Hi I haven’t participated in the forum before now but have actively read all your posts it has given me a lot of strength and support throughout my breast cancer road . I was just wondering how everyone else’s hair is doing ? I started chemo on 11th September and had 3 EC And then 3 Docetaxel . I have then gone on to have radiotherapy but I’m now 11 weeks post chemo and my hair is still just a little bit of fluff/spikes round the sides and back . I didn’t cold cap and I still had a few areas of hair at the end of chemo but I had clippered it to a number one when it start to shed loads after second chemo . I feel like it should be growing back quicker and feel a bit despondent:cry: xx
Hi @jopo64
I had the same chemo as you, from august to December, then radiotherapy in January. I didn’t cold cap either and started shedding about 2 weeks after my first EC. I then had the lot shaved off. I noticed that I had a bit of re growth after my 5th chemo which would have been at the end of November. It has been slow but does seem to be picking up now. There is a useful website called cancerhair. This explains the normal re growth cycle. Basically it is slow for the first 3 months after finishing chemo. Then for months 3-6 there is a noticeable increase in growth. Don’t forget that if you are on any medication still, ie letrozole, then a side effect can be hair thinning. I seem to be following the usual pattern, but I am confident about going out without a wig or any head covering now.
Hope this helps.
Thank you for replying it’s nice to know I’m not alone on the hair regrowth. All the other side effects I had from chemo which were most of them In varying degrees I expected but once I’ve started to feel better I suppose I wanted to look like my old self with hair etc quite quickly. I’ve been on anastrazole for six weeks now and yes as you say the same as letrazole hair thinning etc so maybe why slow to grow back xx
I had my last IV chemo October 2nd followed by surgery and radiotherapy. I’m still having phesgo jabs.
I lost my hair.
This is where I’m at now. So curly! And very soft. I’m not sure what to do with it so I just wash it and leave it. Hoping it’ll be long enough to style before my holiday in June.
I hated that my hair grew so fast pre-diagnosis, I would shave my legs and two hours later I had stubble. Being suspected half gorilla, I have found since my chemo finished at the end of December (started Docetaxel for x3 cycles August, Nab-paclitaxel for remaining x3 cycles after I had a reaction and they stopped the Docetaxel) hair pretty much started to fall out about a fortnight after, I never shaved it but it went pretty sparse but not full bald) it has suddenly come back in abundance on my body but my head hair (which I’d love to return at the same rate) is taking its time. I kind of look like Mike Pence, hoping soon I’ll look like Ted Danson or Sam Elliott (I’ve been fighting grey/white hairs since my teens, hadn’t seen my natural hair since I was about 14/15, so resigned to the fact that until I can dye it in June I look like an elder gentleman).
My eyebrows and lashes fell out in January but luckily are now coming back (lashes gave me a stye cos if an infected hair follicle and my brows are trying to give me a monobrow, but I refuse to pluck or shave them cos I was scared they’d not return). My face is quite peach fuzzy, wasn’t like that before (had a singular chin hair that appeared monthly). It’s quite the change returning to feeling the need to shave. I liked not having to worry about body maintenance for a while, cruel irony that because of the head hair loss I felt like and didn’t want to be seen.
I suspect I will be Chewbacca shortly (though not ginger).
I’m mostly relieved my brows and lashes returned, I was more upset about losing them temporarily than losing half my boob permanently (I’m weird, I know).
Hi @jopo64,
Haven’t got any good news for u but think it’s best to know. I’ve heard it can take about 2 years to get your hair back to normal!! I hate mine at the moment (it’s 18 months since chemo). My hair came back curly and coarse but now its getting softer but I still feel like a scarecrow!! So at the moment, I’m having regular trims and will keep doing till my hair feels like it used to. Sorry not the news u want to hear- good luck x
Is anyone else on Kadcyla? There’s me getting excited about the little hair I’ve had returning and now my oncologist has warned me Kadcyla may thin what I’ve got or I may lose it again.
The thought of it coming back (even though it’s only about a cm or 2 long) and then falling out again is dreadful.
@sez
Hi, I’m not on the same drug as you but it seems most of the drugs we take after treatment cause hair thinning or hair loss. In my experience, it hasn’t affected the growth of hair on my head but bodily hair is much reduced so I see it as a silver lining!! Quick in and out of shower cos no shaving needed!! Lost my eyelashes twice more after they grew back the first time due to these meds but they seem ok now. Hope this helps xxx