slow hair regrowth/worried

ohilly
ohilly Member Posts: 441
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Okay, I have written on this many times, so I'm sure you all think I am crazy. I am getting very discouraged about my hair. I had 4 treatments of Taxotere/Cytoxan, the last one was on June 20. I never shaved my head, so I still have patches of hair. For awhile I 'thought' I saw tiny white hairs, but they don't seem to be progressing since I saw them and I honestly cannot tell if my hair is growing back or not since I never lost all of it. This Friday will be 9 weeks since my last infusion. Is there anyone out there whose hair grew back really slowly? I have an appt. with my oncologist in Sept. I'm thinking maybe I should ask him for advice. Should I see a dermatologist? Please advise. I am so depressed about this. Ohilly

Comments

  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #2
    SLOW HAIR GROWTH
    Hi Ohilly,

    I have lost my hair to cancer 3 times and each time the regrowth has been different. This last time (I suppose since I am 9 years older) it took a long time for it to come back. It took such a long time I finally just went around with teeny tiny hair on my head and let people wonder what kind of look i was striving for! I am 51 so I was 50 this last time. I am not sure if that had anything to do with it. It took a good 6 months to grow enough hair that I just looked like I had very short hair. I did not get my first haircut till ten months from my last chemo. It will come back it just may take a bit. Hope this helps, wishing you all the best!

    RE
  • ohilly
    ohilly Member Posts: 441
    #3
    RE said:

    SLOW HAIR GROWTH
    Hi Ohilly,

    I have lost my hair to cancer 3 times and each time the regrowth has been different. This last time (I suppose since I am 9 years older) it took a long time for it to come back. It took such a long time I finally just went around with teeny tiny hair on my head and let people wonder what kind of look i was striving for! I am 51 so I was 50 this last time. I am not sure if that had anything to do with it. It took a good 6 months to grow enough hair that I just looked like I had very short hair. I did not get my first haircut till ten months from my last chemo. It will come back it just may take a bit. Hope this helps, wishing you all the best!

    RE

    I understand that my hair is
    I understand that my hair is not going to completely grow back for awhile. What makes me depressed is that it is 9 weeks out from my chemo and I can't really see that it even STARTED growing back. if it started, I would feel better. Can you tell me when yours STARTED to grow back (not when you had a full head of hair)?

    Thank you.

    Ohilly
  • straussu
    straussu Member Posts: 22
    #4
    RE said:

    SLOW HAIR GROWTH
    Hi Ohilly,

    I have lost my hair to cancer 3 times and each time the regrowth has been different. This last time (I suppose since I am 9 years older) it took a long time for it to come back. It took such a long time I finally just went around with teeny tiny hair on my head and let people wonder what kind of look i was striving for! I am 51 so I was 50 this last time. I am not sure if that had anything to do with it. It took a good 6 months to grow enough hair that I just looked like I had very short hair. I did not get my first haircut till ten months from my last chemo. It will come back it just may take a bit. Hope this helps, wishing you all the best!

    RE

    slow hair regrowth
    As you can see from my photo, I lost all of my hair after 8 weeks of AC chemo. After about 8 weeks from the last cycle, I had WHITE peach fuzz. My hair was medium brown before chemo. It took about 4 months from finishing chemo for me to feel comfortable going out in public without a head covering. My hair was still VERY short. It was also much curlier than before chemo. After 10-12 months, my hair had grown back to its length before chemo which is only about chin length. It is still mostly gray, but I color it medium brown. I am now 17 months post-chemo and my hair is totally back to what it was before chemo (except for the color). Be patient. You should see new hair soon. Good luck!
  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #5
    ohilly said:

    I understand that my hair is
    I understand that my hair is not going to completely grow back for awhile. What makes me depressed is that it is 9 weeks out from my chemo and I can't really see that it even STARTED growing back. if it started, I would feel better. Can you tell me when yours STARTED to grow back (not when you had a full head of hair)?

    Thank you.

    Ohilly

    slow hair growth
    Hello Ohilly,

    Going back and looking at photo's I believe it was about three months when I had the peach fuzz totally covering my head. I hope this helps Ohilly, I totally sympathize with you as I was frustrated by the slow hair growth as well.

    RE
  • Eil4186
    Eil4186 Member Posts: 949
    #6
    Hang in there!
    Hi Ohilly, it will come back soon. Everyone is different. I had some peach fuzz before I was finished with chemo and 3 months after chemo I got rid of my wig, but my hair was VERY short--probably only about less than 1/4 of an inch. I was not ready for a trim until 8 months later. You'll see, it will come back in its own time----we are all different. Hang in there, Eil
  • sylva
    sylva Member Posts: 80
    #7
    Ohilly, I had the same
    Ohilly, I had the same treatments as you, and finished with the chemo on June 25. My hair is growing. The head is all cover,very very short, it looks darker than before.
    What I noticed now, that happened well after the treatments, is that my eyebrows are almost gone, the same as the eyelashes.
    I don't know if this is effect of the Tamoxifene that I'm taking, or it's still effect of the chemo treatments. I'm planning to call the oncologist and ask him about this "late falling of eyebrows and eyelashes"
    Did you ask your doctor if maybe there is any vitamin that could help?
  • vmccasland
    vmccasland Member Posts: 4
    #8
    Slow Hair Growth / Worried
    Of course, you're worried. For years we're told our hair is our "crowning glory" and next thing you know, we're staring at Yul Brynner in the mirror. Please know better days are coming. Like you, I searched every day for little follicles, cheering them on and almost afraid to touch them and cause them harm. My chemo ended in early September, two years ago, and it was 6 months before I had enough on my dome to think I could appear in public without being embarrassed. It was very short, mind you, but it was mine. Even today, in the very front, those hairs haven't grown as quickly as some others. My oncology nurse advised me not to even consider any dyes or harsh treatments and to baby it along, and I think she probably had a point. Mine came in curlier than before and I feel human again. The same will happen to you, in time. Please know every day gets better and the time will come when this whole period will just be something that happened and made you stronger.
    Valerie
  • vmccasland
    vmccasland Member Posts: 4
    #9
    ohilly said:

    I understand that my hair is
    I understand that my hair is not going to completely grow back for awhile. What makes me depressed is that it is 9 weeks out from my chemo and I can't really see that it even STARTED growing back. if it started, I would feel better. Can you tell me when yours STARTED to grow back (not when you had a full head of hair)?

    Thank you.

    Ohilly

    Slow Hair Regrowth
    9 weeks after ending chemo, I still looked like an alien from another planet -- bumpy bald head, sallow complexion, no eyebrows or eyelashes -- you name it. You'll be fine again, I promise.
    Valerie
  • rose julien
    rose julien Member Posts: 2
    #10
    ohilly said:

    I understand that my hair is
    I understand that my hair is not going to completely grow back for awhile. What makes me depressed is that it is 9 weeks out from my chemo and I can't really see that it even STARTED growing back. if it started, I would feel better. Can you tell me when yours STARTED to grow back (not when you had a full head of hair)?

    Thank you.

    Ohilly

    Slow Hair Regrowth
    Hi Ohilly,

    I know it may not be as encouraging just to hear from us that have experienced it previously because you are going through it right now. But, believe me, you will be fine. My treatments were in February, 2000 and my hair did not grow back completely until the following Spring (2001). And, just my luck, like other people, it did not grow back quickly, dark or curly. When it finally did come in, it was totally white!!! What a shock that was. I was 45 at the time. I have recently been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and have gone through radiation. Chemo is coming and I will be facing this once again. I may need to write to you for support before you know it and your hair will be in place by then. Hope that helps. Keep your chin up. We are all here for you. If you want to keep talking about it, that's what we are all here for. Good Luck, you will do just fine.
  • Nenda2
    Nenda2 Member Posts: 2
    #11
    Slow Hair Growth
    Ohilly: worry not it will come back. I completed my last round of T/C last September and shortly after that I shaved my head to give it a fresh start. I have always loved the close cut look so loved it. But when it started growing back it seemed to do so more in some places than others, but I still did not allow that to make me feel any less, I feel good just about the fact that I am still here.

    One day I had a discussion with my cousin who is a natural hair stylist and she gave me a natural remedy to try and it seems to be working. It is a combination of Vitamin E, Rosemary Oil and Peppermint Oil. (You can find all these oils at your local health food stores) The mixture is one whole part of the E and 15 drops each of the Rosemary and Peppermint. The mixture is rubbed into the scalp each nite before bed and I usually shower it out each morning. After a few weeks I have noticed growth! So something is working.

    Don't know about others but I am not allowing my being short on hair making me feel any less than my beautiful self! We're still here and that is what counts most!

    Good luck and keep your heart strong!

    Positive thinking required at ALL Times!!!
  • FHL45
    FHL45 Member Posts: 5
    #12
    It takes time
    I had my last T/C treatment on March 13th, It's been 21 Weeks and I have patches of fine hair. You can still see my scalp. I was expecting my hair to be back in a couple of months but now I know that it will come in time. My oncologist says it could take a year for my hair to grow back. Are you taking Tamoxifen? I am told that this is why my hair growth has slowed down. I still have not grown back my eyebrows, but I am getting eyelashes now.
  • FHL45
    FHL45 Member Posts: 5
    #13
    It takes time
    I had my last T/C treatment on March 13th, It's been 21 Weeks and I have patches of fine hair. You can still see my scalp. I was expecting my hair to be back in a couple of months but now I know that it will come in time. My oncologist says it could take a year for my hair to grow back. Are you taking Tamoxifen? I am told that this is why my hair growth has slowed down. I still have not grown back my eyebrows, but I am getting eyelashes now.
  • ohilly
    ohilly Member Posts: 441
    #14
    FHL45 said:

    It takes time
    I had my last T/C treatment on March 13th, It's been 21 Weeks and I have patches of fine hair. You can still see my scalp. I was expecting my hair to be back in a couple of months but now I know that it will come in time. My oncologist says it could take a year for my hair to grow back. Are you taking Tamoxifen? I am told that this is why my hair growth has slowed down. I still have not grown back my eyebrows, but I am getting eyelashes now.

    hair regrowth
    I felt better reading your post: that I'm not the only one whose hair is taking longer to come in. I think my hair is growing: I see little white hairs and the hair on my legs started to grow back. I could live with waiting a year for it to come back if I felt it was on its way to coming back and it's making progress. Thanks for the support! Ohilly
  • jcajc5
    jcajc5 Member Posts: 9
    #15
    Slow hair growth
    I had 16 weeks of chemo,hair growth is a very slow process.I still have patches that have not grown back.My doc. told me to take prenatal vitamins.Just be strong, It'll come back.My last treatment was in Feb. 2008.My hair is just now starting to grow really good. Good luck to you and your hair!!!
  • emymaze
    emymaze Member Posts: 1
    #16
    Bald & Beautiful
    My last chemo was May 30th of this year. My hair (ha ha) is about 1/10 of an inch and there's more gray then anything. There's some black starting to show, but not enough to overshadow the gray. I do walk out without a hat or scarf due to my daughter & girlfriend telling me I no longer needed one. Your hair will come back little by little. Thankfully my "short" haircut looks better then some of the green and pink and purple and orange hairstyles I see at the mall. :-)
    God Bless You on your journey. May he keep his arms tightly around you.

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