hair loss
ohilly
Member Posts: 441
I was just last week diagnosed with invasive intraductal breast cancer. They are still in the process of conducting a lot of tests on me, but have told me the tumor is very small (less than 1 cm) and that it is early stage breast cancer. It is still unclear whether or not I will have to have chemotherapy. Like everyone, I will do whatever it takes to survive and will follow my doctor's orders, but I am terrified of the hair loss. Do your eyelashes and eyebrows fall out? If so, do they grow back? How long does it take for the hair on your head to grow back and does it grow back the same? Also, how did people deal with cosmetic issues of having no hair, especially no eyebrows? This site is so helpful. Sincerely, ohilly
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Hi Ohilly, I lost most of my hair, it was very patchy so we shaved it. I went through it from Dec 06 - Apr 07 so I wore a touque alot of the time. (It's cold up here) and I also wore scarves. Plus I was cold all the time. My hair used to be very long and I was surprised at how much it kept heat in so without it, I froze. My eyelashes pretty much went and my eyebrows were very faint. A nice break from shaving the legs and underarms. The pubic hair went as well.
I used a pencil for the eyebrows and that's about it. My hair started growing back in when I started the 2nd batch of chemo (taxanes). I think it's unusual though. It wasn't so much losing my hair but what it represented that bothered me. I did have some gray at the front and it was long with a bit of wave. Now, it's like I have a short gray perm. Very very curly. While there can be many long term side effects associated with chemo there is one I'm enjoying. I don't need to wear deoderant anymore. Very strange. No scent at all. Hopefully you won't have to do chemo. That would be good.
jan0 -
I was bald as a cue ball after two treatments - I looked like Bruce Willis in drag. Had the wig bu that only laste a few weeks. Then I to the international marketplace and bought a wild collection of giant scarfs.phoenixrising said:Hi Ohilly, I lost most of my hair, it was very patchy so we shaved it. I went through it from Dec 06 - Apr 07 so I wore a touque alot of the time. (It's cold up here) and I also wore scarves. Plus I was cold all the time. My hair used to be very long and I was surprised at how much it kept heat in so without it, I froze. My eyelashes pretty much went and my eyebrows were very faint. A nice break from shaving the legs and underarms. The pubic hair went as well.
I used a pencil for the eyebrows and that's about it. My hair started growing back in when I started the 2nd batch of chemo (taxanes). I think it's unusual though. It wasn't so much losing my hair but what it represented that bothered me. I did have some gray at the front and it was long with a bit of wave. Now, it's like I have a short gray perm. Very very curly. While there can be many long term side effects associated with chemo there is one I'm enjoying. I don't need to wear deoderant anymore. Very strange. No scent at all. Hopefully you won't have to do chemo. That would be good.
jan
Was anyone else surprised when the hair on the legs came back? It was so much fun not to shave them and it took longer than my hair and eyebrows to come back - I was so suprised when it did- I had never really thought about it. That had been one of the silver linings in the many clouds and I thought it was a gift we got to keep!! Back as think and nasty as it was before. My hair started coming back when I was on Taxol - chicken fuzz. After I finish taxol it came back in thick really curly and the head of many colors - brown, red and white patches - looked like an alley cat before I dyed it to be one color.
The eyebrows are the last to go- and then you wake up one day with a funny shadow above your eyes. Its very fun and exciting when it begins t return. (I know - new definition for fun)0 -
It is so true: we have a new definition for fun and exciting! I lost my hair after the second treatment and had a friend shave it so I didn't deal with the clumps. I felt more in control doing it than having it just happen. I had a beautiful auburn wig which brightened up my face. I wore a terry cap to bed or around the house. I had two young children so I was conservative. I am sure I could have had a lot more fun if I had more privacy or just the adults around. I stayed with the color after my hair came it. It was curly too. I did not lose my eyelashes or eyebrows but I did lose my leg hair and also no longer need deoderant! Until my leg hair grew out and my hair grew in it was wonderful - very low maitainance. I did get the wig ahead and had another survivor help me with scarves. I hope you don't have to experience it but if you do, you still can feel and look great. Check out ACS program by that name too. It will help you do eyebrows with a pencil and more.0
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I went from a shoulder-length dark redhead to a short black with silver and gold....I call them my medals...and curly! I lost my eyebrows, lashes, and hair everywhere else on my body (lol!). I have gotten everything back, except there are still places on my brows that are thin...
As far as while I was bald (21 days after my first Adriamycin infusion), I wore scarves and hats/caps....I tried a wig for 1/2 hour....it just wasn't for me. I even 'went naked' many times when it was warm enough. I figured I needed to be proud of the fight I was fighting...but then, I'm a soapbox sort of gal...
Keep in mind that this is temporary. All of it. I have such thick hair now, no one who didn't see me then would ever guess....
Hugs, Kathi0 -
Lost my most my hair and cried like a baby. I am Jewish and when I looked in the mirror I looked like a concentration camp survivor and that was pretty sobering. But then, the pain eased, really! That is why it is a journey, because you are actually going somewhere, making progress and the landscape changes. I am starting my taxol which I hear will take the eyelashes too, now. I will cry, then I will get over it because I just can't cry all the time. It is a scary thing to fight cancer. I am kind of grateful to be preoccupied with my hair because hair isn't so scary! I am looking forward to finishing my chemo. As hard as losing my hair was...getting it back will be as good! Time to celebrate! Time to be happy! Now, that is something to look forward too. It is just a little further down the road.
Love to you from a fellow traveler (soon to be blonde!)0 -
ohilly~ yes, we do lose our hair to most BC chemo cocktails, and I certainly wish my Dr had told me how extensive it would be. Let me put it bluntly ~anywhere, and yes, I do mean ANYWHERE you have hair, you won't! Why it never occurred to me that hair is hair, and that if it leaves your head it will leave every other place it is growing is beyond me! But it does, and it did.
I found the hair loss to be the most identifying mark, and most humiliating of the cancer experience. I will be the first to admit it is because I am vain! And I think it was also because I was in a new ( 10 month) relationship with a man 5 years younger than myself, and I was beyond worried that he would not stay. I thought, first breast surgery and then no hair? Why would he stay?
I wore false eyelashes a lot of the time...got the least Tammy Faye Baker-ish I could find, and just trimmed them to hopefully look natural.I pencilled in my brows...and hoped for the best. Powder was not so good. If it rains, or you perspire, powder is running down your face! LOL
I wore wigs on occasion~ to dinners, and places with lots of people. But they are SOOOO hot and itchy, and if the weather is bad, they too get
wet, or slide off.
Better to realize that Cancer and chemo are not crimes ( though maybe we should outlaw them!) and wear hats, bandanas, etc.
The good news is~ it all grows back. Honest! I say I went from new-born, to baby chick, to chia pet , to finger in light socket, to curly, to eventually back to the hair I pretty much started with. Mine is back down to my shoulders. My nice eyebrows didn't come in as thick and shapely as before, but I did gain a moustache! LOL Figures, huh? So I am waxing my upper lip and powdering in my brows!
I guess, in hindsight, I wish I had just put the shoe on the other foot. I have never looked at women in bandanas as something lesser, and I have even envied the bravery of those who said the hell with it, and went au naturelle!
You will still be YOU, you will still be a woman, you will get it all back again and more!
Welcome to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Mammos! You are in good company! and, btw...congrats for having detected cancer at at early, tiny stage! You will be fine, and live to be 105 and no doubt make Rapunzel jealous!
Oh yeah~ 5 years later, I am STILL with my sweetie! He took care of me, cooked for me, went to every chemo and radiation with me, and is loving me...Before, During, and After cancer!
Hugs,
Claudia0 -
As you can see, cancer affects each individual differently. Timing, amount, and response to hairloss is a very individual thing. My Sister was a cancer survivor from 1999-2003, now she lives cancer free with Jesus. She had several different types of treatments. Her hair came and went. It was past her waist and blonde when she was diagnosed. She cut it and sent it to "locks for love" where they make wigs for kids with cancer. When hers came in it was curly and darker. When it was gone, she said she was taking the "Mrs. Clean" look. She had the body for it. My hair came out gradually while I was on Taxol and Herceptin (June-Nov.'07). I don't have the physique for Mrs. Clean, I'll have to say I'm more like the Pilsbury Doughboy. My hair is coming in in patches, and it is a dishwater grey color. I lost hair from legs, arms, underarms, pubic area, eyelashes, and eyebrows. I tried a wig, but was not comfortable, so I have become a "hat lady". At home I go au naturale, but I am not as brave as my sister in public. I have some scarves too, but I like the way I look better with a bit of a brim to frame my face, which scarves don't provide. I often combine hats and scarves for more color and variety. I use make-up (eyebrow pencil, liner, and eyeshadow) to camouflage the absence of lashes and brows. I am now taking Adriamycin and Cytoxin, so I expect to lose it all again. When I was younger I never thought I would color my hair, but If it comes in this same dirty grey, I expect I will buy a color I like better. For now, the hats have it!
The American Cancer Society has a catalog with many items and tips for their use, including hats, wigs, and scarves. You may also want to look for a local chapter of "Feel better, look good" (I think that's the correct name, maybe the reverse). They have periodic meetings of survivors who provide many cosmetic tips, and support of other kinds. If they are not in your area, ACS can get you in touch with something similar.
Cancer is scary, and each step of the treatment process brings more decisions with its own set of fears. This site is a good place to come for support. I would also say, if you don't already have it, find a group of people close to you who can help you, and tell them what you need them to do as you go. You may want someone to go with you to the Dr. to help take notes (2 heads are better than one when you are trying to remember information later on). You might want someone to help clean house, or do a grocery run, or just to come sit by you, or send you a card or email to give a laugh...
Though this is not a group anyone wants to join, we welcome you and wish you well. seof0 -
Wasn't that just the biggest surprise?chenheart said:ohilly~ yes, we do lose our hair to most BC chemo cocktails, and I certainly wish my Dr had told me how extensive it would be. Let me put it bluntly ~anywhere, and yes, I do mean ANYWHERE you have hair, you won't! Why it never occurred to me that hair is hair, and that if it leaves your head it will leave every other place it is growing is beyond me! But it does, and it did.
I found the hair loss to be the most identifying mark, and most humiliating of the cancer experience. I will be the first to admit it is because I am vain! And I think it was also because I was in a new ( 10 month) relationship with a man 5 years younger than myself, and I was beyond worried that he would not stay. I thought, first breast surgery and then no hair? Why would he stay?
I wore false eyelashes a lot of the time...got the least Tammy Faye Baker-ish I could find, and just trimmed them to hopefully look natural.I pencilled in my brows...and hoped for the best. Powder was not so good. If it rains, or you perspire, powder is running down your face! LOL
I wore wigs on occasion~ to dinners, and places with lots of people. But they are SOOOO hot and itchy, and if the weather is bad, they too get
wet, or slide off.
Better to realize that Cancer and chemo are not crimes ( though maybe we should outlaw them!) and wear hats, bandanas, etc.
The good news is~ it all grows back. Honest! I say I went from new-born, to baby chick, to chia pet , to finger in light socket, to curly, to eventually back to the hair I pretty much started with. Mine is back down to my shoulders. My nice eyebrows didn't come in as thick and shapely as before, but I did gain a moustache! LOL Figures, huh? So I am waxing my upper lip and powdering in my brows!
I guess, in hindsight, I wish I had just put the shoe on the other foot. I have never looked at women in bandanas as something lesser, and I have even envied the bravery of those who said the hell with it, and went au naturelle!
You will still be YOU, you will still be a woman, you will get it all back again and more!
Welcome to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Mammos! You are in good company! and, btw...congrats for having detected cancer at at early, tiny stage! You will be fine, and live to be 105 and no doubt make Rapunzel jealous!
Oh yeah~ 5 years later, I am STILL with my sweetie! He took care of me, cooked for me, went to every chemo and radiation with me, and is loving me...Before, During, and After cancer!
Hugs,
Claudia0 -
Yes, I lost all my hair. When it started to fall out, I called my sister and she and I sat in the restroom and she just massaged my head with her hands and it came right out within 30 minutes. We cried, laughed, hugged, kissed and played with scarfs. I found several great ones at a craft store...like a biker. For work, I learned several ways to tie them and looked really good. You can use eye shadow to make the brows, I just smiled and laughed and people didn't even care. I did find a wig at that place that sales lost baggage for the airport. I had gone to look for scarves and saw this wig. My first response was who would buy a used wig but when I looked, it was brand new, original cost $600 and I got it for $25. You can take it to your hair stylist and she can cut it the way you want. I did feel ackward at times but mostly just kept on going. My loved ones still loved me. My husband finally had more hair than me...hehehe. People just surround you with love. I'd be in a restaurant and a woman would come up to me I did not know and say, I've been there and you will do just fine. It gave a great sisterhood. Even the kids at my school were great. When it started coming in they would want to rub it in the hall. Some would say can I rub it for good luck on a test. We laughed a whole lot. You don't have to shave armpits, legs, and you are wonderfully smooth. You don't have to be waxed at all. It did come back even better than before. It came back very curly and absolutely beautiful. I get people that comment on how wonderful it looks, this is from strangers even. Keep the faith and this too shall pass.0
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Hi Ohilly:
I started losing my hair 2 weeks after my first chemo, CAF (the adryomicin is what causes the hair loss) I never lost it totally but it thinned out alot and my scalp was hurting, so I shaved it off and went Mrs. Clean until it started to grow back in. I purchased a wig which I wore 3 times (couldn't stand it) and decided to go au natural. My kids who are 14 & 16 didn't care and actually thought I looked better without anything. If I went out in the sun I would wear a baseball cap to protect my scalp. I lost hair all over my body (pubic, underarms, legs) I never lost my eyelashes or eyebrows but my eyelashes thinned out also. My last chemo was NOv. 16th, 2007 and my hair is now salt & pepper (after being a dirty blond)and it is growing in curly (after having stick straight hair). My underarms barely have hair, my legs are full again (darn) I liked the fact of not waxing anymore but had to go back to waxing the legs and bikini area (ouch!!!). My hair is now about 1 1/2" long. I've had my hairdresser shape it twice so far. I would wear eye make up to accent the eyes and it actually looked good.0 -
Not to scare you, I have lost my hair twice to chemo. Both times I kept some of my eyelashes and little bit of eyebrow. I loved losing all the hair on legs and underarms. I tried wigs, they just weren't me. If it wasn't my hair I didn't want hair. I wore hats in public and turbans/wraps around the house when my head got cold. I found that at night my head could get cold so I learned to sleep with my head covered. My kids were young both times that I was bald. The second time I lost my hair I was quite angry so I found a way to make it better. I bought 2 white hats and tons of markers, gave the hats to my kids to color any way they wanted. I wore my kids artwork on my head. I really liked wearing hats. There is a website, http://www.tlccatalog.org/ that has accessories you can buy, and another website I have fun with is www.choosehope.com. They have some "cancer sucks" things and some "choosehope" things to suit your mood for the day.
Good luck, take care, and God Bless0 -
Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. But think of it this way---thank goodness it was caught at an early stage and the tumor is very small. I had 4 rounds of AC(adriamycin/cytoxan) and 4 rounds of T(taxol). I lost my hair by the second AC treatment. Some peach fuz grew in soon after but very little. My eyebrows and eyelashes thinned but did not fall out completely until the first T treatment. Then I used an eyebrow pencil--and my wig had bangs that partially covered them so that was fine. However there is no real way of faking eyelashes. I rimmed my eyes with brown eyeshadow and it wasn't too bad. My hair grew back faster than my eyebrows and eyelashes did. Not sure why. I too was dreading the whole baldness thing, but once it happened I got used to it. I bought some soft little "cap"s to wear around the house. Sometimes I wore a bandana when out and about, but usually I wore my wig(which I received many compliments on). ACS has a catalog that has geat little cotton caps for sleeping/lounging, hats, scarves, wigs etc....and they puposely keep the prices low. Don't worry, if you have to lose your hair, it won't be as bad as you think. And, when your hair grows back in, its super soft like babys hair. Mine was always straight and my new hair is super curley. I actually really like having curley hair.. I'm hoping it stays this way. Good luck. Eileen0
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I may need chemo. I'll know within the next week. Someone suggested I watch the Robin Roberts (Good Morning America) video diary of her chemo on the Internet. I cried while watching it, but one thought stuck in my mind - be preemptive. So, if I need chemo and my doctor tells me that hair loss is inevitible, I will go to my stylist and have him shave my head before chemo. That way, I will have the control. I need to have some control, no matter how small, while going through this battle. Don't know if this might make sense to you, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Hang in there kiddo and best of luck. Marilynn0
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Hair loss is a scary thing...I think its one of the first things we think of about cancer treatment, after the "am I going to live?' question. I had great oncology nurses who suggested that I get my hair cut shorter before treatment so it wouldn't be such a shock to my children when I lost my hair. BEST ADVICE EVER! It helped to get them in the mode of things changing! And they thought I actually looked younger! When my hair started to fall out it actually hurt. so then I moved on to hsave my head and then used a lint roller to get the short little stubble out. My scalp never hurt again. Now, I think hair loss depends on what type of chemotherapy agent you're given. I had adriamycin and cytoxen and my eyebrows got a little thin, but that meant no waxing and no plucking (not all bad)!!! Eventually lost almost all of my pubic hair (weird). but the bonus was that I didn't have to shave my legs or under my arms. You gotta find the humor and positives in any situation!0
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My hair started to come out exactly 2 weeks after the a/c treatment. I have had shoulder length hair for most of my life so it coming out in clumps was very traumatic. I had already spoken to my stylist and she let me come into the shop after hours to give me a buzz cut/shave my head. I totally recommend doing that prior to the hair loss. It was actually quite liberating, I couldn't watch her shave it but it was a heck of alot better than pulling my hair out. Some of my eyelashes have come out,they are growing in slowly. Not all of my eyebrows have come out but oh well. I know everyone (who is not going thru what you are going thru) says its only hair, and it will grow back, but is sure feels like it is taking forever. I had my head shaved on nov 28 and I am constantly looking at my head to see if any new hairs have sprouted up. I feel like my head is the garden and I am the constant gardener. I didn't go the wig route. I wear hats, bandannas and do rags.
Hang in there before you know it you will be thru all of this.
Mel0
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