    unknown said:

    Yes to the fuzz on the head.

    I was somewhat concerned that my chemo wasn't working because my hair started growing (fuzz) after my first chemo.  My chemo nurse said that's common for some, and although that's the only place it was coming back, it hasn't grown much (or any) the rest of the time.  There's no color to it, so I look bald anyway, but my last chemo is scheduled for March 31st, so I will be looking forward to seeing signs of "springing" hair sprouts after that.  I didn't have the facial fuzz so can't help you out there.  Hugs Nancy

    Hair Sprouts

    Hi Nancy, hair sprouts - LOL, I love that! Mine didn't really start coming back until a week or two after the most recent chemo (mid-January) so the hair in my picture is about 8 weeks out from there. Hopefully your hair will come back nice and full!

    I just noticed the facial fuzz this week. It's a very fine, light-colored hair - except for the side burns - those are quite dark. I'm concerned that if I shave it off that it may come back even thicker - yuck! 

  • Kvdyson
    Kvdyson Member Posts: 790 Member
    Gardena said:

    Kvdyson

    I love your new pic! Wo meaning to sound weird, you look hot! Your short "do" looks fresh and modern and you're glowing. I'm only 4 weeks out from carbo/taxol so still waiting for my hair so havent experienced the face fuzz. Maybe it's like w babies when first born they have face fuzz and then it sloughs off? I haven't read about facial fuzz on this forum. .. you might be starting a trend! Glad to see you looking so healthy! 

    Baby face

    Thanks, Gardena! I took that picture after deciding my hair was long enough to look punk rock-y! I find that I have to wear pretty heavy eyeliner to pull it off and to not look too boyish but heck, I can have fun with that!

    I like your analogy to the face fuzz on babies. Hopefully it's only temporary, like you said. I get my port flushed this Friday so maybe the nurses have heard of some others experiencing this strange phenomenon. It may be that the chemo mix I'm getting (Ifex/Taxol/Mesna) is causing it? That mix seems to be different than what most others are getting.

    I hope you are doing well, too and are able to plan for some fun this summer!

     

     

     

     

  • Kvdyson
    Kvdyson Member Posts: 790 Member

    I didn't have any hair

    I didn't have any hair growing back between treatments. In fact, I ended up with a shiny bald head by the end of treatments. And, I had zero body hair along with that bald head.

    I have noticed light fuzzy hair on the sides of my face now that my hair is coming back post chemo. I thought it was my imagination! lol  I hope Gardena iis right and it will just go away.

    Also, my lashes and brows are growing in all kinds of directions. I'm hoping once they get to their normal length, they will get back to normal.

    Love and Hugs,

    Cindi

    Between treatments

    Hi Cindi, I hope Gardena is right, too! I'll have to look into laser hair removal if not!

    My most recent chemo was in mid-January (I've been having radiation since then). I started noticing the facial fuzz last week and it's become much more noticable this week. My eye lashes have grown in even thicker then they were before. My right eyebrow is still a little sparse but I fill it in with a pencil and (I think) it looks pretty natural.

    I did enjoy not having to shave my underarms and legs for those months during chemo (at least something good came from losing the hair!). I wonder if it'll all fall out again once chemo starts up again in April?

     

     

     

  • Kvdyson
    Kvdyson Member Posts: 790 Member

    Yup, I have this fuzz all

    Yup, I have this fuzz all over my face too.  I took a razor and rubbed it along my cheek and it was almost like dust that came off.  I have a few hairs on my legs and arms along with pubic and underarm hair although not much.  My left eyebrow that lost all the hairs except ONE (I used it as "comb-over" brow - LOL) has also come back although it is whiter and not as full or long as the right one that I didn't lose.  Same with my eyelashes - the left eye is much less thick and shorter than the right one. 

    What is crazy is the hair on my head.  It's about half an inch and is pure white, soft and growing in circular patterns.  I always knew I had a bad cowlick on the right side by my forehead but my whole head is full of cowlicks!!  I was born with a full head of hair and I've always worn it long so the weight of it negated the cowlicks.  It's pretty cool!!  As soon as it gets long enough I'm going to have it dyed back to my blonde.  That way, when I wear one of my wigs, if it sticks out, it will be ok (at least that's what I'm telling myself - ha ha!)

    Love,

    Eldri

    Razor

    Eldri, has the facial hair grown back since you used the razor on it? I've been afraid to try that as I didn't want to have stubble.

    That's so great that your hair is coming back - even if it is a little crazy! You might be surprised how good you'll look with short blonde hair - like Annie Lennox from the Eurythmics!  

  • Kvdyson
    Kvdyson Member Posts: 790 Member
    Lou Ann M said:

    Hair

    It may not stay white.  The Times mine came back in it started out almost clear and then changed to darker sometimes almost blond with darker undertones. I was a redhead!  Also very curly ringlets.  I always had straight hair.  A lady at church told me I was very lucky I did not have to pay for my curls.  That is the one comment I haven't been able to excuse.  Hugs and prayers, Lou Ann

    Hair Color Changing

    Hi Lou Ann, that's good to know. My hair is coming in very straight and salt-and-peppery, which is exactly the way it looked before it fell out. I was hoping it would come back with a different color or texture and had just about given up on that until I read your post so thank you!

  • CheeseQueen57
    CheeseQueen57 Member Posts: 933 Member
    Unwanted Hair

    Not sure if indicated with chemo, but I've been using this cream Vaniqa for my chinny chin chin hair for years. It's expensive and insurance doesn't usually cover but keeps hair growth down to a pluck able level. 

    http://www.vaniqa.com

    I just got my long-term colored hair grown out to a lovely grey bob with a great texture. If I need chemo, my luck it will grow back curly!  Ugh!

    Your photo is beautiful !

     

  • EZLiving66
    EZLiving66 Member Posts: 1,483 Member
    Kvdyson said:

    Razor

    Eldri, has the facial hair grown back since you used the razor on it? I've been afraid to try that as I didn't want to have stubble.

    That's so great that your hair is coming back - even if it is a little crazy! You might be surprised how good you'll look with short blonde hair - like Annie Lennox from the Eurythmics!  

    I can't feel any hair growing

    I can't feel any hair growing back but I couldn't feel the fuzzy hair either.  For sure there's no stubble.  I like the idea of looking like Annie....yeah, I've got the Annie look - LOL!!  But.....I think I'll keep wearing my wigs - kids might be scared of my "Annie" look - ha ha!!!!!

    Love,

    Eldri

  • Abbycat2
    Abbycat2 Member Posts: 644 Member

    Unwanted Hair

    Not sure if indicated with chemo, but I've been using this cream Vaniqa for my chinny chin chin hair for years. It's expensive and insurance doesn't usually cover but keeps hair growth down to a pluck able level. 

    http://www.vaniqa.com

    I just got my long-term colored hair grown out to a lovely grey bob with a great texture. If I need chemo, my luck it will grow back curly!  Ugh!

    Your photo is beautiful !

     

    Oh, yes, I remember the facial fuzz, Kvdyson

    I was driving and came to a red light when I looked into the mirror under my visor to check my makeup when I was shocked to see a halo of white fuzz all over the lower half of my face! The sunlight bouncing off my fuzz seemed to make my face glow. Oh, my, I didn't like what I saw. I ended up lightly shaving my face with the razor facing downward with the grain and am I glad that I did. It never returned after that. Cancer, the gift that keeps on giving!

  • Kvdyson
    Kvdyson Member Posts: 790 Member

    Unwanted Hair

    Not sure if indicated with chemo, but I've been using this cream Vaniqa for my chinny chin chin hair for years. It's expensive and insurance doesn't usually cover but keeps hair growth down to a pluck able level. 

    http://www.vaniqa.com

    I just got my long-term colored hair grown out to a lovely grey bob with a great texture. If I need chemo, my luck it will grow back curly!  Ugh!

    Your photo is beautiful !

     

    Vaniqa

    Thanks, Cheese! I will definitely ask my dermatologist about Vaniqa. Those chin whiskers are the worst! I'm currently using an Rx adult acne cream on my face so not sure if I can use this simultaneously but it sure looks intriguing.

  • Kvdyson
    Kvdyson Member Posts: 790 Member
    Abbycat2 said:

    Oh, yes, I remember the facial fuzz, Kvdyson

    I was driving and came to a red light when I looked into the mirror under my visor to check my makeup when I was shocked to see a halo of white fuzz all over the lower half of my face! The sunlight bouncing off my fuzz seemed to make my face glow. Oh, my, I didn't like what I saw. I ended up lightly shaving my face with the razor facing downward with the grain and am I glad that I did. It never returned after that. Cancer, the gift that keeps on giving!

    Abbycat - Glowing

    Abbycat, that's exactly how I found it, too. The sun hit it right when I was at a red light. Boy was that a surprise! I just wondered how long everyone else had seen it but never thought to tell me or didn't want to hurt my feelings. I asked my hubby about it but he's oblivious to anything at that level of detail.

    Glad to hear from you and Eldri that it doesn't grow once it's shaved so I will definitely give that a go tomorrow. Thanks so much!