Hello, I’m suffering quite a lot of hair shedding after my first EC treatment, despite cold-capping. I also wake up with a headache, and have a lot of tenderness at the top (crown area). Will hair loss continue at the same rate, or will it get less with each cycle? Am I likely to lose all my hair?
Hi I start my chemo EC on Friday and still haven’t made my mind up whether to cold cap. From what I’ve seen hair loss and scalp soreness is a common problem and people end up shaving the hair by the 3rd or 4th treatment. Hope the discomfort and pain eases soon xx
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I did the cold cap for 6 rounds of EC. I would have a small flutter of hair loss every 3 weeks, but overall kept a good head of hair. I never had any soreness. It’s really important to make sure the cap fits snuggly to all your scalp and it does stay cold for a good 24 hrs. My hair grew back (curly) super fast. Best wishes
Thank you for the advice @edp. I think the cold cap did fit well, but l’ll check next time too, and attempt to get a sports band around my head to fit it closer, even though the nurse said its not required. It may just be that I have weaker follicles. I just hope the shedding eases…
How did you keep your scalp cold for 24 hours?
Thank you @mrsb6. Yep I’ve been reading too about how people decide to shave after a while to take back some control. Equally though some still retain about 50% hair if lucky with cold-capping. Just depends on how strong follicles are my Oncologist said. Best wishes for when you start, I have my 2nd EC Thursday…sending hugs xx
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I didn’t keep it cold as such, it was just that it felt cold to the touch for about 24 hrs after a session.
Hey - I cold capped 12 placitaxel then 4 EC (finished nov 24). I kept about 50 % of my hair and no one really noticed I had even lost any. Keep that cold cap snug and don’t be afraid to advocate if you think you have the weong size cap or they don’t fit it snug enough. It’s so worth cold capping
My hair has come back thick fast and wavy under my older straight hair that didn’t fall out xx
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Ahh okay, thank you
Hi @kerrylou1, thank you. Im doing the same regime as you had, but EC first, & using a Paxman cold cap system, with small cap size. Maybe it wasnt fitted snug enough, so I’ll request this on the next one. I’ll try to persevere with it, given yourself and others have said its worth it. Thank you, and hope you are doing much better now xx
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I am also an August chemo starter and had 1st EC on the 13th August, 2nd one due tomorrow. I cold capped, but last Friday, day 16, I started to shed a lot of hair, which is continuing each day. If I wake up during the night, the roots of my hair feel like they are aching and I’ve woken up with a headache today and feel a bit nauseous. Although my hair is thick, I’m hoping the shedding slows down soon, or I may be bald by the weekend!
Hi pg 92
Sorry to hear you in this situation with all of us.My experience this time was with Doxetacel and Carboplatin regime.I have had breast cancer twice first time I had FEC.
I started with the cold cap cycle 1.Following all the advice strictly.
By the second cycle I was shedding massively.i found that the actual cold cap gave me really bad headaches despite taking paracetamol prior.i had a great deal of marks on my head which were quite painful.Ingot to cycle 3 and by that point quite a lot of hair on crown and at the sides had gone.I just found it was very stressful at this point despite it being second time round for me.
So I then gave in and scrapped the cold cap and my hairdresser shaved it off.
Now I am finished chemo I still have a little
Hair at the back prob from the cold cap.
Whilst i still lost a lot of hair I don’t regret it as I wanted to try but it was a challenge.My regime meant that I was in the chemo
Chair for 8 hours with the cap also so very long days.
I did also read that if you use the cold cap it can help the hair grow back quicker at the end of treatment so that’s a positive.
Wishing you lots of luck and love 
Hi pg92
Thank you for your post.
Hair loss can be one of the most distressing side effects of chemotherapy. Many people will lose either some or all of their hair as a result of treatment for breast cancer this can happen with EC chemotherapy . Many people may start to lose hair on their head around two weeks after EC treatment. Hair loss during treatment may also include eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair during treatment. You mention that you are having scalp cooling. This may reduce the amount of hair you loose on your head, but it is difficult to say whether it will continue at the same rate. It varies from one individual to another, as you may have read from others who have posted on the message board to you.
It maybe helpful to talk through how you are feeling with your breast care nurse, or speak to one of the oncology nurses at the fitting of the cold cap.
Any hair loss should be temporary. Most people who have hair loss from chemotherapy treatment notice their hair starts to grow back once treatment is completed. The rate of growth will vary from person to person and body hair can grow back faster or slower than the hair on your head. For most people, hair will begin to grow back in the weeks and months after chemotherapy has finished.
The charity Cancer Hair Care has useful information explaining the hair loss and regrowth cycle in more detail.
You may find our chemotherapy threads helpful whilst you are going through chemotherapy treatment.
Talking to someone who has had a similar experience can often be helpful. Our Someone Like Me service can match you with a trained volunteer who’s had a similar experience to you. You can be in touch with your volunteer by phone or email and they can share their personal experiences to answer your questions, offer support or simply listen to how you are feeling.
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