I have recently been diagnosed with stage 2 invasive lobular breast cancer. I start chemo next week, followed by surgery then radiotherapy.
I didn’t realise most of my hair would fall out after the first chemo and I am now worried I haven’t been to look at wigs etc. I have no idea about wigs, but heard about a hair replacement system which a friend of a friend had, costing £1900 with regular servicing at £85 every four weeks. Against the cost of a human hair wig, it seems comparable.
Anyone had one of these, and any advice regarding what to look for in a wig, in terms of quality, fit, price and how long it takes to get one.
We’re sorry that you haven’t had a reply yet, hopefully someone will come along soon with their own experience and advice.
You may find it helpful to give our nurses a call on our free helpline 0808 800 6000 who can give you some guidance around wigs and discuss what options there are. It’s open 9am-4pm weekdays and 9am-1pm Saturdays. You can also ask our nurses questions on the Ask Our Nurses part of our Forum here.
I don’t know anything about hair replacement systems unfortunately so can’t help with regards to that I’m afraid!
I started chemo on 5th October and my hair hung on for about 3 weeks but became limp and lifeless so I had it shaved on 8th Nov but I did have a lot left at this point…you may be lucky and keep it longer or you could try cold capping…that might help with hair loss!
With regards to wigs…I got a voucher from my oncologist which you can take to any of the salons listed in your area and use the voucher to buy a wig or part payment towards a wig…
The value of the voucher differs depending on which NHS Trust you’re under…would be worth asking your oncologist!
The wigs are actually really good…the better quality ones have lighter weight ‘caps’ that the hair is attached to! I was talking to a lady one day and I didn’t even realise she was wearing a wig…it looked so natural! ?? The salons usually have plenty in stock to choose from and the wig lady (I’m not sure what you call a wig fitter!) makes sure it fits correctly…or will order you one if required!
You can get natural hair wigs too but they’re more expensive
Hi Mewsreviews, I got my wig from hothair.co.uk who have stores in most cities in the UK. If you get one with a mesh front it gives a natural hairline. Mine was synthetic and looked very real. You can get some ideas of styles at least and look for similar suppliers close to where you live. Xx